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The walking dead NFTs

CANNES, FRANCE - JUNE 21: Paris Hilton, Gary Vaynerchuk and Swan Sit on stage during The NFT Revolution and What It Means For Brands at the Debussy Theatre (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Cannes Lions) Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Cannes Lions hide caption

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The walking dead NFTs

by , , ,

The NFT mania may have finally run its course. Not too long ago, these pieces of digital art exploded in value with the help of celebrities like Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton. But even the most successful digital artists knew it was a bubble. Today, we consider whether this multi-million dollar fad has truly come to an end or if it's still on its last legs and due for a reimagining.

The walking dead NFTs

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How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update)
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How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update)

by , , , ,

This episode was originally published on November 14, 2022

How EV batteries tore apart Michigan

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The natural disaster economist
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The natural disaster economist

by , ,

There seems to be headlines about floods, wildfires, or hurricanes every week. Scientists say this might be the new normal — that climate change is making natural disasters more and more common.

The natural disaster economist

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Chasing the American Dream at Outback Steakhouse
Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi/NPR

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Chasing the American Dream at Outback Steakhouse

by , , ,

How often do you hang out with people in a different socioeconomic bracket than you? And where do you meet and congregate? Economist Maxim Massenkoff, and his co-author Nathan Wilmers, looked at cell phone location data to figure out where people with vastly different incomes commune together. Today on the show, Maxim discusses his research, and Darian and Alexi head to a restaurant to try and witness some of this class mixing in action.

Chasing the American Dream at Outback Steakhouse

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A Nobel prize-winning immigrant's view on American inequality

US-British economist Angus Deaton speaks at a press conference after winning the Nobel Prize for Economics at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, on October 12, 2015. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images

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A Nobel prize-winning immigrant's view on American inequality

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In a new book, Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton offers a scathing critique of American politics and economic policy.

A black market, a currency crisis, and a tango competition in Argentina

Dancers Saya Date and Shashank Duggal (center couple) perform in the improvised "Tango de Pista" category at the annual Mundial de Tango competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lucas Babic/NPR hide caption

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A black market, a currency crisis, and a tango competition in Argentina

by , , Molly Messick ,

The Nobel-prize winning economist Simon Kuznets once analyzed the world's economies this way — he said there are four kinds of countries: developed, underdeveloped, Japan... and Argentina.

A black market, a currency crisis, and a tango competition in Argentina

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A million-dollar fossil, and other indicators
STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

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A million-dollar fossil, and other indicators

by , , , ,

Today on the show, we cover this week's top indicators in new work permits for Venezuelan migrants, behind-the-scenes climate meetings and a million-dollar dinosaur skeleton sale.

A million-dollar fossil, and other indicators

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Selling safety in the fight against wildfires
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Selling safety in the fight against wildfires

by , , ,

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and serious due to human-caused climate change. This is prompting a new industry focused on residential wildfire preparedness. Today, we consider the new technology addressing wildfire risk and the cost of protecting yourself.

Selling safety in the fight against wildfires

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"Based on a true story"
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"Based on a true story"

by , ,

When a group of amateur investors rallied around the stock for GameStop back in 2021, the story blew up the internet. News outlets around the world, including us here at Planet Money, rushed in to explain why the stock for this retail video game company was suddenly skyrocketing, at times by as much as 1700% in value, and what that meant for the rest of us.

"Based on a true story"

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The Beigie Awards: Manufacturing takes center stage
Miba Industrial Bearings

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The Beigie Awards: Manufacturing takes center stage

by , , ,

The Beigies roll around once again to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This edition's winner put a spotlight on a company increasing their efforts to recruit young people for an important piece of the manufacturing puzzle.

The Beigie Awards: Manufacturing takes center stage

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Coca Cola v. Coca Pola
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Coca Cola v. Coca Pola

by , , ,

The coca leaf has been an important part of Andean culture for thousands of years. But when one indigenous woman decided to use the plant in a drink she calls Coca Pola, she awoke a sleeping giant. Today on the show, a small business goes head to head with Coca-Cola over a trademark dispute.

Coca Cola v. Coca Pola

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How to launder $600 million on the internet
Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Planet Money

How to launder $600 million on the internet

by , , ,

Erin Plante is a private detective who specializes in chasing down stolen cryptocurrency. In March of 2022, she got the biggest assignment of her career: Hackers had broken into an online game called Axie Infinity and made off with over $600 million worth of digital money.

How to launder $600 million on the internet

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Economics, boosternomics and Swiftnomics
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Economics, boosternomics and Swiftnomics

by , , , ,

For this week's Indicators of the Week, Darian is joined by NPR colleagues Jeff Guo and Sydney Lupkin. We get into the latest numbers on child poverty in the U.S. and what it tells us about effective policy intervention. Sydney brings an update on the new covid booster and who's paying for it. And Jeff talks about Taylor Swift...again. He promises it has to do with economics.

Economics, boosternomics and Swiftnomics

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Wait — did we really need to raise rates?
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Planet Money

Wait — did we really need to raise rates?

by Paddy Hirsch , , ,

Inflation remains stubbornly high as the Federal Open Markets Committee weighs whether they will raise interest rates again. However, new research suggests that elevated interest rates weren't the primary driver for the decline in inflation. Today, we take a look at the debate surrounding disinflation and what comes next for the Federal Reserve.

Wait — did we really need to raise rates?

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Giant vacuums and other government climate bets

Global Thermostat's pilot plant for direct air carbon capture, on April 4, 2023, in Brighton, Colorado. The company is also receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a plant with 1,000 times the capacity of this demonstration plant. Hart Van Denburg/CPR News/Hart Van Denburg/CPR News hide caption

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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News/Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

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Giant vacuums and other government climate bets

by , , ,

Yesterday we brought you a debate over whether the government should subsidize industries in the name of economic growth and societal benefits. Today on the show, we zero in on the climate industrial policy of the Biden administration, which is funneling billions into experimental projects that promise to remove, capture and store carbon. It's an effort by the U.S. to meet its ambitious climate goals, but it's not without its skeptics.

Giant vacuums and other government climate bets

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China's weakening economy in two Indicators

This photo taken on June 14, 2023 shows university graduates and youths attending a job fair in Yibin, in China's southwestern Sichuan province. Unemployment among Chinese youths jumped to a record 20.8 percent in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said on June 15, 2023, as the economy's post-Covid growth spurt fades. CNS/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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China's weakening economy in two Indicators

by , , , , Aowen Cao , , , Paddy Hirsch

In China, data on the economy is sometimes difficult to come by. The Chinese government has put a pause on releasing some of its official economic data. But many of the stories emerging from the country paint a clear picture: the second largest economy in the world is struggling.

China's weakening economy in two Indicators

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Industrial policy, the debate!

DURHAM, NC - MARCH 28: Union workers look on during a series of remarks by U.S. President Joe Biden during a visit to Wolfspeed, a semiconductor manufacturer, as he kicks off his Investing in America Tour on March 28, 2023 in Durham, North Carolina. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images hide caption

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Planet Money

Industrial policy, the debate!

by , ,

There is a lot of taxpayer money going into propping up industry in the U.S. From semiconductor chip fabrication in Arizona to green hydrogen plants in California. Is this smart policy? Today on the Indicator, our guests debate!

Industrial policy, the debate!

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Is retail theft getting worse?
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Planet Money

Is retail theft getting worse?

by Paddy Hirsch , , ,

Lately, retailers have been complaining to their investors about thieves coming to their stores and stealing stuff and blaming them for falling profits. It's the biggest part of a well-known industry problem called "shrink," but is this trend as pervasive as stores are making it out to be? Today on the show, retail theft and what stores are doing about it.

Is retail theft getting worse?

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Apple, drugs, Grindr
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Planet Money

Apple, drugs, Grindr

by , , , ,

Today on Indicators of the Week: government iPhone restrictions in China that walloped Apple's market value. Plus plans emerge over how the US government plans to negotiate drug prices. Also, a mass exodus of employees from a top dating app that sheds some light on where the whole working from home debate is.

Apple, drugs, Grindr

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How the Phillips Curve shaped macroeconomics
London School of Economics Image Library

Politics & Policy

How the Phillips Curve shaped macroeconomics

by , , Molly Messick ,

When economists and policymakers talk about getting inflation under control, there's an assumption they often make: bringing inflation down will probably result in some degree of layoffs and job loss. But that is not the way things have played out since inflation spiked last year. Instead, so far, inflation has come down, and unemployment has stayed low.

How the Phillips Curve shaped macroeconomics

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'Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.'

Syrian refugees take notes during their Vocational ESL class at the International Rescue Committee center in San Diego on August 31, 2016. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

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'Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.'

by , , ,

When refugees arrive in the U.S. the clock starts ticking. They usually have up to 90 days to get a job and become 'self-sufficient'.

'Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.'

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The dementia tax

April Simpkins, left, was her husband Joe's primary caregiver after he was first diagnosed with dementia in 2013. As the disease progressed, April moved Joe to a memory care facility in Nashville, Tenn. Joe Simpkins died in January 2020. (Photo: April Simpkins) April Simpkins hide caption

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April Simpkins

Planet Money

The dementia tax

by Paddy Hirsch , ,

More than 7 million Americans are living with dementia. To take care of this population, family members must often make the difficult choice of giving up work or paying for a costly facility. Today on the show, the rising cost of memory care in an aging population.

The dementia tax

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