A tale of two cityhoods
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's a movement underway in Georgia. More and more communities around Atlanta are choosing to kee...
Two crypto crash Indicators
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories of consternation from inside the crypto world. Can a crypto crash spread to the wider ec...
Suitcases, secret lists, and Citizens United
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show: the Watergate scandal you haven't heard about – that led directly to Citizens Uni...
When Subaru came out (Classic)
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 90s, Subaru was struggling to stand out in a crowded automobile market. In their great...
Recession referees
25 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Whenever the economic data start to look rough, we're forced to confront a familiar question: Are we...
The tale of the Onion King (Update)
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How one man's quest to dominate the onion market changed commodities trading, and potentially how mu...
The debate over what's causing inflation
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last few months have made us acutely aware of inflation. We all agree that it's making our lives...
Let them eat lunch
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For many Americans, desk lunches are the norm. You might even be having one right now. But what if i...
The Gecko Effect
11 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Years ago advertising was dominated by cars and beer. Today on the show, how a simple slogan and a t...
On the case: Recession, formula, and greenbacks
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It was just another day at the office. Then the phone started ringing and the caseload kept growing....
Homer Simpson vs. the economy
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the beloved Simpsons family made its TV debut in 1989, it squarely represented middle-class Ame...
The bank war (Classic)
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1800s, populist president Andrew Jackson went head-to-head with the most powerful banker in A...
We Buy a Superhero 7: Collectibles (Live Show!)
28 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What transforms a regular object into a collectible? At our live show earlier this month, we went on...
The NRA's Secret Tapes
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Soon after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Associa...
Investing in mediocrity
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares...
How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A sandwich is generally defined as something delicious slapped between two slices of bread. New York...
Buy now, pay dearly?
14 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A wave of companies that allow customers to pay for items from their favorite stores in four interes...
A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: pla...
The day Russia adopted the free market
07 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 90s, American economist Jeffrey Sachs was a part of a team that tried to transform Russ...
Escheat show (Classic)
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you're looking for money you've forgotten about, there's a chance the government might have it. T...
Planet Money book club
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Behind every Planet Money episode is a ton of reading. Today, we share some of our favorite books fr...
Risky business
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music v...
We Buy a Superhero 6: The Comic Book
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why ...
TikTok to the top
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to TikTok, Tai Verdes went from struggling musician to Top 40 hitmaker. But first, he had to ...
The student loan paaaaauuuuuse
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The pause on federal student loan payments was just extended for the sixth time in two years. So...w...
Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball g...
How manatees got into hot water
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, manatees found sanctuary in the warm waters of Florid...
Turkey's runaway inflation problem
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Turkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox appro...
When bricks were rubles
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For a brief, strange period after the U.S.S.R. collapsed, "real" money was less valuable than tradea...
The Bond King
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Investing legend Bill Gross revolutionized the bond market, built an empire, and lost it all. Our ve...
Fashion Fair's makeover
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fashion Fair was the first big national brand to make makeup for Black women, but it slowly faded in...
Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Corporate profits are soaring. So are prices. Can corporations just not raise prices? Would that fig...
Tech giants and tiny dogs
Fri, 18 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What a business that makes ramps for wiener dogs teaches us about the massive power of tech giants. ...
Escape from Russia
Wed, 16 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
An American business owner with employees in Russia extracts her colleagues from the country. | Subs...
Grocery delivery wars
Fri, 11 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Behind the scenes at a new kind of grocery store that promises delivery in minutes. | Subscribe to o...
The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)
Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:32:41 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
After World War II devastated the global economy, there was a push for a new universal currency. Thi...
Of oligarchs, oil and rubles
Sat, 05 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Three stories about how the sanctions imposed on Russia are playing out – for regular Russian peop...
'Fortress' Russia put to the test
Wed, 02 Mar
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The U.S. is putting Russia's defense plan against sanctions to the test. Meanwhile, Russia's role as...
Putin's big bet: Sanction-proofing Russia
Fri, 25 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The U.S. is imposing economic sanctions on Russia to punish it for invading Ukraine. But Russia has ...
How bad is inflation?
Thu, 24 Feb 2022 00:33:37 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories about the effects of inflation on the economy. We meet a gig worker who's seen an increa...
Predictions: Inflation!
Fri, 18 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's time for another round of "Planet Money Predictions!" Economic forecasters square off to predic...
SPAM strikes back
Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:29:06 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Hormel Foods makes SPAM, and for generations, the company also created jobs for families in Austin, ...
Waste land (Bonus)
Mon, 14 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Recycling most plastic doesn't work. It never has. In 2020, we ran an episode showing how big oil co...
Our Valentines 2022
Fri, 11 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We profess our love for our curiosities, obsessions, and the things we wish we'd thought of first. |...
A SWIFT getaway
Thu, 10 Feb 2022 00:29:19 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 2016, thieves tried to steal nearly a billion dollars from the Bank of Bangladesh's reserves with...
Uncle Sam wants YOU to fight inflation
Sat, 05 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How war bonds, controlled prices, and a national network of nosy neighbors helped beat inflation dur...
The M&M anomaly (Classic)
Wed, 02 Feb
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Despite costing the same price, a pack of peanut butter M&M's weighs 0.06 ounces less than a pack of...
The Spider-Man Problem
Sat, 29 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Spider-Man isn't the first film franchise to be rebooted over and over again. But the infamous off-s...
Two indicators: supply chain solutions
Wed, 26 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Two stories about people trying to overcome supply chain challenges. We follow a ship that is forced...
'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy
Fri, 21 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When Soul Train first launched in 1970, Black audiences weren't understood as a viable target market...
Patent racism (classic)
Wed, 19 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Economist Lisa Cook has been nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve board. In 2020, she talked to...
The rapid testing show
Sat, 15 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Planet Money team fans out across the nation with one goal: to get a Covid test in 24 hours. It ...
No such thing as a free return
Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:29:09 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Lenient policies have shoppers making more returns than ever — around half a trillion dollars wort...
HBO 2.0
Sat, 08 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve ...
The rest of the story, 2021
Wed, 05 Jan
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
On protests, pasta and forgiven payments. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.Learn more about s...
The holiday industrial complex (Classic)
Fri, 31 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Where do holidays like National Potato Chip Day and Argyle Day come from? We trace the roots of one ...
The economic indicator of the year
Thu, 30 Dec 2021 01:14:49 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Will it be inflation? Striketober? The supply chain? Our hosts make their case, and the choice is up...
Bell wars (Classic)
Fri, 24 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The two biggest handbell companies in the world have been locked in a feud for decades. Why? | Subsc...
Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza
Thu, 23 Dec 2021 05:29:00 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Did the supply chain wreck your holiday shopping? P...
No shortages of labor stories
Sat, 18 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We asked for your dispatches from the labor market, and boy did we hear back. | Subscribe to our wee...
We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Classic)
Wed, 15 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Nick and Robert head to the world's largest Christmas tree auction with $1,000 and a truck. And get ...
Two music indicators
Sat, 11 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ticket scalping frustrates fans, but it fascinates economists. It's been a favorite topic of ours in...
Is a Stradivarius just a violin? (Classic)
Wed, 08 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Many music aficionados will tell you that violins and violas made by legendary craftsman Antonio Str...
Consider the lobstermen
Sat, 04 Dec
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A tense conflict between Indigenous fishermen and commercial lobstermen flared up in Nova Scotia in ...
A locked door, a secret meeting and the birth of the Fed (Classic)
Thu, 02 Dec 2021 00:35:14 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The story of the back-room dealings that created America's central bank. | Subscribe to our weekly n...
Day of the Debt
Fri, 26 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We make a loan to the U.S. government, and it does not go the way we thought it would. Plus: the sto...
You asked for real raises, free shipping, and a special delivery
Thu, 25 Nov 2021 01:13:35 +0000
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It's listener question time. We've got answers about "free" shipping, full employment, when a raise ...
A trunk full of truffles (Update)
Sat, 20 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Truffles are one of the most expensive and sought after ingredients in the world. Today, we look bac...
Of boats and boxes
Wed, 17 Nov
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We take a trip to ports on the east and west coasts to ask what's on everyone's mind: why are they s...