Stacey Vanek Smith

Sanctions have become an increasingly common foreign policy tool for the U.S. How effective are they?

The stock market has been on a wild ride lately. Today, the Indicator looks at what's going on and whether we should worry for the economy.

We talk turkey with the American Farm Bureau about changes in the price of Thanksgiving Dinner.

Wondering whether we're poised to tip into a recession? The jobs market may point the way.

New York, Washington and dozens of other cities threw billions in tax incentives at Amazon's HQ2. It reminded us of an episode we did back in 2016.

Are we heading into a recession? The Conference Board's Leading Indicator has ten ways to tell.

The decline in the oil price since the end of October has been stunning in its depth and speed, and follows more than a year of climbing. What changed?

Women pay more than men for many consumer products. Today on the show: Why some economists still think that's a good thing.

The 401(k) turns 40 this week. What started off as a small provision in the Revenue Act of 1978 to supplement defined benefit plans has become the primary retirement saving vehicle of many Americans.

The 401(k) retirement plan turned 40 this week! Today on the show, we chronicle the rise of the 401(k), the fall of the pension, and talk to the man who started it all.

How one bank gave a whole new meaning to the term "mobile banking."

You may not know it, but companies are silently scoring you... and using that score to figure out how to treat you.

We answer questions from our listeners and issue a couple of mea culpas.

Taxes get a bad reputation, but they were central to the formation of representative government, says financial historian William N. Goetzmann.

Wage growth has (finally) been accelerating, but what else are companies doing to bid for workers?

One of our youngest listeners asked us why Ecuador changed its currency to U.S. dollars, so we found out!

China is piloting a new social credit system, calculated from financial transactions and daily behavior. NPR's The Indicator learns what it's like to be on the country's list of untrustworthy people.

Horror movies are good business. Scary good. They are more likely to be profitable than any other kind of movie. Today on the show, we look at why.

China is testing a new plan to make it easier for citizens do business, but also to help them trust each other more. It's called the social credit score.

Municipalities are increasingly going to the bond market to pay their court settlement costs.