There's a logic to the chaos of the global supply chain

Jun 14, 2024
Peter Goodman of The New York Times discusses the complex inner workings of our fragile system and why it broke down during the pandemic.
Increasing resilience would be costly and reduce profitability at many supply chain businesses, author Peter Goodman explains. Above, shipping containers at the Port of Oakland in California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Long COVID can make work challenging. Accommodations can make a difference.

May 22, 2024
In more than half of cases, workplace accommodations don’t cost an employer anything, according to one survey.
For many, long COVID is severe enough that it affects their ability to work. One study estimates about 700,000 people are likely missing from the labor force because of it.
shironosov via Getty Images

What's up with all the new storage space?

Feb 16, 2024
Investors chasing returns have fueled a self-storage boom.
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans rent storage space away from home, according to real estate data firm Yardi Matrix, many of them during a move or other life transition.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

As the Year of the Dragon dawns, many Chinese wish for a better economy

Feb 9, 2024
Asking people in China about their Lunar New Year wishes, the talk inevitably shifts to the economy.
A vendor in Shanghai sells plush toys for the Year of the Dragon.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Could vertical farms help fill unwanted office space?

Nov 22, 2023
Vertical farms “can take the spaces that are hard to rent,” explains real estate developer Brian Friedman.
Racks of lettuces growing at a vertical farm.
onurdongel/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

What China's domestic tourism recovery looks like at a seafood market

Aug 30, 2023
There's more foot traffic than in December, but that doesn't always translate into more spending at Xiamen's Bashi.
Seafood snack and fruit stall vendors in Xiamen say the crowds are back to pre-pandemic levels at Bashi, the Eight Seafood Market, but business is just OK.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

The economic cost of waiting at the border in limbo

Aug 3, 2023
Those waiting on an asylum request often can't move forward with a job, housing or education.
Asylum seekers wait at the pedestrian crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana. Some spend weeks, months or longer at or near the border, hoping to be granted asylum.
Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Here's what might happen if all that open office space stays empty

One thing seems likely, says Lisa Knee of EisnerAmper: real estate is going to need new, creative investors to stay on track.
Office building vacancies are climbing, property values are sagging. That might have implications for all of the investors tied up in commercial real estate debt.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

As offices sit empty, some banks are more cautious about commercial real estate loans

Jul 4, 2023
Office building vacancies remain elevated, especially in coastal cities. Lenders worry about developers’ ability to pay back their debt.
iStock / Getty Images Plus

The pandemic restaurant trends that are here to stay

A Deloitte survey finds consumer preferences for things like ordering online and self-checkout aren't going anywhere.
David Becker/Getty Images