Episodes (Page 4)
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Three Planet Money hosts
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Chicago Mayor Daley leased the city's 36,000 parking meters to private companies for $1.16 billion in 2008
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US military R&D shaped everyday civilian clothing through surplus economics, with military designs trickling to hippies, yuppies, and commercial brands
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Jamaica's government creates 'catastrophe bonds' by asking global investors to wager on hurricane probability as a financial risk-sharing tool
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AI is reshaping the job market through fewer entry-level positions, robot recruiters, and constantly changing skill requirements, creating challenges for workers
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Taylor Swift's latest album exemplifies divisive yet record-breaking business and creative strategies
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GiveWell, a nonprofit focused on maximizing lives saved per dollar, faces pressure to fund urgent health projects in Cameroon following USAID's cuts
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Consumer sentiment has plummeted while consumer spending remains surprisingly strong, breaking the typical correlation between the two
Consumer Spending Puzzle
The Consumer Sentiment
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Tariffs have been repeatedly announced, adjusted, and re-announced, creating ongoing uncertainty for billions in commerce
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The U.S. offered Argentina a $20 billion loan through the Exchange Stabilization Fund, an obscure Treasury Department pool of money requiring no Congressional approval
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Buy now, pay later services (Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay) offer interest-free installments with no credit checks, attracting impulsive shoppers into debt
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Maine prisons launched an experiment allowing incarcerated people to work remote jobs from their cells at fair market wages
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Concert ticket prices are driven up by 'reseller bots' that manipulate the market, creating economic dysfunction despite serving some economic function
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A major SNAP funding crisis is looming due to cuts embedded in Trump's tax-cut and spending bill signed in summer
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The U.S. is the world's largest source of remittances, but an immigration crackdown is disrupting this global market
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Ken Jouppi, an Alaska bush pilot, had his $95,000 Cessna plane forfeited after a passenger was caught with beer
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TikTok developed a distinctive sonic identity
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Russia operates a 'shadow fleet' of hundreds of old tankers with fake names and obscure flag countries to transport sanctioned oil around the world
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New York City ran out of money in 1975 after a decade of debt accumulation to fund city employees and social services, nearly facing bankruptcy
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Hedge funds have entered the Treasury bond market and are executing a 'Treasury basis trade' that could either destabilize the financial system or help the government borrow more cheaply