This year, there was some economic good news to go around. Inflation generally ticked down. Unemployment more or less held... more

Our planet is in serious trouble. There are a million species of plants and animals in danger of extinction, and... more

Sports gambling isn't exactly a financial market, but it rhymes with financial markets. What happens on Wall Street somehow eventually... more

Why do some nations fail and others succeed?In the late 1990s and early 2000s, three economists formed a partnership that... more

The Smoot Hawley Tariffs were a debacle that helped plunge America into the Great Depression. What can we learn from... more

Windell Curole spent decades working to protect his community in southern Louisiana from the destructive flooding caused by hurricanes. His... more

As people learn more about Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, one story comes up over and over:... more

The dreaded data breach notification... It tells you your personal data's been compromised and suggests steps you can take to... more

You probably own a chair or a table or a sofa. And you probably think you know why you bought... more

A couple years ago, Gina Leto, a real estate developer, bought a property with her business partner. The process went... more

Mass deportations. What would actually happen—economically—if the President-elect follows through on promises to deport millions of people from America.We don't... more

Every ten years, a group of German farmers gather in the communal farm fields of the Osing for the Osingverlosung,... more

This is the story behind one of the most valuable — and perhaps, most improbable — technologies humanity has ever... more

On the day after the election, Wall Street responded in a dramatic way. Some stocks went way up, others went... more

Back in the 90s, the federal government ran a bold experiment, giving people vouchers to move out of high-poverty neighborhoods... more

Ray and Becky Queen live in rural Oklahoma with their kids (and chickens). The Queens were able to buy that... more

If you... exist in the world, it's likely that you have gotten a letter or email at some point informing... more

There's something strange going on in hospitals. Cheap, common drugs that nurses use every day seem to be constantly hit... more

On today's show, we have two stories from The Indicator, Planet Money's daily podcast. They just launched Love Week, a... more

Over the past two decades, there's been a sort of tectonic economic shift happening under our feet. More and more... more

(For our story on this year's Nobel in Economics, check out our daily show, The Indicator!)Let's face it. Economics is... more

Even in our modern world with planes and jets and drones, the vast majority of goods are moved around the... more

Recently, the state of Washington embarked on an ambitious new plan to combat climate change. Taking a page from economics... more

The lawyer commercial is almost an art form unto itself. Learned practitioners of the law doing whatever it takes to... more

(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2016.)Back in 2016, things were pretty bad in Venezuela. Grocery stores... more

"Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy."That is the bold... more

Next week, JD Vance and Tim Walz will face off in the only confirmed vice presidential debate ahead of the... more

Table saws are extremely dangerous. The government estimates that injuries from table saws send something like 30,000 people to the... more

People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it,... more

Today we have a guest episode from 99 Percent Invisible.It is about White Castle, the burger chain. Even if you... more

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to get inflation under control. One side effect is that taking out a mortgage... more

Are the promises made by AI boosters all hype, or are we actually under-appreciating the transformative potential of AI?Can artificial... more

Summer camp is a classic rite of passage in the U.S. It's a place of self-discovery, where kids come to... more

Campaigns can be a jargony slog. And this year, we are seeing a lot of economic terms being thrown around,... more

When Cody Fischer decided to get into real estate development, he had a vision. He wanted to build affordable, energy... more

Take the 2024 Planet Money Summer School Quiz here to earn your personalized diploma!Find all the episodes from this season... more

When David Rashid took over US autoparts maker Plews and Edelmann, the company was losing business to its Chinese rival,... more

Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here for video... more

You might have seen ads for online banking services that seem to offer a lot of great stuff — accounts... more

Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more

For some sports, picking the winner is simple: It's the athlete who crosses the finish line first, or the side... more

Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more

Maybe you got a boring slip of paper in the mail. Maybe you got a spammy-looking email promising you money.... more

Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more

Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more

Last weekend we were all thrown for a loop when President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and... more

In 2022, artist Stuart Semple opened up his laptop to find that all his designs had turned black overnight. All... more

Who has the power? Workers or bosses? It changes through the ages, though it's usually the bosses. Today, we look... more

4.5 million households in the U.S. have solar panels on their homes. Most of those customers are happy with it... more

Planet Money Summer School is back for eight weeks. Join as we travel back in time to find the origins... more

We often hear that air travel is worse than it's ever been. Gone are the days when airplanes touted piano... more

At the core of most of the electronics we use today are some very tiny, very powerful chips. Semiconductor chips.... more

We wade into the heated debate over immigrants' impact on the labor market. When the number of workers in a... more

(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2019.)In 1794, George Washington decided to raise money for the federal... more

When the vape brand Juul first hit the market back in 2015, e-cigarettes were in a kind of regulatory limbo.... more

We've lived amongst Elon Musk headlines for so long now that it's easy to forget just how much he sounds... more

There's a behind the scenes industry that helps big brands decide questions like: How big should a bag of chips... more

Graphite is sort of the one-hit wonder of minerals. And that hit? Pencils. Everyone loves to talk about pencils when... more

Most economic textbooks will tell you that there can be real dangers in running up a big national debt. A... more

For thousands of years, getting light was a huge hassle. You had to make candles from scratch. This is not... more

There is a constant arms race between law enforcement and criminals, especially when it comes to technology. For years, law... more

We are living in a kind of golden age for online fraudsters. As the number of apps and services for... more

On today's episode, we ride through the streets of San Francisco with a long-time junkman, Jon Rolston. Jon has spent... more

By one estimate, 40 percent of American workers get laid off at least once in their careers. And when that... more

Last month, the world narrowly avoided a cyberattack of stunning ambition. The targets were some of the most important computers... more

In the past few months, the price of gold has gone way up – even hitting a new high last... more

Karen McDonough of Quincy, Mass., was enjoying her tea one morning in the dining room when she saw something odd... more

Why do video game workers offer labor at a discount? How can you design a video game for blind and... more

Today on the show, the story of the modern consumer movement in the U.S. and the person who inspired it:... more

(Note: This episode originally ran in 2021.)Millions of American workers in all sorts of industries have signed some form of... more

About thirty years ago, Yagya Kumar Pradhan woke up to the news that the temple he and his clan used... more

(Note: This episode originally ran in 2023.)Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But, in 2022, support... more

For the last year and a half, the story of FTX has focused largely on the crimes and punishment of... more

What's going on with consumers? This is one of the trickiest puzzles of this weird economic moment we're in. We've... more

TikTok, and other apps like it, are filled with financial advice. Some of it is reliable, some... less so. There... more

This episode originally ran in 2015.About one hundred years ago, a scientist and statistician named Francis Galston came upon an... more

Last month, Japan's central bank raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years. That is a really big... more

In 2019, Mike Ketchmark got a call. Mike is a lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri, and his friend, Brandon Boulware,... more

There's been a lot of disagreement in Congress and in the country about whether the U.S. should continue to financially... more

(Note: This episode originally ran in 2020.)In the restaurant game, you need to make the most of every table every... more

It is rare that a new e-commerce company has such a meteoric rise as Temu. The company, which launched in... more

Steel manufacturing was at one point the most important industry in the United States. It was one of the biggest... more

When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that... more

The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at... more

When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-long... more

Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during rainy weather, or when... more

It is so expensive to have a kid in the United States. The U.S. is one of just a handful... more

Fundraising is a staple of the school experience in the U.S. There's an assembly showing off all the prizes kids... more

Réka Juhász is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, and she studies what's known as industrial... more

The Department of Defense's proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S.'s GDP. The... more

The Genco Picardy is not an American ship. It doesn't pay U.S. taxes, none of its crew are U.S. nationals,... more

L, is for the way you Listen to Planet MoneyO, is for the Only podcast I hearV, is Very, very,... more

Keith King was upset when his marriage ended. His wife had cheated, and his family broke apart. And that's when... more

There are tons of markets that don't exist because people just don't want to allow a market – for whatever... more

It's Groundhog Day, and the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in western Pennsylvania. And, just... more

Note: This episode originally ran in 2015.German families in the 60s loved tasty, cheap American-raised chicken that was suddenly coming... more

Our friends at NPR's news quiz Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! recently had a very Planet Money guest on their show:... more

At around 1 a.m. on the morning of November 15, 1994, Captain Prentice "Skip" Strong III woke to a distress... more

On today's episode, we have three big economic ideas for your consideration – ideas that could potentially improve the economy... more

After very high inflation, the United States is finally feeling some relief in the form of "disinflation." But, why exactly... more

On today's show, we look at two indicators of the economic disruptions of the war in Gaza and try to... more

When you think of a potato, one state probably comes to mind: Idaho. But for much of American history, Maine... more

There's this fundamental question in economics that has proven really hard to answer: What's a good way to help people... more

Picture the Pacific Ocean of the 16th century. Spanish Galleons sail the wide open seas, carrying precious cargo like silver,... more

It's that time of year again! Our annual year-end tradition of checking in on the stories we've reported and the... more

Today on the show, hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator debate the economic indicators of this year and next... more

*Note: This episode originally ran in 2020*'Tis the season for Americans to head out in droves and bring home a... more

Argentina has been on a decades-long search for economic stability, but it always seems to be out of reach. High... more

The research keeps coming in on remote work. New evidence suggests working from home, at least full-time, may not be... more

Economics Job Market Rumors is a website that's half a job information Wiki, where people post about what's going on... more

Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's __________.The best part of waking up, is _______ in your cup!Got ____?If you... more

What if you could borrow money on the cheap and use it to pay for just about anything? The U.S.... more

Remember pagers? They were huge in the 80s — these little devices that could receive short messages. Sir Mix-A-Lot even... more

Today on the show, we have two episodes from our daily podcast, The Indicator, about things we spend a lot... more

Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off, financially, than you were a year... more

In the state of Oregon, there is a glut of grass. A wealth of weed. A crisis of chronic. And,... more

Here at Planet Money, Thanksgiving is not just a time to feast on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles... more

Some of the most influential and beloved novels of the last few years have been about money, finance, and the... more

China's economic growth for the past few decades has been extraordinary. And much of that growth was fueled by real... more

When best-selling thriller writer Douglas Preston began playing around with OpenAI's new chatbot, ChatGPT, he was, at first, impressed. But... more

The world of economics has these two different sides. One one side, there are the economists in their cozy armchairs... more

When Lina Khan was in law school back in 2017, she wrote a law review article called 'Amazon's Antitrust Paradox,'... more

Earlier this fall, the Federal Trade Commission filed a high-stakes lawsuit against Amazon.In that suit, the FTC claims Amazon is... more

You might expect to find economic concepts in the pages of an economics textbook. But you know where you can... more

Right now, a lot of school districts across the country are making a pretty giant change to the way public... more

Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But, in 2022, support for unions among Americans was the... more

When someone says "the economy is doing well"—what does that even mean? Like, for workers, for employers, for the country... more

Note: There is swearing in this episode.In 2017, The University of Minnesota asked comedian Maria Bamford to give their commencement... more

Prices go up. Occasionally, prices go down. But for 70 years, the price of a bottle of Coca-Cola didn't change.... more

In 2007, Uruguay had a massive problem with no obvious fix. The economy of this country of 3.5 million people... more

When contract negotiations between Alaska Airlines and their flight attendants' union broke down in 1993, the union had a choice... more

Ba-dee-yah! Say do you remember? Ba-dee-yah! Questions in September!That's right - it's time for Listener Questions!Every so often, we like... more

There seems to be headlines about floods, wildfires, or hurricanes every week. Scientists say this might be the new normal... more

The Nobel-prize winning economist Simon Kuznets once analyzed the world's economies this way — he said there are four kinds... more

When a group of amateur investors rallied around the stock for GameStop back in 2021, the story blew up the... more

Erin Plante is a private detective who specializes in chasing down stolen cryptocurrency. In March of 2022, she got the... more

In China, data on the economy is sometimes difficult to come by. The Chinese government has put a pause on... more

When economists and policymakers talk about getting inflation under control, there's an assumption they often make: bringing inflation down will... more

In 1981, photographer Lynn Goldsmith took a portrait of the musician Prince. It's a pretty standard headshot — it's in... more

Back in the 1990s, Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar was in his office in New Delhi when he came across a puzzling... more

Congratulations to the Planet Money Summer School Class of 2023! Today, you become masters of business administration... spelled with lower-case... more

Across Hollywood right now, writers and actors are picketing in front of studio lots. They're walking back and forth, holding... more

How do you get the best deal? How do you know you're getting the best deal? Whether you're talking down... more

Do you work more for more money? Or work less for more time? For some, this is the ultimate economic... more

"It's difficult to control everything," says our guest professor for this week, Santiago Gallino. "What is not difficult is to... more

This summer, the Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan to forgive student loan debt for millions of borrowers. Except, on... more

For anyone running a business, technology is both threat and opportunity. Today, we run through techniques entrepreneurs can use to... more

Predicting the future of the economy is always a dicey proposition. That is especially true after more than three years... more

In this session of Planet Money Summer School, we are getting the word out about your brand. How do you... more

There's an estimated $195 billion of medical debt in America. But just because a medical bill comes in the mail... more

Dan Ariely and Francesca Gino are two of the biggest stars in behavioral science. Both have conducted blockbuster research into... more

Usually, the first class that an MBA student takes is accounting. That involves, yes, equations and counting widgets...but it's more... more

We here at Planet Money love economics papers. And that is also the case for so many of the economists... more

For episode 2 of Planet Money Summer School, we are talking strategy. You have your million dollar business idea, and... more

When you make an account online or install an app, you are probably entering into a legally enforceable contract. Even... more

Find all episodes of Planet Money Summer School here.Planet Money Summer School is back! It's the free economics class you... more

When it comes to big questions about the economy, we're still kind of in the dark ages. Why do some... more

Two stories today.First, as we start to understand post-affirmative action America, we look to a natural experiment 25 years ago,... more

Back in the 90s, Ivan Lozano Ortega was in charge of Bogota's wildlife rescue center. And he kept getting calls... more

The shocks of the pandemic economy gave us a bunch of enormous natural experiments, which helped to prove or disprove... more

In 1978, a young man named Mike Shanks started a moving business in the north end of Seattle. It was... more

Twins are used to fielding all sorts of questions, like "Can you read each other's minds?" or "Can you feel... more

People come from all over the world to work in U.S. tech. And during the tech boom years, the industry... more

Innovation is crucial for game-changing advancements in society, whether it's treatments for serious diseases, developments in AI technology, or rocket... more

In the early 90s, when a young economist named Michael Kremer finished his PhD, there had been a few economic... more

(Note: This episode originally ran back in 2022.)This past weekend, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had the second largest domestic opening... more

It's the thrilling conclusion to our three-part series on AI — the world premiere of the first episode of Planet... more

In Part 1 of this series, AI proved that it could use real research and real interviews to write an... more

We used to think some jobs were safe from automation. Though machines have transformed industries like agriculture and manufacturing, the... more

Lyle Jack wants to build a wind farm on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. But to make the... more

It's time for another installment of ... Planet Money Predictions! *air horn* Last year, we invited two economic forecasters to... more

For the last four decades, technology has been mostly a force for greater inequality and a shrinking middle class. But... more

Economists say that inflation is just too much money chasing too few goods.But something else can make inflation stick around.If... more

(Note: this episode originally ran in 2019.)In the 1800s, catching your train on time was no easy feat. Every town... more

Back in 2005, Burt Banks inherited a plot of old family land in Delaware. But when it came time to... more

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut, a doctor or maybe... more

After a successful career in advertising, Erika Williams decided it was time for a change. She went back to school... more

Note: This episode originally aired in September, 2014.Zoos follow a fundamental principle: You can't sell or buy the animals. It's... more

Imagine if we built cars the same way we build houses. First, a typical buyer would meet with the car... more

This past January, researchers uncovered that Black taxpayers are three to five times as likely to be audited as everyone... more

Right now, the economy is running hot. Inflation is high, and central banks are pushing up interest rates to fight... more

Right now, the economy is all over the place. And when things get confusing, we look to basic economic indicators... more

It's been a month since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank touched off the worst episode of banking turmoil since... more

Puerto Rico's beaches are an integral part of life on the island, and by law, they're one of the few... more

In the first half of March, three banks - Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate - all had relatively... more

Earlier this month, we saw the largest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. For many of us, seeing Silicon... more

Richard J. Lonsinger is a member of the Ponca tribe of Oklahoma, who was adopted at a young age into... more

Sometimes you hear these stories about an airplane that suddenly nosedives. Everyone onboard thinks this is it, and then the... more

Since we started Planet Money Records and released the 47-year-old song "Inflation," the song has taken off. It recently hit... more

Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in America, the bank of choice for tech startups and big-name venture... more

Over the past year, dozens of shows have been disappearing from streaming platforms like HBO Max and Showtime. Shows like... more

As a kid, Ryanne Jones' friend accidentally hit her in the mouth with a hammer, knocking out her two front... more

The 90s sit-com Seinfeld is often called "a show about nothing." Lauded for its observational humor, this quick-witted show focussed... more

If you are a congressperson or a senator and you have an idea for a new piece of legislation, at... more

More than 20 years ago, something unusual happened in the small town of Dixfield, Maine. A lady named Barbara Thorpe... more

This episode originally ran in 2020.In 2005, Franklin Leonard was a junior executive at Leonardo DiCaprio's production company. A big... more

Every year, the U.S. government spends more money than it takes in. In order to fund all that spending, the... more

A lot of the time, economic policy can seem pretty impersonal — cold, hard, data-driven. But at the heart of... more

Every Valentine's Day, we at Planet Money consider the things that we love, the things that we can't stop talking... more

Take a look in any supermarket ice cream freezer section and you may see a mystery. There are big containers... more

Anyone who has tried shopping for day care knows that it is tough out there.For one, it is hard even... more

It's Groundhog Day, and once again, the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in Western Pennsylvania.... more

A great economics paper does two things. It takes on a big question, and it finds a smart way to... more

Monopoly is one of the best-selling board games in history. The game's staying power may in part be because of... more

Some of history's biggest financial scams owe their name to Charles Ponzi. Here's the story of the man behind the... more

Driving a truck used to mean freedom. Now it means a mountain of debt.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts... more

If the Fed had a mantra to go along with its mandate, it might well be "two percent." We look... more

Welcome to the Planet Money Movie Club, a regular series from Planet Money+ in which we watch an economics-related movie... more

All sorts of lessons (even about economics) can be learned from kids' books. On today's show, we visit an elementary... more

It's that time of year again! Our annual year-end tradition of checking in on previous stories to hear what happened... more