U.S. families expect to spend more than $900 on back-to-school shopping this year, according to one PwC survey. Big box retailers have taken advantage of anxiety about higher costs by pushing school supplies earlier than ever. In this episode, how consumer mood correlates to consumer spending. Plus: Holiday weekend heat strains electric grids, Boeing and Airbus aircraft demand persists, and algae can make or break Great Lakes summer tourism. 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/2026/07/06/anxiety-is-driving-some-of-our-backtoschool-buying-habits" class="default">Anxiety is driving some of our early back-to-school shopping</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/06/why-is-consumer-sentiment-disconnected-from-consumer-spending" class="default">Chicago Fed launches a new consumer sentiment composite index</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/06/power-grid-put-to-the-test-during-weekend-heat-wave" class="default">Weekend heat wave tests the country's power grid</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/06/boeing-and-airbus-enjoy-relentless-aircraft-demand" class="default">What's behind the massive appetite for new Boeing and Airbus planes</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/06/how-algae-can-crater-lake-eries-economy" class="default">How the algae in Lake Erie can make or break the Great Lakes economy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/06/how-homeownership-made-an-hr-professional-switch-careers" class="default">How homeownership turned an HR professional into a plant entrepreneur</a></li></ul>

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