Marketplace All-in-One As AI expands, Americans have doubts
Jan 26, 2026
Nancy Marshall-Genzer, an economics reporter on business spending, and Mitchell Hartman, a markets and commodities reporter, discuss gold’s surge and central bank buying. They also cover November durable goods and AI-driven equipment demand. The show tours a Los Angeles data center and highlights rising power and cooling needs.
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Gold's Safe-Haven Momentum
- Gold surged to record highs and is displacing dollar assets in some central bank holdings.
- Rising geopolitical risk and momentum buying help explain central banks and investors piling into gold.
Durable Goods Signal Investment Pickup
- Durable goods orders jumped in November, partly due to large airplane bookings but also broader machinery and AI-related spending.
- Business investment looks to be picking up despite lingering tariff- and policy-driven uncertainty.
Professor Sees AI Worsen Student Strain
- Enid Baxter Rice recounts students' rising distraction, anxiety, and cheating after ChatGPT became available campus-wide.
- She worries AI adds to existing mental-health and socialization problems among young people.