Summary: The Planet Money team investigates how the price of a Coke was able to stay at 5¢ for 70 years. In finding the explanation, the Planet Money team also considers the reasons for Coke’s global success.
Original Air Date: November 18, 2015
Length: 19 minutes 7 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/11/07/362060876/episode-581-free-money
Summary: This podcast discusses arbitrage (free money), using the example of used textbooks. Arbitrage (free money) is a risk-free way to buy low and sell high. You can find one thing that’s selling for two different prices, and exploit the mistake.
Original Air Date: November 7, 2014
Length: 14 minutes 29 seconds
Prompt: Imagine you find an opportunity like the one discussed in the podcast. Write an outline of how you would go about this discovery, and what your plan of action would be.
Discussion Question: A woman in the podcast said their practice was immoral. Do you agree or disagree? Is what these two men are doing wrong? Use economic thinking in your discussion.
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/made-italy-may-not-mean-what-you-think
Summary: The Country of Origin label is a powerful element on upscale brands. Italians consider it a national economic resource, but the stamp can’t always be believed. US laws say the “last substantial transformation” must be in the country of origin, and tracking manufacturing is difficult at best.
Original Air Date: September 24, 2014
Length: 3 minutes 55 seconds
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/new-financial-innovation-housing-market
Summary: Large investors have started buying houses–in the past few years, they have bought almost 200,000 new homes. The strategy was to buy low, and set the rent high. Interestingly enough, housing prices have appreciated, and rental prices have stayed the same, which results in not as big of a profit for the investors. This has created what they call rental-backed securities.
Original Air Date: October 13, 2014
Length: 2 minutes 52 seconds
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/boom-and-bust-story-crop-called-guar
Summary: Guar is a small bean, and it had a recent rise and fall in the marketplace. Besides being an additive to thicken many foods, it’s also used in fracking. When fracking took off, the price of guar rose. As the price increased, Texas farmers started growing a lot of it, until Pakistan and India–which grow 98% of the guar combined–caught up to the demand. As a result, oil companies stopped hoarding it, and the prices dropped. The Texas farmers were left without buyers, and caused a chain reaction of bankruptcy.
Original Air Date: October 9, 2014
Length: 2 minutes 47 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/07/09/199048226/how-to-spend-442-on-a-15-minute-cab-ride
Summary: New York City is implementing new regulations on pricing in the pedi-cab market. Includes interview of pedi-cab drivers who are for and against this new regulation, as well as some of the challenges of regulating the industry.
Length: 3:51 min
Original air date: July 5, 2013
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/04/26/179295426/episode-454-the-lollipop-war
Summary: Planet money explores the struggle between two iconic American industries—the lollipop makers and the sugar growers— over “fair” regulations set forth by Congress in the farm bill.
Length: 19:19 min
Original air date: April 26, 2013
Discussion Prompt: What are the economic impacts of the subsidy on sugar for: farmers, candy producers, U.S. citizens, U.S. consumers? Why do you think sugar subsidies persist, and why do you think this fight about sugar has been ongoing in the U.S. government for so many years?
