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? <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/newsletters">Subscribe</a> to our daily or weekly newsletter. Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/">marketplace.org</a> — and consider <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/make-a-smart-investment">making an investment</a> in our future. Read the stories in today’s episode: <ul><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/05/investors-murky-view-ahead-of-this-weeks-bond-auctions" class="default">What exactly are investors looking for in this week's government bond auctions?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/05/why-is-the-us-dollar-at-its-strongest-in-18-months" class="default">The U.S. dollar is at its strongest in 18 months</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/05/the-woman-who-popularized-early-economics-through-novels" class="default">The Regency-era novelist who popularized economics through her books</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/05/heres-why-the-trade-deficit-is-growingd" class="default">Here's why the trade deficit is growing</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/05/high-diesel-costs-help-boost-electric-box-truck-sales" class="default">As diesel prices soar, so do electric truck sales</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/05/how-the-algorithm-exploits-new-parents" class="default">The algorithm knows you have a baby, and it will exploit that</a></li></ul>

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