Economy

Mortgage rates are up, sales of homes are down

4:36pm October 06, 2022

by Chris Arnold

The current percentage rate for the average home loan is nearly 7%. These mortgage rates continue to push home ownership out of reach for many Americans navigating a frothy housing market.

News brief: OPEC and the WTO, Ukraine's Gains in the East, NPR/Marist Poll

8:19am October 06, 2022

The WTO predicts a sharp slowdown in global trade. Ukrainian forces are taking back territory that had been captured by Russia. A new NPR poll shows President Biden's approval rating is up.

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Economy

With global trade expected to slow, the WTO warns of a possible recession

5:12am October 06, 2022

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Paul Hannon of The Wall Street Journal about the World Trade Organization predicting a sharp slowdown in trade as nations grapple with inflation and rising energy costs.

Penelope Wingard of Charlotte, N.C., has survived breast cancer, a brain aneurysm and surgery on both eyes. For the past eight years, she's also been battling tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt.

Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'

5:00am October 06, 2022

by Aneri Pattani

New policies to keep medical bills from sinking credit ratings sound good but will likely fall short for many hit hardest by debt — especially Black Americans in the South, such as Penelope Wingard.

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Biden administrations' effort to expose student loan scams

Biden administration steps up protection against student loan forgiveness scams

5:06pm October 05, 2022

by Meg Anderson

The Biden administration is increasing efforts to protect borrowers from student loan forgiveness scams, while still not offering further details about the application itself.

Why worker productivity has fallen in the U.S.

4:29pm October 05, 2022

by Stacey Vanek Smith

Productivity is probably the most important economic indicator for the health of an economy, and it's falling. There is a battle over the narrative around worker productivity and the stakes are high.

News brief: OPEC meeting, Trump document dispute, U.S. balancing act in Iran

6:43am October 05, 2022

OPEC mulls a cut in oil production. The fight over Mar-a-Lago documents goes to the Supreme Court. And the U.S. tries to support Iranian protesters while striking a nuclear deal with their government.

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Bronzeville, a neighborhood of Chicago, was the epicenter of a Black renaissance before it fell on hard times. Now, it's booming again. Here's the story of its incredible turnaround.

Economy

Mortgage rates are up, sales of homes are down

News brief: OPEC and the WTO, Ukraine's Gains in the East, NPR/Marist Poll

With global trade expected to slow, the WTO warns of a possible recession

Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'

Biden administration steps up protection against student loan forgiveness scams

Why worker productivity has fallen in the U.S.

News brief: OPEC meeting, Trump document dispute, U.S. balancing act in Iran

The OPEC+ alliance meets in Vienna to consider a cut in oil production

Florida's insurance market was already on the edge — then Hurricane Ian hit

How the 'Black Metropolis' made a comeback