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Erika Soderstrom

"Marketplace Morning Report" Associate Producer

SHORT BIO

Erika works with a group of extraordinary producers to chase business and economic stories heard on “Marketplace Morning Report.”

Latest Stories (297)

China's 3-child policy met with tepid public reception

There's skepticism about whether the policy change will actually address China's shrinking workforce and older population.
One reason? "The work of raising a child, like in many countries, falls disproportionately on women, and women in China have complained of being penalized at workplaces for being a mother," says Marketplace China correspondent Jennifer Pak.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Hedge fund Engine No. 1 wins at least 2 Exxon board seats in climate push

It's the first time climate change activists have succeeded in challenging a big oil company, says business professor Erik Gordon.
The activist hedge fund Engine No. 1 yesterday won enough support from other shareholders to get at least two seats on the board of the oil company Exxon Mobil.
Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

COVID unemployment is causing a serious funding issue for Medicare

Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is projected to become insolvent sooner than expected — within three to five years.
The pandemic recession has pushed so many people out of work that funding for Medicare Part A, via payroll taxes, is down.
FG Trade via Getty Images

Does universal basic income discourage work? Maybe not, new data says.

We're learning more about what happens when the government gives people money without conditions.
New data from the first year of a universal basic income program in Stockton, California, suggests worries over work incentives might be overblown.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

H&M affirms commitment to China amid consumer boycott

"Companies might have to choose a side," says our China correspondent Jennifer Pak, "use Xinjiang cotton or be locked out of the world’s second-largest economy."
The clothing retailer last year announced on its website that it would no longer source cotton from Xinjiang, a province where the U.S. and other governments accuse China of holding at least 1 million Uyghurs in forced labor camps, which China denies.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Who's going to buy Robinhood stock after an IPO?

There's no word yet on when the IPO would happen, but Robinhood has filed the confidential plan to go public later this year.
If buying stock on Robinhood is free, how does the company make its money?
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Despite more savings, American households still have a lot of debt

Who's taking on debt for what reasons, and why paying it down is good for your financial and mental health.
Recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows the overall amount of household debt increased steadily in 2020.
Chainarong Prasertthai via Getty Images

Is the GameStop saga a sign of a stock market bubble?

One thing that bubbles have in common? The unpredictable consequences of economy-wide innovations.
speculative fevers often emerge during times of major economic and technological change. "And in essence, these speculators are accelerating the rise of a new economy," says Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

For Super Bowl LV ads, some brands take the bench, others ready for debut

Super Bowl regular Budweiser will skip the big day. Companies like Robinhood and DoorDash want to boost brand awareness.
An aerial view of Raymond James Stadium ahead of Super Bowl LV on January 31, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Inside one family's journey to find an affordable college

The long road to a merit scholarship included 30 applications and 90 admissions essays.
For Lara Mordenti Perrault's daughter, the long road to a merit scholarship included 30 applications and 90 admissions essays.
China Photos/Getty Images