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David Brancaccio

"Future Effects" Senior Correspondent

David Brancaccio is Marketplace’s “future effects” senior correspondent. In this role, David aims to explore how short-term thinking can impact our personal finances, innovation, government policy, and more.

David worked as the host and senior editor of “Marketplace Morning Report” from 2013 to 2026, where he focused on the regulation of financial markets, the role of technology in labor markets, the history of innovation, digital privacy, sustainability, social enterprises, and financial vulnerability in older adults. David freelanced for Marketplace in 1989 before becoming the program’s European correspondent based in London in 1990.

David hosted the evening program from 1993-2003, then anchored the award-winning public television news program “Now” on PBS after a period co-hosting with journalist Bill Moyers. David has co-produced and appeared in several documentaries, including “Fixing the Future,” about alternative approaches to the economy, and “On Thin Ice,” about climate change and water security, with mountaineer Conrad Anker. David is the author of “Squandering Aimlessly,” a book about personal values and money. He enjoys moderating public policy discussions, including at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Chicago Ideas Week, and the Camden Conference in Maine.

David is from Waterville, Maine, and has degrees from Wesleyan and Stanford universities. Honors include the Peabody, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University, Emmy, and Walter Cronkite awards. He is married to Mary Brancaccio, a poet and educator. They have three offspring, all adults. He likes making beer and building (and launching) pretty big rockets. Among his heroes are Edward R. Murrow and Wolfman Jack.

Latest from David Brancaccio

  • How aid is getting to earthquake-affected Turkey and Syria
    Mehmet Kacmaz/Getty Images

    Inside the partnerships getting essential aid and care to those impacted by the recent earthquake.

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  • Pensioners march in Athens in 2018 during a demonstration to demand the return of pension funds lost as part of austerity measures. Clara Mattei, author of "The Capital Order," argues  that austerity reflects a deeper history of labor force suppression.
    Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images

    A new book explores the historical relationship between austerity, the labor force, and fascism.

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  • Inside the anti-labor history of austerity
    MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images

    Austerity, or government measures to cut spending in times of economic crisis, has a long history of being used to suppress the labor force, argues a new book called “The Capital Order.” We speak to the author, Clara Mattei, an economics professor at the New School for Social Research. And, President Biden’s State of the Union speech last night featured a heavy dose of economic policy, including a proposed billionaire tax. 

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  • Turkey counts the cost of massive quake
    Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Turkish President Erdogan heads to the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake as rescue efforts continue in freezing conditions. The death toll continues to grow and the damage to infrastructure is becoming clearer. Plus, McDonald’s has signed a legal agreement with the UK watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, in response to concerns about its handling of sexual harassment complaints by staff. And, the trains in Spain – questions are being asked after $250m was spent on 30 trains that can’t fit through some tunnels.

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  • Google’s Bard isn’t Shakespeare, but instead an AI chatbot
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Google announced this week that it is developing Bard, the tech giant’s chatbot intended to rival ChatGPT. Microsoft, meanwhile, is trying to develop its own chatbot to work with the Bing search engine. The recent scandal in India involving the Adani Group, one of the country’s largest companies, is sending waves through the Indian economy. And, a look into why consumer debt is on the rise in the U.S. ahead of the Fed’s report on consumer credit. 

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  • Economics likely to headline Biden’s State of the Union address
    Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

    President Biden’s State of the Union Address tonight will likely tout recent economic victories, including a recent tempering of inflation and strong jobs numbers. But the president will likely have his work cut out for him bringing around a skeptical American public. Oil producer BP posted record profits, which is just the latest positive result reported by oil giants. And, the Bank of England is considering introducing a digital version of the pound sterling. 

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  • FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 15: A general view of a BP gas station on September 15, 2022 in Farmingdale, New York, United States. Many families along with businesses are suffering the effects of inflation as the economy is dictating a change in spending habits. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

    From the BBC World Service: BP has announced its profits in 2022 more than doubled to just shy of 28 billion dollars. But the oil giant scaled back its green targets – we ask why. Nissan’s chief operating officer tells us the company’s alliance with Renault is still going strong. Plus the UK has started a consultation on whether to create a digital pound.  

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  • Lab-grown meat could be in some restaurants soon
    Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

    Lab-grown meat could be on its way onto grocery store shelves and restaurant pantries sooner rather than later. One California-based startup, UPSIDE Foods, is seeking USDA approval to distribute its cultivated chicken product by the end of this year. Disney and the state of Florida are continuing their spat over Disney World’s special status in the state. And, economist Julia Coronado gives some insight into why there’s optimism that the U.S. economy might be able to avoid a recession this year. 

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  • Consumers would suffer if U.S. defaults on debt, says IMF chief
    Samuel Corum/Getty Images

    Consumers in the U.S. would likely suffer economic pain if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, warned International Monetary Fund head Kristalina Georgieva. If it happens, she warned that people could be stuck paying higher interest rates on things like mortgages, car loans and credit cards. Amid Netflix customers’ ire at the coming crackdown on password sharing, new research shows that consumers are frustrated by the high number of different streaming services on offer. And, a trip to the Maryland Zoo, which is having to spend millions to update structures constructed in a different time with different sensibilities about animals. 

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  • Syrian rescue teams search for survivors after the recent catastrophic earthquake.
    Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: More than 1,000 people have been killed and over 5,000 wounded after one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the region in decades. It has left aid organisations calling for financial aid and other forms assistance. Plus, it’s another week of strikes in the UK and today marks the biggest in the history of the health service as thousands of nurses and ambulance workers walk out over pay. We look at why no pay deals have been agreed after months of unrest. And, how strong is your coffee? New research has found caffeine levels vary widely among the big brands.

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