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Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.

Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

Most Recent Episodes

What is Temu?

It is rare that a new e-commerce company has such a meteoric rise as Temu. The company, which launched in the fall of 2022, has been flooding the American advertising market, buying much of the inventory of Facebook, Snapchat, and beyond. According to the market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Temu is one of the most downloaded iPhone apps in the country, with around 50 million monthly active users.

What is Temu?

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How Big Steel in the U.S. fell

Steel manufacturing was at one point the most important industry in the United States. It was one of the biggest employers, a driver of economic growth, and it shaped our national security. Cars, weapons, skyscrapers... all needed steel.

How Big Steel in the U.S. fell

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Captain Morgan, one of the largest rum brands in the world, operates a mega-distillery in St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. And this distillery is at the heart of a years-long billion-dollar conflict known as The Rum Wars. James Sneed/NPR hide caption

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James Sneed/NPR

The billion dollar war behind U.S. rum

When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum must be sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's an unusual system that Congress designed decades ago to help fund these two U.S. territories. In 2021 alone, these rum tax payments added up to more than $700 million.

The billion dollar war behind U.S. rum

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Technician Konnor Therriault inside of a Vestas wind turbine in Bingham, Maine. Darian Woods/NPR hide caption

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Darian Woods/NPR

Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)

The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at once.

Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)

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On the Oscars campaign trail

When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-long war of financial engineering and campaign strategy. Because in Hollywood, every year is an election year. A small army of Oscars campaign strategists help studios and streamers deploy tens of millions of dollars to sway Academy voters. And the signs of these campaigns are everywhere — from the endless celebrity appearances on late night TV to the billboards along your daily commute.

On the Oscars campaign trail

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The Norwegian supermarket chain REMA 1000 uses dynamic pricing for all the items in its stores, including Kvikk Lunsj chocolate bars and Solo soda. Jessica Robinson/NPR hide caption

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Jessica Robinson/NPR

Is dynamic pricing coming to a supermarket near you?

Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during rainy weather, or when you're booking a flight at the last minute or buying tickets to your favorite superstar's concert. On an earnings call last week, Wendy's ignited a minor controversy by suggesting it would introduce dynamic pricing in its restaurants, but the company quickly clarified that it wasn't planning on using it for "surge pricing."

Is dynamic pricing coming to a supermarket near you?

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Shopping for parental benefits around the world

It is so expensive to have a kid in the United States. The U.S. is one of just a handful of countries worldwide with no federal paid parental leave; it offers functionally no public childcare (and private childcare is wildly expensive); and women can expect their pay to take a hit after becoming a parent. (Incidentally, men's wages tend to rise after becoming fathers.)

Shopping for parental benefits around the world

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LEFT: Maria Lares is a longtime teacher and PTA Treasurer at Villacorta Elementary in La Puente, CA. RIGHT: Sophia Fabela (left) and Samantha Nicole Tan (right) are two students at Villacorta who consider themselves pretty good sales kids. Sarah Gonzalez/NPR hide caption

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Sarah Gonzalez/NPR

The secret world behind school fundraisers and turning kids into salespeople

Fundraising is a staple of the school experience in the U.S. There's an assembly showing off all the prizes kids can win by selling enough wrapping paper or chocolate to their neighbors. But it's pretty weird, right?

The secret world behind school fundraisers and turning kids into salespeople

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A controversial idea at the heart of Bidenomics

Réka Juhász is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, and she studies what's known as industrial policy.

A controversial idea at the heart of Bidenomics

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