The U.S. economy is often buoyed by consumer spending. In China, however, consumer spending is a much smaller part of economic output. And while the government there tries to stimulate spending, young people there are grappling with high unemployment and stalling wage growth. Plus, we'll discuss expectations for inflation and economic growth, as well as consumer shopping figures for this upcoming Black Friday.

Americans don’t often have a direct say in how their tax dollars get spent; those decisions are generally left to elected officials. But some places have engaged in “participatory budgeting,” where residents propose projects, then vote on which ones get public funding. Today, we head to Nashville to learn how the process played out. But first: economics at the center of G20 discussions and what Thanksgiving travel plans are looking like.

From the BBC World Service: A gathering in South Africa of major economies has ended with a joint declaration committing to "multilateral cooperation." We'll hear more. Plus, India and Canada have agreed to resume discussions on a bilateral trade deal, a three-day national strike is getting underway in Belgium, and the Chinese government is urging young people to spend more to boost the economy — but that’s proving difficult at a time of record youth unemployment.

The Trump administration has unveiled plans for a huge expansion of offshore oil drilling. Federal law requires the Interior Department to come up with five-year schedules of oil and gas lease sales. The most recent proposal includes as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales, near the coasts of Alaska, California, and Florida. Also on the show: why the Dutch government wanted to take over a Chinese-owned chip company.

After months of ICE raids on the nation’s capital, some construction workers are afraid to go into Washington, D.C. for work, fearing arrest and deportation. Meanwhile, the contractors who need them are struggling to adapt. We'll check in on some of the businesses that are being most affected. But first: why markets ended yesterday on a sour note, and why the housing affordability crisis is accelerating fastest in rural areas.

From the BBC World Service: Japan's cabinet has approved a stimulus package worth more than $130 billion. It's the first major policy initiative of the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and aims to help households and companies with measures like energy subsidies and tax cuts. Then, the global climate change conference COP30 is drawing to a close in Brazil, and so far, there’s been no agreement on key issues like the fossil fuel phaseout.

After a month and a half delay due to the government shutdown, we are finally getting some official economic data. It is old (from September), but it's here. The economy gained 119,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate went up for the third month in a row. What's that mean for job seekers? Plus, declining consumer sentiment doesn't translate to declining consumer spending, Walmart's quarterly results beat expectations, and international student enrollment has dipped.

Nvidia reported earnings yesterday after markets closed, and it did not disappoint. Nvidia makes 90% of all chips used in AI. Tech stocks, including Nvidia, have been carrying a lot of weight in markets, and investors had started getting a little nervous about whether the AI boom was a bubble — but Nvidia's results have been pretty reassuring. Also: stale data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Japan's tensions with China.

From the BBC World Service: Wall Street was cheered last night by better-than-expected results from the chip giant Nvidia. But the AI boom continues to fuel fears of a market bubble. In the past few weeks, a growing number of the world’s leading figures in finance have suggested that AI stocks are unrealistically inflated in value. Plus, Meta says it's shutting down accounts for younger teenagers in Australia ahead of the country's social media ban for youths under 16.

In a word: uncertainty. Retail chains like Target are pulling back on hiring temporary workers ahead of this year’s holiday shopping season as tariffs take their toll, consumer sentiment slumps, and little government data leaves them with little guidance. We’ll hear more. But first: there’s a lot riding on Nvidia results, and investors are split on predictions for the Fed’s next rate decision.