Marketplace All-in-One

Who would’ve thought? Last month, PepsiCo cut snack prices. McDonald's has been cutting prices, too, and said it's paying off. Yesterday, the company released better-than-expected results for the tail end of 2025. Also, big revisions to datasets like yesterday's jobs report are becoming more common in an economy undergoing big shifts, and Germany is looking to recruit foreign-born skilled workers as harsher immigration policy and rhetoric make the U.S. less appealing.

Jittery investors continue to punish stocks of companies that may (or may not) face major disruption from artificial intelligence. Last week, it was software firms, then insurance brokers. Now, it’s financial brokerages that offer people planning advice — the likes of Charles Schwab, Raymond James, and Ameriprise. But what's lost when we lose human capabilities in financial services? Plus, U.S. allies like Canada and the U.K. are increasingly turning to China for trade deals.

From the BBC World Service: Russia has ordered a block on WhatsApp, the Kremlin confirmed. The app has more than 100 million users in Russia, who have now been cut off from the platform, and the Russian government is pushing users to download Max, Russia's state-owned messaging platform. Then, China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by 0.3% in 2025, the first full year to show a decline. And, as summers get hotter, Europeans are looking to "coolcation" in colder climes.

Cryptocurrency is being used more frequently in illegal transactions — about $158 billion was used in illicit crypto activity last year. That’s an all-time high, according to a new report from the startup TRM Labs. This comes as the overall crypto ecosystem is growing and, it should be said, legitimate uses of crypto are growing at a faster rate than illegitimate ones. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Ari Redbord, global head of policy at TRM Labs and one of the authors of the new report, to learn more.

Reema is joined by Sam Sanders (host of KCRW’s “The Sam Sanders Show”) to answer your questions about money and dating. We’ve got questions about scammers, secret investments, and secondary partners. 

If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And if you have a sticky money situation you need advice on, call and leave us a message at 347-RING-TIU or email [email protected]

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