I Lent $999.78 To The Federal Government*
Earlier this week, I bought a Treasury bill.Everybody calls Treasury bills T-bills, and they work like this: The government promises to pay holders of T-bills a specific amount on a specific day in the...
View ArticleWhat Happens When You Just Give Money To Poor People?
For more of our reporting on this story, please see our work in The New York Times Magazine and on This American Life.A couple of months ago, we reported on a charity called GiveDirectl
View ArticleWhat's A Bubble?
Robert Shiller was surprised when he got the call telling him he'd won the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics — surprised that he'd won (of course), but also surprised that he was sharing the award with...
View ArticleA Bitcoin Insider On Crime, Congress And Satoshi Nakamoto
For more on what Bitcoin is and how it works, see our story "What Is Bitcoin?"Gavin Andresen is chief scientist at the Bitcoin Foundation. I first talked with him about Bitcoin, the virtual currency,...
View ArticleWe Found This 20-Year-Old T-Shirt In Kenya. The Internet Found The Original...
We recently published a story about how used clothes that get donated in the U.S. often wind up for sale in markets in Africa.
View ArticleA Bet, Five Metals And The Future Of The Planet
This famous bet — between a biologist and an economist — was over population growth. It started three decades ago, but it helped set the tone for environmental debates that are still happening...
View ArticleThe Birth Of The Minimum Wage In America
In 1895, legislators in New York state decided to improve working conditions in what at the time could be a deadly profession: baking bread."Bakeries are actually extremely dangerous places to work,"...
View ArticleDoes Raising The Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?
President Obama has called for increasing the minimum wage, saying it will help some of the poorest Americans. Opponents argue that a higher minimum wage will lead employers to cut jobs.Figuring out...
View ArticleNew Web Addresses Provide Alternatives To Crowded Domains
Transcript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: On a Friday it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST: And I'm Linda Wertheimer. Think of the Internet as a group of...
View ArticleIn 4,000 Years, One Thing Hasn't Changed: It Takes Time To Buy Light
Transcript AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: And now, 4,000 years of economic growth in seven minutes. This story comes, of course, from our Planet Money team. David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein bring us the...
View ArticleIs A Stradivarius Just A Violin?
The Stradivarius violin gets its name from master craftsman Antonio Stradivari. When he died in 1737, his secrets died with him: No one has ever been able to duplicate the sound of the violins or...
View ArticleOn The Internet, A Penny Is Nothing To Sneeze At
Transcript RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Our Planet Money team this week is taking a look at the lowly penny. People discard pennies in bowls by cash registers. They walk by them on the street without a...
View ArticleWhy A Pack Of Peanut Butter M&M's Weighs A Tiny Bit Less Than A Regular Pack
The other day I went down to the little shop in the lobby of our building for a snack. I couldn't decide whether I wanted regular M&M's or Peanut Butter M&M's so I bought them both. On the way...
View ArticleVolatility Index Indicates Wall Street Is Bored
An economic indicator commonly called the VIX, volatility index, is also known as the fear index. Whatever you call it, the index is hitting lows not seen since before the financial crisis.
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Everyone Goes To The Store To Get Milk. So Why's It Way In The Back?
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Transcript RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Milk is one of the most popular items in a supermarket. And yet, it is often found at the very back of the...
View ArticleTypewriters, Underwater Hotels And Picture Phones: The Future, As Seen From...
The 1964 World's Fair showcased jet packs and new miracles of science. There was an entire house made from Formica. You could wipe it clean with a sponge!The people who put the fair together tried to...
View ArticleHow College Students Battled Textbook Publishers To A Draw, In 3 Graphs
College textbooks are expensive. You probably already know this. A new biology or economics book can cost $300.And prices have been soaring, doubling over the past decade, growing faster than the price...
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Casinos Trading Slot Machines For Games Requiring Skill
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Transcript ARUN RATH, HOST: As if they didn't have enough, casinos are always looking for new ways to make money. Now, rather than focusing on...
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Doctors Plan Database On Cancer Drugs, Showing Effectiveness And Cost
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Transcript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Now we have the story of information you get from your doctor as well as information you do not.DAVID GREENE,...
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Keynes Predicted We Would Be Working 15-Hour Weeks. Why Was He So Wrong?
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
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