Teacher Resources

News Articles and Media: Supply, Demand, and Equilibrium

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These are the best new articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources we have found to teach supply, demand, and equilibrium. They bring economics to life by showing students real-life examples and current events.
 

News Articles

(Listed from most recent to oldest)

Private-jet demand is on the rise amid government shutdown, says Flexjet CEO |
CNBC (Nov. 10, 2025)
The substitution effect in air travel is pretty clear. After the FAA announced a reduction in flights at major airports, bookings of private jets, which are able to use smaller, less congested airports, have increased.

Why Halloween candy is getting more expensive and less chocolate-y | CNN Business (Oct. 26, 2025)
Every candy has an opportunity cost. Rising chocolate prices are pushing candy manufacturers and consumers to switch to gummies and other non-chocolate treats..

Pop-Tarts, Doritos, and Uncrustables have joined the protein craze taking over America's snack aisle | Sherwood News (Oct. 15, 2025)
Consumer shifts are changing your favorite, highly processed snacks into “protein” versions–Pop-tarts, Doritos, and Uncrustables are all launching protein-enriched versions.

Weight-loss drugs and MAHA are hammering US sugar beet farmers | Reuters (Oct. 8, 2025)
Demand is down for sweetened and processed food, leading to lower demand and prices for sugar beets, even with strict import controls and pricing regulations on sugar beets.

Berries are America’s top-selling fruit — and every parent’s grocery bill nightmareThe Hustle (Oct. 3, 2025)
Berries are in high demand, especially from parents of young children who devour the expensive fruit as fast as parents buy them. Hat tip: Jadrian Wooten

Coffee prices haven’t surged this much in decades | CNN Business (Sept. 12, 2025)
Retail coffee prices are up 21% over last year, with tariffs on coffee imports from major suppliers including Brazil and Columbia to blame.

Automakers have resisted raising car prices because of tariffs. That might not last. | Reuters (Sept. 18, 2025)
Auto manufacturers haven’t raised prices as much as analysts have expected, despite tariff costs per vehicle reaching $2,300.

Postal traffic to U.S. drops over 80% after trade exemption rule ends, U.N. agency says  | NPR (Sept. 7, 2025)
Adding costs and uncertainty to international shipping has dramatically decreased the volume of parcel traffic to the US.

Here's what happens when private equity buys homes in your neighborhood | Planet Money (Sept. 9, 2025)
Private equity purchases of existing housing stock allowed one economist to isolate the effect of renting homes on neighborhood diversity, as well as rental and sale prices.

How matcha, tariffs, and hype are colliding to magically drain your wallet | Quartz (Sept. 2, 2025)
Supply is shifting left, left, left with a poor harvest, tariffs, and the end of the de minimis loophole, all while demand and tiktok streams explode.

Starbucks had a record-breaking sales week after pumpkin spice latte launch | Quartz (Sept. 2, 2025)
Although it isn’t officially fall, it is PSL season, and the demand for PSLs drove record sales for the coffee chain as its new CEO tries to re-envision the coffee chain as a 3rd space.

Denmark to abolish VAT on books in effort to get more people reading | The Guardian (Aug. 20, 2025)
Removing a tax can act like a subsidy. Will it be enough to get Denmark reading more?

In protein-deficient India, McDonald's, Bollywood and cricket fuel wellness craze | The Japan Times (Aug. 26, 2025)
Signs of a demand shift for protein in India are emerging–and McDonald’s wants to be the supplier.

TikTok made cottage cheese so popular, producers are struggling to keep up | CNN Business (July 26, 2025)
This is a textbook case of a demand shift to the right as a result of a change in consumer tastes and preferences. But in the real world, sometimes suppliers have a bit of trouble dramatically increasing the quantity supplied.

Bill Belichick's UNC Football Reportedly Sells Out All Tickets for 2025 CFB Season | Bleacher Report (July 23, 2025)
It’s news I never imagined growing up as a Tar Heel–UNC football tickets are completely sold out a month before the season even starts. But econ explains it all-Bill Belichick has shifted demand dramatically to the right.

Beef prices in the US hit record highs | Morning Brew (July 21, 2025)
Beef prices are skyrocketing as a result of a supply shift to the left. And those high prices are encouraging farmers to sell more cattle now, rather than breed them and hope prices stay high next year.

Jorts are powering Levi’s through tariff uncertainty | Morning Brew (July 12, 2025)
Levi’s is benefiting from a demand shift–consumers are all in on 90s denim.

You wouldn’t guess who’s driving perfume salesThe Hustle (June 23, 2025)
There’s been a shift to the right in the demand for fragrances lately, driven by 2 distinct groups. TikTok trends of fragrance layering are driving up perfume sales for Gen Z men. And GLP-1 users are increasingly buying fragrances in their search to replace the sensory euphoria they used to get from food.

Australia cashes in on record sheep prices as meat exports surge | MSN (June 25, 2025)
Higher demand for lamb, and decreased supply from New Zealand, has Australian sheep farmers optimistic.

Summer rentals in the Hamptons are down 30% | AOL (May 30, 2025)
Economic uncertainty has hit luxury vacation demand for the Hamptons. Rental demand is down 30% from last year.

Mocktails Cost $15 and Nobody Knows Why | MSN (WSJ) (May 22, 2025)
Why are mocktails as expensive as the real deal? Restaurants and alternative spirit makers often cite high production costs—but the more compelling rationale is that a small group of consumers has inelastic demand and a high willingness to pay for booze-free beverages.

Pope Leo's hometown seeks to purchase his childhood home |Aleteia (May 22, 2025)
Pope Leo’s childhood home has experienced quite the demand shift! Last year, a house hunter purchased the unassuming property for $66,000 and renovated it, listing it in January for $219,000. As it struggled to sell, the property was successively discounted until the owner discovered the new pope used to live there. Now he wants a premium for the property, but the city disagrees, wanting a more reasonable price to turn the property into a museum.

Pope Leo's hometown seeks to purchase his childhood home |Aleteia (May 22, 2025)
Pope Leo’s childhood home has experienced quite the demand shift! Last year, a house hunter purchased the unassuming property for $66,000 and renovated it, listing it in January for $219,000. As it struggled to sell, the property was successively discounted until the owner discovered the new pope used to live there. Now he wants a premium for the property, but the city disagrees, wanting a more reasonable price to turn the property into a museum.

Weight loss drugs are squeezing the food industry | Quartz (May 13, 2025)
GLP-1s are dramatically shifting consumer tastes and preferences in food, driving down demand for calorie-dense foods such as chips and other savory snacks, while boosting demand for meat and other proteins.

Apple Shoppers Race to Stores to Buy iPhones | Entrepreneur (April 8, 2025)
Anticipating rising prices for new iPhones, shoppers are flocking to Apple stores, mimicking a holiday sales rush.

Demand for viral 'torpedo' baseball bats has sent a Pennsylvania factory into overdrive | AP News (April 4, 2025)
After a home run weekend at Yankee stadium, demand for the new torpedo bat has shifted to the right. Amateurs and professionals are all interested in the new bat, designed to maximize the wood’s mass at the point of contact with the ball.

Egg prices are falling. But there’s a catch | CNN Business (April 2, 2025)
The egg-laying hen population is growing, pushing prices down. Will it be enough to persuade consumers who decreased their quantity demanded to buy more?

$921 to see Denzel Washington’s Othello? How Broadway tickets got so expensive | The Guardian (March 24, 2025)
Would you pay $900+ to see the Shakespeare play you pretended to read in high school? Find out how scarcity and the market coordinate to find buyers with the highest willingness to pay.

Global coffee trade grinding to a halt, hit hard by brutal price hikes | Reuters (March 7, 2025)
Coffee futures have skyrocketed due to limited supply from Brazil, as buyers cut back on purchases and wait for additional supply to bring down prices.

Tropicana struggles as Americans ditch OJ |  The Hustle (Feb. 26, 2025)
Tropicana’s struggles include declining orange supply and declining demand for their flagship product-OJ.

Surging egg prices are straining America’s bakeries | CNN Business (Feb. 23, 2025)
Bakeries are hesitant to hike prices but skyrocketing egg sales have even the most discerning bakeries considering egg alternatives. BTW, that hesitancy to raise prices indicates bakeries know demand is elastic. It’s cheaper to eat the additional cost than scare away customers.

More adults order from McDonald's kids menu. Blame inflation | Quartz (Feb. 13, 2025)
Income effects and dietary preferences are leading more consumers to order kids meals.

Chocolate prices are up 20% this Valentine’s Day as cocoa prices hit record | CNN Business (Feb. 11, 2025)
Adverse weather and growing conditions in West Africa have pushed cocoa prices to record highs, but this year’s Valentine’s chocolate is only up 20%. Brace yourselves for next year.

Think Kendrick is Not Getting Paid For That Super Bowl Performance? Not So Fast...Here Are the Real Numbers | The Root (Feb. 11, 2025)
Officially, Kendrick Lamar was paid $0 for his record-breaking Superbowl Halftime show. However, the boost to his streaming catalog could net him millions. On Monday alone, Spotify streams of “Not Like Us” brought in $30,000.

Someone has stolen 100,000 eggs from a Pennsylvania company. Police say they're worth $40K | USA Today (Feb. 4, 2025)
Egg prices are so high, they’ve cracked the list of heist-worthy goods. Unfortunately for the thieves, their treasure can’t be stored away for long before it rots.

Bird flu brought back the egg shortage | Morning Brew (Jan. 25, 2025)
In a bad case of deja-vu, egg prices are rising again.

Frigid Weather Adds to High Beef Price Pains | MSN (Jan. 9, 2025)
Prussic acid in grass that builds up in frigid weather kills cows, forcing farmers to limit cow grazing–lowering the weight of their cattle. That’s shifting supply to the left and driving prices up, bus so far consumer appetite appears inelastic.

Rolex watch prices are through the roof this year. Thank surging gold costs | CNN Business (Jan. 2, 2025)
When the price of an input goes up, supply shifts up (or to the left), driving equilibrium prices up. That means it’s even less likely you’ll find yourself with a Rolex this year.

Why some concerned shoppers are stockpiling goods | CNN Business (Dec. 16, 2024)
Expectations of future higher prices are leading consumers to stockpile now, a great example of a demand shift.

Cyber Monday was the biggest US online shopping day ever | CNN Business (Dec. 3, 2024)
When the price decreases, quantity demanded increases! U.S. consumers spent $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, and a whopping total of $41.1 billion in the 5 days spanning Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, attracted by retailer discounts. Demand for electronics was especially high, as consumers anticipate higher prices should Trump impose the higher tariffs he has threatened.

Thanksgiving box office showdown shows importance of premium screens | CNBC (Nov. 1, 2024)
Movie theaters are getting a lesson in the Alchian-Allen effect– if you consider leaving your comfy couch a fixed cost. Theater goers want a premium experience, and are willing to pay the additional ticket price, and in some cases, wait longer to see the show.

You may not need that student loan after all. Here's the latest college tuition trend. | USA Today (Oct. 30, 2024)
College tuition rose less than inflation, and factoring increased student aid, net student tuition costs have declined by 40% over the last decade, as fewer students enroll in colleges.

Inflation comes for your oysters | CNN Business (Aug. 11, 2024)
Don’t let the title mislead you. The 250% increase in oyster prices is a classic tale of supply and demand shifts.

Paris Olympics target tourists with metro fares gone wild | SF Gate (July 22, 2024)
The Paris Olympics organizing committee wanted free metro fares for Olympic spectators. But there’s no such thing as a free metro ride

Supply, Demand, and Equilibrium: Delta says the Olympics will cost it $100 million as travelers skip Paris ⎜NBC News (July 11, 2024)
An unanticipated demand shift from the Paris Olympics–decreased demand for flights to and from Paris as tourists seek to avoid the crowds and soaring hotel prices. French travelers also appear to be postponing summer travel plans or rerouting to avoid the capital. Post-games, demand is expected to rebound.

Diaper change: Japan’s aging society is transforming the baby care business. | CNN Business (July 5, 2024)
Japanese diaper manufacturer Oji Holdings is responding to a textbook population shift in demand by ending its domestic baby diaper sales to focus on adult diapers.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rematch poised to be most expensive WNBA game ever | CNN Business (June 20, 2024)
Blame a demand shift if $250-$9,000 tickets have you priced out of the next Fever v. Sky rematch.

Hotel prices soar as tourists flock to see solar eclipse | CBS News (April 6, 2024)
The eclipse shifted demand to the right for hotels along the path of totality. The result? Raised hotel prices and occupancy rates precisely as predicted by a supply and demand graph.
 

 Getting Graphic


Shifts in Supply or Demand Interactive Practice (3 Sets) | MRU
Three variations of this interactive will provide your students with plenty of opportunities to test their knowledge on whether an event causes a shift in the demand curve or a shift in the supply curve.

Finding Equilibrium: Shifting Both Curves Interactive Practice | MRU

Change in Supply vs. Change in Quantity Supplied Interactive Practice | MRU

Change in Demand vs. Change in Quantity Demanded Interactive Practice | MRU

Valentine’s Day Edition: Change in Demand vs. Change in Quantity Demanded Interactive Practice | MRU

Holiday Edition: Shift in Supply or Demand Interactive Practice | MRU

 

Videos

What's Behind the Suddenly Soaring Sales of Hamburger Helper? |  Today
Hamburger Helper sales have increased 14.5% from June to August as consumers feel the bite of inflation. That makes Hamburger Helper a perfect example of an inferior good, along with other shelf-stable pantry items experiencing similar demand increases including Campbell’s soups, canned meats, and boxed mac and cheese.

Change in Demand vs. Change in Quantity Demanded | MRU
Cement the distinction between a change in demand and a change in quantity demanded in this quick (and somewhat silly) video! Note - this video is not designed to teach the concepts quantity demanded and demand, but rather it’s just meant to highlight the difference between the two terms.
Resource: Interactive Practice

The Demand Curve | MRU
Using the classic example of the demand for oil, students will be introduced to the concept of demand, how it’s graphed, and why people might choose a substitute good if the price gets too high.
Resource: Worksheet

The Supply Curve | MRU
Continuing with the example of oil, this video will show your students the relationship between price and the quantity supplied. They’ll also see the basics of graphing a supply curve.
Resource: Worksheet

The Demand Curve Shifts | MRU
What causes the demand curve to shift?

The Supply Curve Shifts | MRU
What causes the supply curve to shift?

 

Podcasts

Tik Tok made me buy it | The Indicator
Can you say demand curve shifter?

 

Additional Resources

Supply, Demand, and Equilibrium Unit | MRU
Our updated supply and demand unit plan gives you 7 days of lesson plans chock-full of interactives, videos, news articles and more.

Supply and Demand Simulation Game | MRU
Simulate supply and demand in a market by playing cards.

Supply, Demand, and Equilibrium Assessment Questions | MRU

Law of Supply and Demand Cheat-Sheet | MRU
A really useful cheat-sheet to offer to your students.

 

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