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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Planet Money

China's Giant Pool Of Dollars

There is an advantage to strengthening the currency for people in China: It makes their imports cheaper. A clerk counts bank notes in a bank in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province.

March 15, 2012 China's foreign-exchange reserves are worth over $3 trillion. That's a problem for China, and for the U.S.

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Planet Money

From Cellphones To Cigarettes: The Long Arm Of The Chinese Government

How many government-owned businesses do you see in this picture?

February 27, 2012 China's government plays a huge role in the country's economy. That needs to change, according to a new report co-written by the government's own think tank.

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Planet Money

Is China An Economic Miracle, Or A Bubble Waiting To Pop?

This can't go on forever.

February 16, 2012 China's economy sailed through the financial crisis unscathed — at least in the short run.

Transcript

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Friday, January 20, 2012

Planet Money

The Secret Document That Transformed China

Yen Jingchang was one of the signers of the secret document.

January 20, 2012 In 1978, the farmers in a small Chinese village signed a secret contract. They thought it might get them executed. Instead, it wound up transforming China's economy.

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Monday, January 09, 2012

Planet Money

People Want More Coins, That's A Good Sign For The Economy

Demand for quarter, dimes, nickels, and pennies was up this year.

January 9, 2012 The United States Mint says demand for quarter, dimes, nickels, and pennies was up this year. During the financial crisis, demand for coins hit record lows as people dug into their piggy banks and coin jars for extra cash.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Planet Money

White House Kills Dollar Coin Program

Dollar coins gathering dust in the Fed's Baltimore brach.

December 14, 2011 More than 1 billion coins are sitting unwanted in government vaults. Ending the program will save an estimated $50 million a year.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Monday, November 21, 2011

Planet Money

N.Y. Cheese Buyer Hangs On Euro's Fate

Aaron Foster, with cheese.

November 21, 2011 Most of the cheese at Murray's Cheese Shop comes from Europe. And the cheese buyer's bonus hinges on the future of the euro.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Planet Money

Leaving The Euro Is Hard To Do

A one-crown note from the Austro-Hungarian empire.

November 10, 2011 "No ship ever sunk for having too many life boats, and at the moment, the euro has no life boats at all."

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Planet Money

What If We Paid Off The National Debt?

Graph showing actual government debt vs. projected debt

October 20, 2011 It sounds ridiculous today. But not so long ago, the prospect of a debt-free U.S. was seen as a real possibility with the potential to upset the global financial system.

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Planet Money

The Return Of Toxie

Toxie's grave

September 12, 2011 Last year, Planet Money bought a toxic asset — a bundle of bad mortgages that quickly went bad. We declared our toxic asset dead last fall. But a recent lawsuit could bring it back to life.

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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Planet Money

Toxie Lives! (Maybe!)

Toxie's grave

August 31, 2011 Planet Money's pet toxic asset died last year. But we learned today that she may rise from the grave.

Summary

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Planet Money

Should You Bank On Bitcoin?

One bitcoin will get you this nerd merit badge.

August 24, 2011 Bitcoin is a lot like cash — for the online universe. It doesn't actually exist in the physical world. You can't hold bitcoins in your hand because they just live on computers and the Internet. Bitcoin is a virtual currency independent of any government. It's backed by the people who use it.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Friday, August 19, 2011

Planet Money

A Big Bridge In The Wrong Place

Why the long bridge?

August 19, 2011 Why was New York state's Tappan Zee Bridge built at one of the widest spots on the Hudson River when it would have been much cheaper and easier to build it a few miles south? Newspaper clippings from the 1940s and '50s revealed something suspicious.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011

Planet Money

Dollar Coin Loophole Closes For Frequent Fliers

A box of dollar coins ordered from the U.S. Mint.

July 22, 2011 The U.S Mint said today it will no longer accept credit-card payments for dollar coins purchased from its Web site. Too many people were using the program just to get frequent-flier miles.

Summary

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