appears in the following:

Encore: Examining the state of global shipping and what it might mean

Monday, January 30, 2023

During the pandemic, the cost to fill and transport a shipping container skyrocketed. Now, shipping rates have dropped by roughly 80% over the last six months.

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If the U.S. can't borrow more money, why not just mint a coin to fund the government?

Friday, January 27, 2023

The Indicator from Planet Money explores how a trillion-dollar platinum coin could get the country around the debt ceiling limit.

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Examining the state of global shipping and what it might mean for you

Thursday, January 26, 2023

The cost of transporting shipping containers has gone back down to 2019 levels after record highs during the pandemic. That should be great news for consumers, right? Well, not so fast.

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The Fed has been raising interest rates. Why then are savings interest rates low?

Monday, January 23, 2023

When the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, the interest rate on savings account usually follows in step. But recently, that logic hasn't held up. (Story aired on ATC on Jan. 15, 2023.)

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The Fed has been raising interest rates — so why are savings interest rates low?

Monday, January 16, 2023

When the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, the interest rate on your savings account usually follows in step. But recently, that logic hasn't held up.

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A new investment fund is taking on startups abandoned by venture capital investors

Friday, December 16, 2022

The Indicator hosts reports on a recently launched investment fund that takes on startups abandoned by venture capital investors because they are not growing fast enough to become "unicorns."

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Planet Money's 'The Indicator': How Musk bought Twitter with other people's money

Friday, December 02, 2022

Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, but almost a third of it was in bank loans. He used a leveraged buyout strategy, which means Twitter, not Musk, is on the hook to pay back the loans.

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The U.K. is undergoing the largest trial of a four-day workweek and less may be more

Friday, November 25, 2022

The U.K. has been undergoing the largest trial of a four-day workweek ever conducted. The Indicator podcast hosts Wailin Wong and Paddy Hirsch explain when it comes to productivity, less may be more.

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Inflation makes food insecurity top of mind for many this holiday season

Friday, November 25, 2022

Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot speaks with Morning Edition about food insecurity.

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Blue bonds could be a solution for climate change and debt for some countries

Friday, November 25, 2022

Low-income countries are seeing some of the most severe effects of climate change. They are also facing growing debt as interest rates go up. What if there was a way to solve both problems at once?

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How hard-to-pronounce names could land resumes in the reject pile

Monday, October 31, 2022

New research suggests a person's name, specifically hard-to-pronounce ones, could make the difference between landing a job or their resume ending up in the reject pile.

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How hard-to-pronounce names could land resumes in the reject pile

Friday, October 28, 2022

New research suggests a person's name, specifically hard-to-pronounce ones, could make the difference between landing a job or their resume ending up in the reject pile.

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The financial industry may use credit card data to identify suspicious gun purchases

Friday, October 21, 2022

Every time you swipe a credit card, you produce data. Now, a new tool could help the financial industry use that data to identify suspicious gun purchases. But will they want to use it?

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How sorority rush is a matching market

Friday, October 07, 2022

Sorority rush. It's a college tradition full of excitement and anxiety for recruits. For economists, it illustrates a concept that plays a huge role throughout our economy: matching markets.

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The journey a number of econ terms recently went through to get into the dictionary

Friday, September 30, 2022

Earlier this month, Merriam Webster added over 300 new words to the dictionary. A number of econ terms were on the list.

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Economists consider the tradeoffs of fighting inflation and killing economic growth

Friday, September 30, 2022

The Federal Reserve has been extremely aggressive in its attempt to bring inflation down by quickly raising interest rates. Some economists continue to wonder whether it's too much too fast.

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How "wash trading" is perpetuating crypto fraud

Friday, September 23, 2022

The enormous number of fake Bitcoin trades may be traced to an age-old practice used to manipulate markets. It's called "wash trading."

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Around the world, people are feeling the push and pull of inflation

Friday, September 16, 2022

Argentines are partying hard in Buenos Aires' bustling bars, despite inflation. Across the pond, German companies are switching gears in response to high gas prices, as Russia shuts off its supply.

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Government regulators express concern as pension fund managers dip into crypto

Friday, September 09, 2022

Should retirement funds invest in risky assets like crypto? It's reminiscent of an earlier debate, one that involved a fledgling venture capital industry and something known as the prudent man rule.

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The cautionary tale of Japan: Why an L-shaped recession is so undesirable

Friday, August 19, 2022

Not all economic recessions and recoveries are created equal. Japan's "L-shaped" recovery — which really isn't much of a recovery at all — in the 1990s offers a cautionary tale.

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