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Some economic issues are just radioactive … literally
Mar 30, 2021

Some economic issues are just radioactive … literally

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New Mexico is suing the U.S. to keep the state from becoming home to a new nuclear waste storage facility. One of its arguments is economic, and has to do with the oil and gas industry. Plus, how high is too high when it comes to interest rates and Treasury yields? And, farmers in France protest after a city mayor removes meat from school cafeteria menus.

Segments From this episode

At what point should we start to worry that interest rates and Treasury yields are too high?

Interest rates have been rising all year, and that’s due to two things, said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JP Morgan Funds: light at the end of the tunnel on the pandemic and fiscal stimulus. “When you’ve got a recovering economy and the pandemic is receding, it’s not so much that rates are very high now, they’ve just been really low.” As far as how high is too high? “I don’t think we should be too concerned for most transactions,” Kelly said. Home prices have risen, but Kelly says it’s not the mortgage payment that’s the problem for most people still. He said the bigger issue is the amount of debt companies and governments have issued over recent years and how difficult that will be to pay back.

French farmers protest taking meat off Lyon school lunch menu

Mar 30, 2021
Green Party Mayor Grégory Doucet says adopting a single meatless menu helps to make social distancing easier during COVID-19.
Farmers protested the meat ban with a banner reading "Stop ideology in our plates."
Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images

Music from the episode

Discipline King Crimson

The team

Victoria Craig Host, BBC
Stephen Ryan Senior Producer, BBC
Jonathan Frewin Producer, BBC
Daniel Shin Producer
Jay Siebold Technical Director
Meredith Garretson Morbey Senior Producer
Alex Schroeder Producer
Erika Soderstrom Producer
Rose Conlon Producer
Brian Allison Technical Director