Elizabeth Trovall

Houston

Houston-based reporter for @Marketplace covering immigration + Texas economy / Formerly: @HoustonChron @HoustonPubMedia / Tips + ideas: [email protected]

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Articles

Low oil prices quash U.S. producers' hopes for growth

1 week ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

The International Energy Agency reduced its forecast for global oil demand growth this year by 300,000 barrels per day, saying “escalating trade tensions have negatively impacted the economic outlook.” The new growth estimate is 730,000 bpd. Analysts across the industry have also been cutting their expectations, which makes sense — a China-U.S. trade war means less oil is needed to fuel cargo ships, tractor-trailers and a whole lot of other things that carry products around the world.
Unemployment fears jump to pandemic levels, New York Fed finds

1 week ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

As more economic data comes in, we’re learning more about how consumers feel about where this economy is headed. It probably comes at no surprise that it’s not looking good. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey out Monday showed that American consumers are especially concerned about the job market.
Texas banks pull back on lending, citing tariff uncertainty

2 weeks ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

Bankers in Texas are reporting a sharp slowdown in both loan growth and loan demand, according to new survey data by the Dallas Fed. Uncertainty from tariffs was cited as one of the major drags on lending — one comment even mentioned the dreaded stagflation. So how much uncertainty looms in the booming Texas economy? Starting at the border in Laredo, IBC Bank’s Gerry Schwebel said he’s seen a dip in lending. His customers are importers and exporters.
Commodities prices drop in response to tariffs

2 weeks ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

The prices of commodities like crude oil, copper and soybeans have dropped in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements, indicating pessimism about where the global economy may be headed. Even though many commodities, like oil, were exempt from tariffs, the broader economic effects of tariffs are likely to take a toll if they continue.
Undocumented immigrants' tax data could be used by ICE

2 weeks ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

Twelve years ago, Frida Adame unknowingly launched her career outside downtown Houston’s outdoor ice rink in Discovery Green park, helping her mom make some extra money during the holidays. “My mom used to stand on that corner right over there selling trinket lights,” she said. “I used to stand right on that corner and sing, ‘lights, lights, $5.’” Adame, 29, spent so much time around rink that the operations manager encouraged her to get a job there.
Why haven't higher interest rates slowed the job market?

3 weeks ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

Heard on: While we wait for the big jobs report coming out Friday, there’s lots of uncertainty in the air as the impacts of tariffs and other policies shape the labor market.
Homeownership rates stagnate for younger people

1 month ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

Rates of homeownership stalled out for Generation Z and millennials in 2024. A Redfin report released Monday showed that ownership hovered around 26% for older Gen Zers and 55% for millennials, instead of increasing like they did for Generation X members and baby boomers last year. While the younger half of the population made gains in homeownership during the pandemic, that momentum has flatlined. Tyler Klene, a 33-year-old from Denver, started his search a year ago, first with standalone houses.
Immigrants play vital role in caregiving industry with meager reward

1 month ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

Caregiver John Boakye added paprika, garlic and onion to a bag of raw chicken that he was prepping for dinner for a Dallas family to grill up later. Cooking is one of the many tasks Boakye takes on to help Jean Fuller, 89, and her husband, Dale, 91, manage their home and their health. “I take him through exercises and stuff,” he said. “And I [help] with the wife too.” Boakye, who emigrated from Ghana around eight years ago, earns $15 an hour.
Stress-Googling "recession"? You're not alone.

1 month ago | marketplace.org | Jordan Mangi |Caleigh Wells |Elizabeth Trovall |Savannah Peters

Mar 18, 2025
Liquefied natural gas is booming U.S. export

1 month ago | marketplace.org | Elizabeth Trovall

Billions of cubic feet of additional natural gas is now moving under the ground, thanks to the completion of 10 major pipeline projects in 2024, according to new analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Roughly half of that is natural gas that’s headed to Europe and other parts of the world through what’s called liquefied natural gas, which is slated to see export growth double over the next five years, according to S&P Global.