Planet Money podcast

Planet Money

·

  NPR  

Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

 

#355

How Black hair care grew Black power

The Afro is one of the most iconic hairstyles of the last century. And one of its main ing... more

5 hrs Ago

29 MINS

29:16

5 hrs Ago


#354

Venezuela’s recent economic history (Update)

We’ve been checking in on the economic conditions in Venezuela for about a decade now. In ... more

04 Jan 2026

22 MINS

22:25

04 Jan 2026


#353

Indicators of the Year, Past and Future

2025 is finally over. It was a wild year for the U.S. economy. Tariffs transformed global ... more

31 Dec 2025

18 MINS

18:17

31 Dec 2025


#352

Why economists got free trade with China so wrong

With the year coming to a close, we're sharing our most popular Planet Money bonus episode... more

30 Dec 2025

25 MINS

25:39

30 Dec 2025


#351

The Rest of the Story, 2025

Most stories keep going even after we set down our microphones and the music fades up. Tha... more

26 Dec 2025

28 MINS

28:22

26 Dec 2025


#350

The summer I turned binge-y

On the eve of Netflix shoveling a fourish-hour chunk of Stranger Things onto Christmas Day... more

24 Dec 2025

30 MINS

30:56

24 Dec 2025


#349

What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill

As a country, we are spending more to get data centers up and running than we spent to bui... more

20 Dec 2025

32 MINS

32:15

20 Dec 2025


#348

PM does a pop culture draft: 1999 edition

Welcome to the inaugural Planet Money Pop Culture Draft! In today's episode (a Planet Mone... more

17 Dec 2025

54 MINS

54:50

17 Dec 2025


#347

When Chicago pawned its parking meters

In 2008, Chicago’s budget was in a bad place. The city needed money. One way to raise mone... more

12 Dec 2025

30 MINS

30:56

12 Dec 2025


#346

Strange threadfellows: How the U.S. military shaped what we all wear

From nuclear fission to GPS to the internet, it’s common knowledge that many of the most r... more

10 Dec 2025

36 MINS

36:10

10 Dec 2025


#345

How hurricanes became a hot investment

A few years ago, the Jamaican government started making an unusual financial bet. It went ... more

05 Dec 2025

30 MINS

30:57

05 Dec 2025


#344

Is AI slopifying the job market? (Two Indicators)

Vote for us in NPR’s People’s Choice Awards: [npr.org/peopleschoice] (http://npr.org/peopl... more

03 Dec 2025

18 MINS

18:56

03 Dec 2025


#343

Capitalism (Taylor's Version) (25-minute Podcast Version)

Taylor Swift reaches new heights with her latest album, which is both divisive and record-... more

28 Nov 2025

24 MINS

24:30

28 Nov 2025


#342

Saving lives with fewer dollars

Givewell is a nonprofit organization that gives money to “save or improve the most lives p... more

27 Nov 2025

32 MINS

32:37

27 Nov 2025


#341

The Consumer Sentiment vs. Consumer Spending Puzzle

Wherever consumer sentiment goes, consumer spending usually goes too. They’re like buddies... more

21 Nov 2025

19 MINS

19:58

21 Nov 2025