09/01/2017: The economics of price gouging




Marketplace show

Summary: The free market is cold blooded. Under normal circumstances, prices will balance out for supply and demand. Consumers adjust and the economy goes on its way. But what's going on in Houston is not normal, and price gouging is rampant. Economists will tell you those prices make sense, but making business sense is another matter. Then: The Department of Health and Human Services is cutting Obamacare advertising by $90 million. Critics say Trump is trying to sabotage his predecessor's signature legislation, but the administration insists the ads just didn't work. Speaking of ads: TV is starting to take cues from social media, with six-second ads aimed at short attention spans. Finally: Global trade always has winners and losers, and this country has always struggled with thinking about the latter. That's the focus of today's installment of our series Trade Off.