Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/10/23/451228005/episode-659-how-to-make-3-trillion-disappear
Summary: The Planet Money team discusses the end of quantitative easing – how it works and how it is coming to an end. A particular focus is how this process will impact commercial banks and their clients.
Original Air Date: October 26, 2015
Length: 15 minutes 25 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/20/456855788/episode-664-the-great-inflation
Summary: In this Podcast, high inflation in the 70’s and 80’s is examined in depth. The Planet Money team find there is more to inflation than just a surplus of money in the economy.
Original Air Date: November 21, 2015
Length: 24 minutes 45 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/07/08/421228146/episode-637-the-last-euro-in-greece
Summary: The Planet Money team discusses the role the banks played in the Greek debt crisis and how it affected the Greek people.
Original Air Date: July 8, 2015
Length: 13 minutes 38 seconds
Summary: Return on Investment (ROI) analyzes at the most efficient way to spend money. An example given is the difference between curing malaria and HIV/AIDS. To cure malaria, it would cost about $1,000 per person, while it would cost ten times that to cure HIV/AIDS, and it is decided that they would rather save 10 people from malaria before they save one from HIV/AIDS. The United Nations, with their Millennium Development Goals coming to a close, will be looking to set new goals in 2015, to be completed by 2030. One of the issued they will focus on is how they are setting goals, and how to be more efficient with the help of the Return on Investment analysis.
Original Air Date: October 2, 2014
Length: 43 minutes 34 seconds
Prompt / Discussion: You are a member of the United Nations, and are put in charge of coming up with new development goals for 2015. You have $100 billion to invest in various development aid. Discuss how you would prioritize between an important, expensive goal (such as getting all kids into school, which was one of the Millennium Development Goals), and something that might not be seen as highly important, but cost effective.
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/interstate-tax-break-battle
Summary: The Obama Administration has been cracking down on inversions–where companies avoid US taxes by getting a foreign address. Now, it is being taken down to a state level, as states hand out tax breaks to try to increase business and get out of the Great Recession.
Original Air Date: September 24, 2014
Length: 2 minutes 27 seconds
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/wealth-poverty/how-tough-economy-changes-young-peoples-lives
Summary: Many people are still feeling the after-effects of the Great Recession, especially young adults. Young adults still have a higher than average unemployment rate, and are not hitting traditional milestones–such as living alone, starting careers, buying their first home–and have been described as a generation that has “failed to launch” due to the poor economy. Everything that is happening to this generation is happening later in life as they work to launch themselves as independent, self-supporting adults in the harsh economic environment.
Original Air Date: September 16, 2014
Length: 4 minutes 36 seconds
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/stock-market-has-been-and-always-will-be-volatile
Summary: Many people are worried about the stock markets, especially with everything going on in the world (Germany’s bad news, Ebola, etc). However, the stock market is a volatile place–and, according to Quincy Crosby, a financial market strategist at Prudential Financial, it’s meant to be that way.
Original Air Date: October 10, 2014
Length: 2 minutes 11 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/04/24/151224338/were-headed-for-a-fiscal-cliff-should-we-jump
Summary: The team outlines the fiscal policies slated to be enacted in January after the presidential election. Simon Johnson, an economist and professor at MIT, explains the harsh realities of the “fiscal cliff” which the year 2013 will bring for the U.S. economy.
Original air date: April 24, 2012
Length: 21:20 min
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