Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: A new report from the European Central Bank and the European Union’s insurance regulator calls for a big shake-up in Europe’s climate insurance system. It’s planning for a new EU-wide insurance plan that would help protect businesses and homeowners from extreme weather and uses reinsurance, which pools risks, to make sure people are actually covered. Also: Concert merch, once a reliable profit source for performers, is becoming squeezed.

A deal to keep the government funded through the holidays and into the new administration has run into opposition. President-elect Donald Trump and advisor Elon Musk are urging Republicans in Congress to vote down a government funding extension. We’ll hear more. Plus, stock futures are pointing to a small rebound after stock prices dropped sharply on warnings that higher interest rates could linger. And later: What’s it like to work at the circus?

Something a tad nontraditional on the wishlist of more children this year? Skin care products. This $180 billion industry has caught the attention of young people born 2010 onward (even if they already have a naturally youthful look). Now, dermatologists are warning families that some of these products can cause long-term damage if used too young. But first, a droopy stock index is getting attention this morning.

Even though inflation has come down from its pandemic highs, some of it is still sticking. Yet average pay has been keeping up with — and even outpacing — rising prices. Turns out, low- and middle-income workers have been making up some ground. We dig in. Plus: a closer look at AI’s growing role in processing health insurance claims and talks of a potentially tectonic shift in the global auto industry.