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Planet Money The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.

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The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.

Got money on your mind? Try Planet Money+ — a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. A subscription also gets you access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without ads. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Most Recent Episodes

Recession referees
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Recession referees

Whenever the economic data start to look rough, we're forced to confront a familiar question: Are we in a recession, or about to be? But there are actually only eight opinions in the country that officially matter. Today on the show, we meet the committee that calls recessions. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Recession referees

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The tale of the Onion King (Update)

Lots of onions. Jess Jiang/NPR hide caption

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Jess Jiang/NPR

The tale of the Onion King (Update)

How one man's quest to dominate the onion market changed commodities trading, and potentially how much you pay at the grocery store, forever. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

The tale of the Onion King (Update)

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The debate over what's causing inflation
Alex Wong/Getty Images

The debate over what's causing inflation

The last few months have made us acutely aware of inflation. We all agree that it's making our lives harder, but economists disagree about what's causing it. | Fill out our listener survey: npr.org/podcastsurvey

The debate over what's causing inflation

Listen · 19:04
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Let them eat lunch

Customers sit on outside terraces, in Paris, on May 19, 2021. BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images

Let them eat lunch

For many Americans, desk lunches are the norm. You might even be having one right now. But what if it didn't have to be this way? | Fill out our listener survey here

Let them eat lunch

Listen · 22:32
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The Gecko Effect
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The Gecko Effect

Years ago advertising was dominated by cars and beer. Today on the show, how a simple slogan and a talking gecko helped the insurance industry become one of the most dominant forces in advertising. Now, we're all living with the consequences. | Fill out our listener survey here

The Gecko Effect

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On the case: Recession, formula, and greenbacks
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On the case: Recession, formula, and greenbacks

It was just another day at the office. Then the phone started ringing and the caseload kept growing...on today's show, your favorite Planet Money gumshoes investigate your listener questions. | Fill out our listener survey here.

On The Case: Recession, Formula, and Greenbacks

Listen · 20:30
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Homer Simpson vs. the economy
Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images

Homer Simpson vs. the economy

When the beloved Simpsons family made its TV debut in 1989, it squarely represented middle-class America. Today ... not so much. That house, those two cars, those three kids all on one salary doesn't seem so believable anymore. Today we examine the changing reality of what middle-class means in America through the Simpsons. It's a wild, musical journey into the heart of the US economy. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Homer Simpson vs. the economy

Listen · 20:54
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The bank war (Classic)

A note from the Second Bank of the United States. Museum of American Finance, NYC hide caption

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Museum of American Finance, NYC

The bank war (Classic)

In the 1800s, populist president Andrew Jackson went head-to-head with the most powerful banker in America over who should control the country's money. This clash ended in disastrous results.

The bank war (Classic)

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PM Live: The most collectible comic book ever?
Trisha Pickelhaupt for NPR

PM Live: The most collectible comic book ever?

What transforms a regular object into a collectible? At our live show earlier this month, we went on a journey through collectibles history. And we had a goal: to turn our Micro-Face comic book into the most collectible item of all time. | Bid on our collectible Micro-Face comic book here!

PM Live: The most collectible comic book ever?

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The NRA's Secret Tapes

Charlton Heston (left), then president of the NRA, meets with fellow leaders Wayne LaPierre (far right) and Jim Baker (center) on April 30, 1999, ahead of the NRA's annual meeting in Denver. Around the same time, leaders discussed how to respond to the shooting at Columbine High School in nearby Littleton, Colo. More than 20 years later, NPR has obtained secret recordings of those conversations. Kevin Moloney/Getty hide caption

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Kevin Moloney/Getty

The NRA's Secret Tapes

Soon after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Association held a conference call to craft their response. Secret tapes from this call obtained by NPR's Investigations team reveal how the NRA developed what would become their standard response after decades of school shootings. | Listen to the original Up First episode: n.pr/nratapes

The NRA's Secret Tapes

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