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Kai Ryssdal

Host and Senior Editor

SHORT BIO

Kai is the host and senior editor of “Marketplace,” the most widely heard program on business and the economy — radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting — in the country. Kai speaks regularly with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, startup entrepreneurs, small-business owners and everyday participants in the American and global economies. Before his career in broadcasting, Kai served in the United States Navy and United States Foreign Service. He’s a graduate of Emory University and Georgetown University. Kai lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.

Episodes by Kai (6,123)

Marketplace

What happens if Trump brings back Schedule F?

Oct 31, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1275

Some not-so-scary news for the Fed

Oct 31, 2024
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Marketplace

The consumer spending sweet spot

Oct 30, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1274

Is Big Tech’s investment in AI paying off?

Oct 30, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1273

Live from Boston, Part 2: Heather Cox Richardson

Oct 29, 2024
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Marketplace

Why American solar manufacturers are divided on tariffs

Oct 29, 2024
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Marketplace

Why Fed independence is crucial

Oct 28, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1272

Keeping calm in the eye of the election storm

Oct 28, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1271

Make Me Smart: Live in Boston

Oct 25, 2024
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Marketplace

What's better, a pension or a 401(k)?

Oct 24, 2024
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Latest Stories (5,831)

From school cafeterias to professional athletes, Uncrustables sandwiches are everywhere

by Kai Ryssdal , Aleezeh Hasan and Sarah Leeson
Jun 3, 2024
The iconic Uncrustables sandwich is about to become a billion-dollar business after garnering attention from a range of new audiences.
Smucker's purchased the Uncrustables brand from two dads in the Midwest in 1998.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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What’s that smell? A teenage boy wearing luxury cologne.

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
May 31, 2024
Inspired by social media influencers, adolescents are splurging on high-end fragrances, journalist Callie Holtermann reports.
Adolescent boys are building collections of high-end fragrances, Callie Holtermann of The New York Times reports. Some parents say it keeps them away from doing riskier things.
Getty Images
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Breaking Ground

The Golden Triangle: How the CHIPS Act is changing one Arizona neighborhood

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
May 29, 2024
The investment and growth spurred by government dollars are heightening competition among residents, business owners and local officials.
In the Phoenix area, development accelerated by CHIPS Act investment may disrupt rural lifestyles and transform parts of the desert. Above, developer Charles Eckert.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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Farming is "not easy and it's a lot of risk," says Iowa soybean producer

by Kai Ryssdal , Andie Corban and Sarah Leeson
May 28, 2024
"Soybeans are down 18 cents today and then they could go up 50 tomorrow. Who knows?" said April Hemmes, a soybean farmer in Iowa.
Heavy rains have meant some farmers have had to replant hundreds of acres, says farmer April Hemmes.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
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Honeybee populations are hitting record numbers. Weren't they dying off before?

by Kai Ryssdal , Sarah Leeson and Sofia Terenzio
May 16, 2024
Scientists were ringing alarm bells about colony collapse disorder a decade ago. Brian Walsh of Vox explains what happened.
Honeybees were too valuable to fail.
Barbara Gindl/APA/AFP via Getty Images
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The problem of sticky inflation resides with housing, Fed's Goolsbee says

by Kai Ryssdal and Sofia Terenzio
May 15, 2024
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee talks the latest CPI release and what it means for the Fed's continued fight against inflation.
Austan Goolsbee, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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211 call centers show financial strain above the poverty line  

by Kai Ryssdal , Andie Corban and Aleezeh Hasan
May 14, 2024
Many callers hoping to get referrals have moderate incomes but still struggle, explains Rachel Wolfe of The Wall Street Journal.
211 call centers are "a really great window into the state of the American consumer," says The Wall Street Journal's Rachel Wolfe.
Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images
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National Debt

Commerce chief lays out blueprint for chip manufacturing in America

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
May 10, 2024
The supply chain is being built to reduce U.S. vulnerability and seize opportunities like artificial intelligence, Raimondo says.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discussed chips, China and jobs with Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal in Washington.
Nancy Farghalli/Marketplace
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Inflation is "not yet where it needs to be," Treasury Secretary Yellen says

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
May 9, 2024
Janet Yellen addresses the state of the U.S. economy and underscores the country's rivalry and collaboration with China in an interview.
"I think it's important for Americans to understand how critical democracy is to economic performance," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says. Above, Yellen testifies at a House Ways and Means committee hearing on April 30.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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If the divestment movement succeeds, will it have an economic impact?

by Kai Ryssdal and Sofia Terenzio
May 3, 2024
Divestment might not move the needle on government or corporate policy, but it could shift "hearts and minds," says Alison Taylor of NYU.
Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
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