Marketplace All-in-One

Cloud computing providers, chip makers, server makers, and even construction companies like Caterpillar all boasted stellar quarterly earnings, sending the message that demand for the development and upkeep of AI is still surging. However, the question remains whether the tech giants pouring cash into data centers will see a return on these enormous investments. But first: Tomorrow we get July’s retail reports, and analysts predict that they’ll show they same thing we’ve been seeing for months: Even though consumers are stressed, they’re still spending.

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Marketplace Morning Report 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.

The Treasury Department is changing the rules on which businesses have to report their ownership to the government. The Biden-era requirements were intended to prevent money laundering, but critics say they were too onerous. Will the changes make it easier for dirty money to get into the U.S.? Then: Even though the Trump administration says we’re in control of the Straight of Hormuz, barely any ships are getting through. But unlike at the start of the war, oil markets don’t seem spooked. We explain.

Stories featured in today’s episode:

Treasury changes rules for business reporting ownership

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report 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.

Generative AI models can produce enormous volumes of text, images and video in seconds. But without expert human instruction, the output is often generic. (You might say slop.)

A number of startups in Silicon Valley are on a mission to change that by giving AI a more human sense of taste.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with critic and journalist Sophie Haigney about what taste is and whether artificial intelligence can truly replicate it.

Tight grocery budget? Try a "recession recipe." Reema talks producer Alice Wilder about her trip to meet Kiki Rough, a TikTok creator who makes hyper affordable recipes. Kiki learned how to to cook on a shoestring budget while on food stamps and has gained a large following as food insecurity in the U.S. rises. But even after going viral, she’s is still struggling to feel financially secure.

How have you been stretching your grocery budget? Email us your favorite penny-pinching recipes, and we’ll put them together into a little cookbook on our website!

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The average household’s buying power has slipped by about 0.1%, when the latest CPI report is compared to last week’s jobs numbers. In layman’s terms, Americans took a pay cut over the last year. But economists aren’t so clear on what comes next. In this episode, we’re on the inflation-outpacing-wages beat. Plus: Drivers brace for continued high gas prices, fractional homeownership startups present tradeoffs in this squeezed housing market, and we break down some lesser-known economic indicators.

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.

Read the stories from this episode:

Inflation has slowed, but wage growth hasn't caught up
Refined oil prices face more pressure than crude, and consumers will pay the price
To understand how war impacts financial markets, look to the past
What you should know about fractional homeownership