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Jonathan Frewin

Latest from Jonathan Frewin

  • Aug 4, 2022

    The labor market may be cooling off, just a little bit

    The 311,000 number is higher than most predictions, while unemployment rose from 3.4% to 3.6%.
    Olivier Douliery/ Getty Images

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ JOLTS report is out, and it indicates that the labor market may be in the early stages of cooling off. We talk about what the report means, and if businesses are feeling less hiring pressure. The Bank of England raised rates today in its biggest increase since 1995. And, horses are back working in French wine country, bucking their mechanical tractor counterparts. 

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  • Aug 4, 2022

    Senate Democrats’ spending bill is raising corporate tax questions

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., (left) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., at a press conference at the Capitol on Feb. 2, 2021 in Washington.
    Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

    Senate Democrats are working out the details of their latest spending bill, dubbed the “Inflation Reduction Act.” We go over what’s been going on with the bill, and some contentious corporate tax proposals. Tensions between Taiwan and China are starting to disrupt commerce and some flights. The Department of Transportation is beginning to take comments on a potential move to boost protections for airline passengers seeking refunds for tickets.

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  • Aug 4, 2022

    How are American businesses feeling about operating in Taiwan?

    Taiwan's defense ministry says China has fired multiple ballistic missiles during unprecedented military exercises around the self-governed island.
    Sam Yeh / AFP

    From the BBC World Service: We hear from the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, an organization with more than 500 member firms there. Plus, the Bank of England is expected to make its biggest interest rates rise in 27 years. And, with fears of gas shortages intensifying in Germany, businesses are preparing for what could be a tough winter ahead. 

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  • Aug 3, 2022

    Pelosi visits Taiwan, leaves behind plenty of economic questions

    TAIPEI, TAIWAN - AUGUST 03: Speaker of the U.S. House Of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), center left, speaks Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, center right, after arriving at the president's office on August 03, 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan. Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday as part of a tour of Asia aimed at reassuring allies in the region, as China made it clear that her visit to Taiwan would be seen in a negative light. (Photo by Chien Chih-Hung/Office of The President via Getty Images)

    China correspondent Jennifer Pak joins us to discuss the economic implications of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. The rate of people who don’t have health coverage in the U.S. has lowered. The surge of warehouse building raises concerns about the environment.

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  • Aug 3, 2022

    China’s pressure on Taiwan could have uneven impact across industries there

    Taiwan is a major player in the global supply of semiconductor chips, which are important for the global economy.
    SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Taiwan’s President Tsai highlighted a growing military threat from China, the economic reality of the highest-profile U.S. visit in 25 years. Plus, inspections on the first grain ship to leave Ukraine since the war broke out have been completed in waters off Istanbul. And, farmers say Dutch government proposals to reduce nitrogen emissions in the sector by 30% are unrealistic and unfair.

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  • Aug 3, 2022

    Senate passes bill to boost health benefits for veterans

    A new report from the New York Times delves into stock trades by a number of lawmakers that may present a conflict of interest.
    Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

    The bill especially helps Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Questions are swirling around schools’ use of tracking software on student laptops. A study finds that low-income people suffer the most when it comes to the effects of wildfires.

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  • Aug 2, 2022

    When supply chain problems are good for profit

    The new global supply chain pressure index shows extreme disruption, according to one of its creators. Above, shipping containers at a British port.
    Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

    Global shipping giant Maersk offers up a snapshot of the state of the supply chain. Larry Adam at Raymond James co-pilots today’s discussion about market activity. A study reveals that in the face of rising costs, there’s no place like home for younger people.

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  • Aug 2, 2022

    Record gas prices pump in record profits

    HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 14: Chevron gas pumps are seen on June 14, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Chevron has acquired the $3.15 billion Renewable Energy Group (REG), which has 12 biofuels refineries. The move advances Chevron's portfolio of biofuels as it seeks to sell biodiesel at all of its Chevron and Texaco branded gas stations around the country.
    Brandon Bell/Getty Images

    BP raked in $8.5 billion in profits in the three months ending in June, and you can add that figure to the mountain of profits from other Western oil and gas companies. The position of substitute teacher has grown in prominence. High-tech companies in the U.S. are investing in China, and that raises a lot of questions.

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  • Aug 2, 2022

    What could a Nancy Pelosi visit mean for Taiwan’s economy?

    If Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taiwan goes ahead, she would be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit in more than a quarter century.
    Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: China has already warned of “disastrous consequences” if the U.S. House Speaker visits the island. Even the possibility of the trip has sent geopolitical tensions soaring between the U.S. and China. And geopolitical tensions can quickly spill over into economic ones for Taiwan, which is home to one of the world’s main semiconductor chip makers. Plus, the people making a living from selling waste from a landfill in Argentina.

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  • Aug 1, 2022

    Some investors are suddenly optimistic

    Big data could illustrate racial bias in insurance.
    Getty Images

    Julia Coronado joins us to discuss the markets, which reflected a short burst of positivity as July concluded. But, while corporations are feeling better about the economy’s future, lower-income consumers are not. Plus, the Biden administration has launched an online heat check in response to the summer’s extreme temperatures.

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Jonathan Frewin