ECONOMY

Economy

Oxfam report focuses on the wealth gap, which widened during the pandemic

6:16am January 18, 2022

NPR's A Martinez talks with Abby Maxman, CEO and president of Oxfam America, about the organization's latest report on wealth inequality, and how that gap has increased during the pandemic.

A shortage of bus drivers is causing problems for those who use public transportation

5:24pm January 17, 2022

by Niara Savage

Frustration is growing among people who depend on public transportation as employees quit and agencies make major cuts. In St. Louis, Mo., a transit agency is losing far more operators than usual.

Queue Listen Now

How inflation affects food insecurity

5:03pm January 16, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Linda Jones, co-founder of Alabama Childhood Food Solutions, about how inflation is affecting people experiencing food insecurity in central Alabama.

Queue Listen Now

Biden to announce three more Federal Reserve nominees

11:24pm January 13, 2022

by Scott Horsley

Former Treasury official Sarah Bloom Raskin and economists Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson are the three nominees Biden is expected to announce for the Fed board on Friday.

More than 1 million fewer students are in college. Here's how that impacts the economy

1:24pm January 13, 2022

by Elissa Nadworny

People are sitting out college in droves. During the pandemic, undergraduate enrollment has dropped nearly 7%. The long-term effects of this decline could have a dramatic impact on the economy.

Queue Listen Now

Consumer prices are even higher as businesses try to keep up with people eager to buy

4:55pm January 12, 2022

by Scott Horsley

Consumer prices were 7% higher in December than the year prior — the sharpest increase in nearly four decades. Many expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to try to bring inflation down.

Queue Listen Now

Consumer prices — including gas — are surging at their highest annual pace in around 40 years.

Inflation is still surging and some Democrats see one culprit: Greedy companies

1:58pm January 12, 2022

by Scott Horsley

Consumer prices are soaring at their highest annual pace in almost 40 years. Some progressives such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren blame corporate profiteering, but most economists scoff.

Queue Listen Now

Fed chair Jerome Powell takes questions from Senate committee in confirmation hearing

5:28pm January 11, 2022

by Scott Horsley

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell appeared before the Senate Banking Committee, which is considering his nomination for a second term. The central bank is under pressure to confront inflation.

Capital One has become the nation's largest bank to end overdraft fees for all of its customers. Federal regulators are taking a hard look at bank overdraft fees, which hit customers with lower incomes the hardest.

People hate overdraft fees. Banks are ditching or reducing them

1:10pm January 11, 2022

by Chris Arnold

Capital One says it will stop charging overdraft fees and Bank of America is reducing them. These hefty fees hit people with low incomes the hardest.

Queue Listen Now

Climeworks factory with it's fans in front of the collector, drawing in ambient air and release it, as largely purified CO2 through ventilators at the back is seen at the Hellisheidi power plant near Reykjavik on October 11, 2021.

As carbon removal gains traction, economists imagine a new market to save the planet

6:30am January 11, 2022

by Greg Rosalsky

Carbon removal went mainstream in 2021. But the technology is still light years away from making a real difference combating climate change. A group of economists wants to help change that.