NPR: Planet Money

When the yield curve inverts, people worry that it's a sign we're headed for recession. But its predictive reliability also depends on the way it inverts.

China and the U.S. have been locked in a trade war for most of 2018, but peace may be on the horizon.... at least a partial peace.

The Federal Reserve spends a lot of effort trying to target the level of inflation to about 2 percent. Why? Because tiny New Zealand did it first.

NASA has been taking a more hands-off approach to extra-planetary exploration. What will that mean for the economics of space?

From moon missions and space shuttles to public-private partnerships.

We talk to Kid Rock about how he tried to cut scalpers out of the business, then compare that to what Taylor Swift did.

Sanctions have become an increasingly common foreign policy tool for the U.S. How effective are they?

Colleges and universities are finding creative ways to make money.

Marilyn Cohen talks bonds, rating agencies and the yield curve, in overrated, underrated.

We go deep inside the market for mugshots. Is it extortion? Or is it a First Amendment right?

The stock market has been on a wild ride lately. Today, the Indicator looks at what's going on and whether we should worry for the economy.

We talk turkey with the American Farm Bureau about changes in the price of Thanksgiving Dinner.

Parkinson's Law says work expands to fill the time allotted. Goodhart's Law says you get what you measure. Has anyone ever tested these laws of the modern workplace?

Parkinson's Law says work expands to fill the time allotted. Goodhart's Law says you get what you measure. Has anyone ever tested these laws of the modern workplace?

The minimum wage is a contentious issue. Some claim it's a job killer. But what does the research show?

Wondering whether we're poised to tip into a recession? The jobs market may point the way.

New York, Washington and dozens of other cities threw billions in tax incentives at Amazon's HQ2. It reminded us of an episode we did back in 2016.

Are we heading into a recession? The Conference Board's Leading Indicator has ten ways to tell.

Australia hasn't had a recession in 27 years. Good policy? Or just good luck?

Matthew Whitaker, the acting attorney general, sat on an advisory board of World Patent Marketing. Now the company is being called a scam.

The decline in the oil price since the end of October has been stunning in its depth and speed, and follows more than a year of climbing. What changed?

Women pay more than men for many consumer products. Today on the show: Why some economists still think that's a good thing.

The next global economic downturn could be even harder to reverse than the last one.

The market for beef explains a lot about what works about the relationship between Mexico and the U.S.

The 401(k) retirement plan turned 40 this week! Today on the show, we chronicle the rise of the 401(k), the fall of the pension, and talk to the man who started it all.

How one bank gave a whole new meaning to the term "mobile banking."

The Falcons are trying something radical: Making their food cheaper. It could break stadium economics.

You may not know it, but companies are silently scoring you... and using that score to figure out how to treat you.

We answer questions from our listeners and issue a couple of mea culpas.

Taxes get a bad reputation, but they were central to the formation of representative government, says financial historian William N. Goetzmann.

Seattle's radical solution to big money in politics: Flood elections with even more money.

Wage growth has (finally) been accelerating, but what else are companies doing to bid for workers?

One of our youngest listeners asked us why Ecuador changed its currency to U.S. dollars, so we found out!

Horror movies are good business. Scary good. They are more likely to be profitable than any other kind of movie. Today on the show, we look at why.

Two reporters walk into a haunted house, in this special Halloween episode.

Weekly, biweekly, or every month — which payday makes the most sense?

Municipalities are increasingly going to the bond market to pay their court settlement costs.

China is trying a bold experiment to help people trust each other more: The social credit score. Will it work? Does it go too far?

You won't have to get coffee. But you might have to ride a hoverboard.

We assume that winning the lottery will make us happier. In some ways it does, in others — not so much.

The deficit normally shrinks when the economy is strengthening, but not now.

In just six years, robots could achieve parity with humans in the workplace, with machines working the same number of hours as people.

Warehouse jobs are growing even faster than the rest of the booming labor market. Are they good jobs?

The first lottery was a royal affair with poems, golden flatware and invited criminals. Also, how someone won the lottery over and over.

Short sellers get a bad rap. Sometimes with good reason. But overall, they're an inevitable and useful part of a healthy financial system.

President Trump promised to slash regulations. How has he done?

A storied American retailer has filed for bankruptcy.

Amazon and Netflix are trying to take on India. But, so far a Hollywood ending, south-Asian style, has eluded them.

We try to tell the difference between correlation and causation.

Just because marijuana is now legal in Canada doesn't mean the market for it is easily quantifiable.