logo
episode-header-image
May 2025
1h 2m

634. “Fault-Finder Is a Minimum-Wage Job...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, is less reserved than the average banker. He explains why vibes are overrated, why the Fed’s independence is non-negotiable, and why tariffs could bring the economy back to the Covid era. 
Up next
Nov 21
654. Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?
<p>A Trump executive order is giving retail investors more access to private markets. Is that a golden opportunity — or fool’s gold?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://law.duke.edu/fac/defontenay/">Elisabeth de Fontenay,</a> professor of law at D ... Show More
1h 3m
Nov 14
653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?
<p>Thoroughbred auction prices keep setting records. But tracks are closing, gambling revenues are falling, and the sport is increasingly reliant on subsidies. Is that the kind of long shot anybody wants? (Part three of a series, “<a href="https://freakonomics.com/the-horse-is-us ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 12
What Happens When You Turn 20
<p>The world has changed a good bit since <i>Freakonomics</i> was first published. In this live anniversary episode, Stephen Dubner tells Geoff Bennett of <i>PBS NewsHour </i>everything he has learned since then. Happy birthday, <i>Freakonomics.</i></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOU ... Show More
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
142. What’s Impacting American Workers?
<p>David Autor took his first economics class at 29 years old. Now he’s one of the central academics studying the labor market. The M.I.T. economist and Steve dissect the impact of technology on labor, spar on A.I., and discuss why economists can sometimes be oblivious.</p><p> </ ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 13
What’s up with the US economy? With Austan Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a voter on the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee, speaks to the FT’s economics commentator Chris Giles about the outlook for the US economy amid a boom in AI investment, sluggish hiring, President Donald Tr ... Show More
24m 57s
Apr 2025
We’re Already in Recession - Jim Rickards
Jim Rickards is an American lawyer, investment banker, and author known for his expertise in finance and economics. Get Jim's book "Money GPT" - https://amzn.eu/d/hCW3eE5 Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ OR Support T ... Show More
1h 40m
Apr 2024
130. Is Our Concept of Freedom All Wrong?
<p>The economist Joseph Stiglitz has devoted his life to exposing the limits of markets. He tells Steve about winning an argument with fellow Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, why small governments don’t lead to more freedom, and why he’s not afraid to be an advocate.</p><p> </p><u ... Show More
55m 32s
Jun 2025
The Fed cuts US economic outlook
The Federal Reserve cut its outlook for the US economy on Wednesday, and in the UK, inflation remains higher than ideal. Plus, Big Tech companies are lobbying for a decade-long ban on AI regulations, and the Israel-Iran conflict has hit the global supply chain. Mentioned in this ... Show More
10m 36s
Sep 17
Fed Cuts Rates by Quarter-Point; Powell Cites Weakness in Jobs
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.Federal Reserve officials lowered their benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and penciled in two more reductions this year following months of intense pressure from the White House to slash borr ... Show More
39m 20s
Sep 19
The Fed cuts rates, America's FICO dips, and forever ends for sweepstakes winners
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s show: A rate cut and drama at the Federal Reserve, the average American gets a little less creditworthy, and those giant check sweepstakes winners? Well, they ... Show More
9m 12s
Sep 14
Britain Is Headed For A Financial Meltdown - Allister Heath
Allister Heath is a French-British journalist and commentator, known for his free-market views and sharp critiques of UK politics. He’s the editor of The Sunday Telegraph and a former editor of City A.M., with a background in economics from LSE and Oxford. Triggernometry is proud ... Show More
1h 6m