
The 2025 consumer sentiment rollercoaster
2025/12/19 | 25 mins.
Consumer sentiment really ran the gamut this year. But right now, Americans are feeling almost as bad about the economy as they were when inflation was at its peak summer of 2022. In this episode, we chronicle 2025’s consumer vibes rollercoaster. Plus: Kansas City’s housing market preps for the 2026 World Cup, a college professor offers an AI-driven macroeconomic theory course, and we go over the week’s headlines.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

How to start the caregiving conversation
2025/12/19 | 24 mins.
Family caregivers in the United States are increasingly under mental and financial stress. Elizabeth Miller, founder of the caregiver resource platform Happy Healthy Caregiver, is here to help. On today’s show, Miller joins Kimberly to talk about prioritizing self-care and how you start caregiving conversations with family. Plus, we’ll get in the holiday spirit with a round of This or That!Here’s everything we talked about today:"New Report Reveals Crisis Point for America’s 63 million Family Caregivers" from AARP "How To Prepare To Be A Caregiver And Manage The Costs" from Today "5 Powerful Tips to kick off “the Talk” with Your Loved Ones" from Happy Healthy Caregiver"How to Make a Caregiving Plan (So It’s Ready When You Need It)" from The New York TimesIf our reporting has been valuable to you in 2025, consider becoming a Marketplace Investor. Give now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn

Power and politics in the Warner Bros. deal
2025/12/19 | 6 mins.
It's a major Hollywood drama: Despite striking a deal with Netflix, the high-stakes bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery shows no sign of cooling off. The company turned down a renewed offer from Paramount of $30 a share, signaling a continued preference for the Netflix deal. Thing is, the transaction will likely draw close regulatory scrutiny from the Trump administration. But first: messy economic data and a deal to buy TikTok's U.S. operations.

Data centers and your electric bill
2025/12/19 | 6 mins.
Electricity prices are up 6.9% year over year — much higher than overall inflation — and costs are expected to go up even more in the future. So, how are energy-hungry data centers, used to power AI, crypto, and more, impacting electric bills? That's a question that several Senate Democrats had, who opened an investigation into tech firms this week. Also on the show: TikTok ownership and real estate agents' thoughts on the market.

TikTok set to sell US assets
2025/12/19 | 6 mins.
From the BBC World Service: The Chinese owners of TikTok have signed a deal to sell the company's U.S. assets to a joint venture led by American investors. This morning, we'll parse the details of the agreement. Then, Ukraine will receive a loan of more than $100 billion from the European Union to fund its war against Russia. Plus, Morocco is staging the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament, but not everyone's pleased about the money being spent on it.



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