Marketplace Morning Report

More than 130,000 people across Southern California are under evacuation orders for the firestorms that swept the Los Angeles area this week. Thousands of structures have burnt, which will add strains to affordable housing. The disaster will also affect the region’s chronically unhoused, who face unique challenges in evacuating, accessing shelter and recovery. Plus, a standing ovation from an accounting conference? We’ll hear a professional improviser reflect on his career.

With Donald Trump’s second inauguration about 10 days away, it’s a good time to survey what lies ahead for the U.S. and global economies. The political risk consultancy Eurasia Group recently put out its annual list of top risks for the year ahead. In 2025, rivalries and instability could pose threats to the global economy. Also: a look at the British bond market and what to expect when you’re expecting a jobs report.

From the BBC World Service: U.K. government borrowing costs are hovering near a 16-year high, as bond yields have surged, inflation is proving sticky, and the value of the pound has drooped. What’s causing the uncertainty? Plus, Ethiopia has a stock exchange again after 50 years. And later: Shipping giant Maersk warns that only half of its ships are arriving on time and warns of more volatility on the way.

On Friday, the Supreme Court holds the fate of many of the nation’s content creators in its hands. TikTok parent company ByteDance wants the court to halt a bipartisan law that would require the company to sell the social video platform to a U.S. company. But ByteDance has a backup plan just in case. Plus, 2024 was a record year for bankruptcies, and Peru’s Chinese-funded port aims to reshape global trade.

Today is a national day to remember Jimmy Carter, the 39th president. This morning, we’re taking a look at Carter’s “malaise” speech. It was given in mid-July 1979, when inflation was running high in the midst of the second oil crisis, and includes a direct economic plea. Also, after 20 years apart, the Service Employees International Union is going back into the collection of unions known as the AFL-CIO.

From the BBC World Service: The union representing 45,000 longshoremen on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts has reached a tentative deal with their employers. But other factors are continuing to shape the world of global shipping. In Peru, a new Chinese-built megaproject could help dramatically speed up global trade. Plus, a look at how might China deal with disinflation and how Greenland’s relationship with the U.S. may be shifting.

We’ll get reports on December’s hiring and unemployment this Friday. Monthly data is one thing, but let’s take a generational view: Demographics will help define the health of the labor market going forward, and members of Gen Z — now entering the workforce — can’t replace all of the aging baby boomers nearing retirement. We’ll discuss. Also, how pay and automation concerns are playing out at the Port of Cape Town.

Congestion pricing enters its fourth day in New York City. If the tolls reduce congestion, it could make deliveries quicker and more cost-efficient, though daytime deliveries would still get pricier. Plus, fires in Los Angeles County have forced tens of thousands to evacuate and come at a fragile time for the Californian home insurance market. And then starting today, Americans visiting the U.K. will need a new digital travel document.

From the BBC World Service: Automation is a sticking point between dockworkers and employers at East Coast ports in the United States. In Cape Town, ranked as the least efficient port globally, some experts think more automated technology is vital to improve services. Also on this morning’s show: South Sudan restarts oil production after conflict in neighboring Sudan halted exports a year ago. The conflict damaged a key pipeline.

You may have noticed empty shelves at your grocery store’s egg counter recently. When there are eggs available, prices have shot up. The problem is mostly on the supply side of the supply-and-demand equation. You can blame an ongoing outbreak of the avian flu. Plus, McDonald’s is the latest corporation to roll back some of its diversity initiatives, and we’ll look at labor organizing history from the docks of Liverpool, England.

The Biden White House has eked out a new initiative on medical debt before President-elect Donald Trump takes over. The rule says unpaid medical bills can’t be included in consumers’ credit reports. But it may not be around for long. We’ll hear more. And, we’ll add context to President Biden’s ban on offshore oil and gas, and hear a dispatch from the world’s largest consumer technology show.

From the BBC World Service: The Pentagon has added two of China’s corporate giants, Tencent and CATL, to a list of entities it alleges have military ties. This has sent the stocks of those companies tumbling down, but China has vowed to retaliate. Meanwhile, we’ll hear updates to a sexual harassment investigation at McDonald’s locations in the United Kingdom. Plus, we’ll learn about one of the longest-running British industrial disputes.

Markets are moving — especially the U.S. dollar, which is down 1% to the euro this morning — with financial players focused on a published report suggesting that the Donald Trump administration will apply tariffs to every country, but not everything. On the program, we’ll discuss with economist Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives. Plus, President Joe Biden has signed a measure to increase Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million people.

Every bottle of alcohol sold in the U.S. already has a warning label. But late last week the U.S. Surgeon General recommended changes to those labels, including adding specific information on how alcohol can cause certain kinds of cancer. But how effective might such updates be? We’ll dig in. Plus, mortgage rates are creeping back up, and oral arguments over a TikTok ban are slated to go before the Supreme Court this week.

From the BBC World Service: Shares of the Japanese giant Nippon Steel slide after President Joe Biden’s decision to block its takeover of U.S. Steel, citing national security concerns. Nippon says it’s going to challenge that decision. As we hear, the drama isn’t over yet. Also on this morning’s program: Italy is considering a $1.5 billion deal with SpaceX, and manufacturers in India could benefit from U.S.-China tariffs.

Last spring, the Dartmouth College basketball team made headlines when the players voted to form a union, and the National Labor Relations Board decided that players were employees entitled to unionize. But in anticipation of an NLRB that’s less labor-friendly under President Donald Trump, the players have thrown in the towel. We hear more. But first: This morning, President Joe Biden blocked Japanese steel-maker Nippon’s attempts to buy U.S. Steel.

Today is the first day of the 119th Congress. Republicans control the House and the Senate, though who holds the House Speaker position remains up in the air. And top of the economic agenda for the new Congress will be what happens with the Trump tax cuts passed in 2017. Also on this morning’s program: a floundering takeover of U.S. Steel, the year ahead in AI and an update on net neutrality.

From the BBC World Service: President Joe Biden appears ready to block a proposed takeover of U.S. Steel by Japanese company Nippon Steel, according to multiple media reports. We’ll unpack the latest developments. Also: Gold saw its best performance in 14 years last year, so what might 2025 hold? Then, European soccer is big business. Now, a potential rivalry between teams in Paris could be shaking things up.

We’re 18 days until Donald Trump’s second term in office and 13 days away from another potential dockworkers’ strike. Workers at East and Gulf Coast ports briefly went on strike in October, but reached a partial deal and agreed to keep talking until Jan. 15. We’ll hear what’s left to hammer out. Also on today’s show: We’re swiftly approaching the debt ceiling, and it’s been a relatively muted day for foreign markets.

Bloomberg calculates that the U.S. dollar made its biggest gain last year in nearly a decade. And it starts 2025 with some momentum for further gains, continuing a rally that started in early fall when the Federal Reserve started cutting U.S. interest rates amid persistently strong economic growth. Also, Amazon’s RTO push is hampered by a lack of office space, and more Texans turn to microgrids for energy resilience.