Enjoy the summer, because the Fed drops the hammer this fall

The largest U.S. oil companies reported record revenue for the second quarter. We’re talking a LOT of money here, folks. Guest host Andy Uhler explains. Plus, why this month’s stock market rally means we might expect the Federal Reserve to “drop the hammer” this fall. And we’ve got a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Our hosts weigh in on robotic dead spiders, the CHIPS Act, Choco Tacos, Beyonce’s new album and office parties!

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

• “Exxon, Chevron post blowout earnings, oil majors bet on buybacks” from Reuters
• “Shock July Stock Rally Was a Monster the Fed May Regret Seeing” from Bloomberg
• “Scientists Turn Dead Spiders Into ‘Necrobotic’ Arachnoborgs” from Futurism
• “The passage of the CHIPS Act could launch another US startup renaissance” from TechCrunch
• “People Are Mourning the End of the Choco Taco, a Mount Rushmore Ice Cream Treat” from Sports Illustrated
• “How ‘forced fun’ at the office can hurt our ability to disconnect” from Marketplace

We’re off all next week, but we’d still love to hear from you! Send your questions, comments or thoughts on the show to us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.