Economy

The U.S. Is Importing Historic Amounts Of Stuff — And It's Causing Cargo Ship Jams

4:35pm June 18, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

The U.S. trade deficit is hitting record highs — and it's fueled by a surge in demand for imports, mostly from East Asia. On both land and at sea, the shipping industry is struggling to keep up.

Thousands of Nebraskans Will Lose Extra $300 Unemployment Benefits This Weekend

4:35pm June 18, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, who is one of 26 governors ending extra benefits for jobless workers during the pandemic.

Thrifting has transformed into a $28 billion industry within the past decade, setting the stage for online resale marketplaces to expand.

Economy

When Second Hand Becomes Vintage: Gen Z Has Made Thrifting A Big Business

5:00am June 18, 2021

by Savannah Sicurella

Members of Generation Z are accelerating the $28 billion resale industry. Their vast purchasing power has driven up the value of resale startups like Depop.

With The Eviction Moratorium's End Looming, Black Renters Likely To Be Hit Hard

4:46pm June 17, 2021

by Chris Arnold

Black renters face eviction at twice the rate of white renters in the U.S. and there's evidence the pandemic hit Black renters harder. A federal moratorium on evictions is expiring at the end of June.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in December. The Fed said on Wednesday it will continue providing support to the economy despite the rise in consumer prices.

Federal Reserve Will Continue Supporting The Economy Despite Surging Prices

5:51pm June 16, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Fed is maintaining its easy money policies for now in an effort to speed the economic recovery. It left interest rates near zero despite a jump in consumer prices.

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Economy

Triad Tourism Sees Room For Hope After 'Really Tough' Year

12:09pm June 16, 2021

by David Ford

As more COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Triad tourism is poised for a robust recovery.

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Economy

Skeptics Doubt That An Ohio Company Can Bring Electric Truck To Market

6:28am June 16, 2021

by Camila Domonoske

Lordstown Motors doesn't have enough cash on hand to produce its long-promised electric pickups. And this week it admitted it exaggerated its preorders, and its CEO and CFO stepped down.

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Container ships sit idle in San Francisco Bay just outside of the Port of Oakland in San Francisco in March.

How 'Chaos' In The Shipping Industry Is Choking The Economy

8:55am June 15, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

The U.S. trade deficit is hitting record highs — and it's fueled by a surge in demand for imports, mostly from East Asia. On both land and at sea, the shipping industry is struggling to keep up.

Economy

As Inflation Rises, Will The Fed Make A Move To Counter The Hike?

6:05am June 14, 2021

NPR's Sarah McCammon talks to David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center at the Brookings Institution, ahead of a meeting of the Federal Reserve Board to discuss the economic recovery.

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Economy

Republican Governors In 25 States End Jobless Aid Early

6:05am June 14, 2021

More than 300,000 people have lost their pandemic unemployment benefits. GOP governors in more than two dozen states ended jobless aid ahead of schedule — in an effort to push people back to work.