The Brian Lehrer Show Economic News from Marketplace
May 13, 2026
Kai Ryssdal, host and senior editor at Marketplace who explains economics for public radio. He breaks down why markets can boom while consumers feel inflation. He talks about AI and productivity without clear job forecasts. He covers producer prices, tariffs, high gas costs, crypto’s limits, and the strain on the farm economy.
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Stock Market Rally Masks Consumer Pain
- The stock market can rally even while consumers feel financial pain because it prices future corporate performance, not current household budgets.
- Kai Ryssdal cites AI spending and solid job gains (115,000 jobs) as reasons investors expect corporate resilience despite inflation and higher prices.
Productivity Rises Can Mean Fewer Jobs
- Productivity measures output per hour and can rise when technology lets firms produce the same with fewer workers.
- Kai Ryssdal warns AI will both replace some jobs and create others, but the net effect is uncertain because AI is so new.
AI Is Both Hype And Long Term Shift
- The economic impact of AI is highly uncertain with both bubble-like investment and genuine future potential.
- Kai Ryssdal compares early AI adoption to past tech shifts and notes tens of millions still haven't adopted tools like ChatGPT.