logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
23m 3s

Recession referees

NPR
About this episode
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.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Jul 9
Summer School 1: A government's role in the economy is to make us all richer
Government. The Big G. We like to imagine the free market and the invisible hand as being independent from political influence. But Nobel laureate, Simon Johnson, says that influence has been there since the birth of economics. Call it political economy. Call it government and bu ... Show More
35m 46s
Jul 4
The simple math of the big bill
If we think about the economic effects of President Donald Trumps big taxing and spending and domestic policy bill, we can roughly sum it up in one line. It goes something like this: We will make many big tax cuts permanent and pay for those tax cuts by cutting Medicaid and a few ... Show More
32m 12s
Jul 2
A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem
There's an economic fantasy you sometimes hear in D.C. It often gets trotted out when politicians are trying to add billions or trillions to the national debt. They claim that all the new spending will be worth it in the end because we will supercharge economic growth. This fanta ... Show More
25m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
Recession? What recession?
Some economists have been warning of an imminent recession in the United States for over a year now. But so far, it has yet to strike. We’ll get into the different ways economists are thinking about how a so-called recession might play out. Also, humans are having a profound, lit ... Show More
17m 30s
Jul 2022
Freaking out about the economy? Let's talk.
Gas prices are high, unemployment is low and the tools the federal government has to fight inflation could cause a recession. So how should we think about the economy right now? We asked our econ reporters and a personal finance columnist for advice.  Read more: Businesses and co ... Show More
30m 33s
Jun 2022
How to Recession Proof Your Life
Are we headed towards a recession? Are we already in one? These are scary questions, but recessions are an unavoidable part of the economy. And they don’t have to be the end of the world – especially if you’re prepared. This week, Delyanne Barros brings back friends of the show J ... Show More
23m 29s
May 2022
Money Talks: The next recession
Since 1900, the global economy has fallen into a recession about once a decade on average. In 2020, the world experienced the deepest downturn since the second world war. Just two years on, is another recession on the way? This week, hosts Soumaya Keynes and Mike Bird focus on th ... Show More
39m 34s
May 2023
No, Really. Are We Finally Heading Toward a Recession?
First Republic Bank is the latest financial institution to fail amid turmoil across the industry. Meanwhile, inflation is still high. Layoffs are rocking some industries. And labor shortages are throttling others. So… are we about to face the recession that economists have been p ... Show More
28 m
May 2022
Money Talks: The next recession
Since 1900, the global economy has fallen into a recession about once a decade on average. In 2020, the world experienced the deepest downturn since the second world war. Just two years on, is another recession on the way? This week, hosts Soumaya Keynes and Mike Bird focus on th ... Show More
39m 34s
Jan 2024
Brevan Howard's Top Economist Sees Three Huge Macro Turning Points Under Way
Right now, there's a lot of hope and optimism that the US economy is on a path towards a soft landing. Nonetheless, there are aspects of the current landscape that are unsettling. Inflation has come down, but there's significant debate as to why and how sustainable that move is. ... Show More
51m 16s
Jul 2022
Are we in a recession?
The US economy has shrunk for two consecutive quarters. That’s technically a recession. But economists aren’t so sure we’re actually in one. Madeleine Ngo and Jacob Goldstein explain.This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked ... Show More
27m 3s
Jun 2023
What can we learn from previous financial crashes amid recession fears?
The global economy has weathered the most tumultuous century in modern history and most of the previous financial crises have shared similarities from which we can learn. So writes Dr Linda Yueh, CBE, in her new book, The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Meltdowns and How to Pr ... Show More
21m 14s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami