# A tale of two deficits

An episode of [Marketplace](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/201853034), 5 Oct 2026, 25 min.

Audio: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/5/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/VnCzW2iO9G8z4eDWfXCd/play.publicradio.org/podcast/o/marketplace/pm/2026/10/05/pm_20261005_PM_Podcast_64.mp3?awCollectionId=mkp-MKP-PM&awEpisodeId=01M46TSPNWZA6ARKHQSYDABP9W

Despite Trump’s best efforts (a flurry of loosely targeted tariffs), the U.S. trade deficit is widening. But why is it widening? And what does it all have to do with foreign investment in government debt and the strength of the U.S. dollar? We’ll explain. Plus: Electric truck sales rev up amid record-high diesel prices, a 19th-century novelist popularized economic theory for her broad audience, and investors prep for upcoming Treasury auctions. Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter. Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future. Read the stories in today’s episode: • What exactly are investors looking for in this week's government bond auctions? • The U.S. dollar is at its strongest in 18 months • The Regency-era novelist who popularized economics through her books • Here's why the trade deficit is growing • As diesel prices soar, so do electric truck sales • The algorithm knows you have a baby, and it will exploit that

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.