The U.S. Economy Is Teetering. Here Are Three Industries to Watch

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, News

4.1 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2026

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The U.S. economy has navigated a pandemic, inflation and global tariffs. But is it finally reaching a breaking point? Oil prices, private credit and the AI industry could help determine whether the economy rolls over or pulls through. WSJ reporters Joe Wallace, AnnaMaria Andriotis and Angel Au-Yeung join host Danny Lewis to discuss some of the worst- and best-case scenarios facing an uncertain economy. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Further Reading The Economy Is on the Edge. What Could Tip It Over, or Help It Pull Through Oil Shock Hits An Economy Already Showing Cracks Private Credit’s Exposure to Ailing Software Industry Is Bigger Than Advertised What Private-Credit Investors Need to Know About the Industry’s Turmoil An Inside Look at OpenAI and Anthropic’s Finances Ahead of Their IPOs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:17.8	At the end of all of this...
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0:31.9	Hey, What's News listeners. It's Sunday, April 12th. I'm Danny Lewis for the Wall Street Journal.
0:43.3	This is What's News Sunday, the show where we tackle the big questions about the biggest stories in the news. On today's show, the U.S. economy has made it through a lot in recent years without rolling over.
0:49.3	The COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and tariffs, to name a few.
0:59.2	But many of the sectors that have powered recent growth are also vulnerable amid new shocks.
1:05.3	We talked to three journal reporters about some of the factors that could determine which way the teetering economy goes.
1:08.0	Will AI continue to boom or go bust?
1:10.7	How healthy is the private credit sector? And what could happen to oil
1:12.6	prices amid the conflict in the Middle East? Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Wallace has been
1:18.3	covering the Iran war's impact on oil prices, which surged to near record highs last week
1:23.5	before plummeting after President Trump announced a temporary ceasefire, before once again
1:28.3	rising. It's been volatile, to say the least. I asked Joe how this moment compares to previous
	...

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