From This Collection

Can the government's economic books be cooked?

Jul 3, 2019
U.S. civil servants who collect and analyze statistics are effectively shielded from political pressure.
Central Press/Getty Images

I’ve Always Wondered: How did pepper get married to salt?

Jun 14, 2019
Americans import more black pepper than anyone else. Some folks are mystified by that.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Airline tickets are priced to confuse

Jan 9, 2019
Sometimes flying a longer distance is less expensive.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Why do gas prices end in 9/10 of a cent?

Oct 11, 2018
...and everything else you've ever wondered about gas stations.
What's with the 9/10?
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News

Which economic stats matter most?

Jul 9, 2018
Our listener asks which economic statistics are the best predictors of future economic performance.
A financial professional loosk at his computer screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the end of the trading day Dec. 16, 2008 in New York City. 
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

What's a trade war and are we in one?

Jun 18, 2018
The definition is squishy, but most economists would probably agree we're not there yet.
A worker repairs shipping containers at the Port of Dalian in Liaoning Province, China, in 2013.
Feng Li/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How are sports fines set?

Mar 29, 2018
And does fining players actually work?
Fans cheer during the sixth inning between the Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 30, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
Protesters rally against foreclosures on Puerto Rican families affected by Hurricane Maria, outside the offices of TPG Capital, Dec. 20, 2017 in New York City. The activists claims that TPG Capital's mortgage service companies are aggressively foreclosing on families in Puerto Rico after many people were displaced from their homes following Hurricane Maria.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images