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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

  • Gig workers in the U.S. are subject to a patchwork of regulations that differ from state to state and city to city, says Terri Gerstein.
    Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

    Gig workers, like those who drive for Uber and deliver for DoorDash, occupy a murky position between employee and independent contractor as defined by labor laws.

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  • Anurupa Ganguly's tech startup focuses on math education.
    Getty Images

    Early-stage startups saw a rocky second quarter. What the founder and CEO of Prisms of Reality, a tech startup, is seeing from her vantage point.

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  • A peek under the hood of the “retooled” ADP employment report
    Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

    Today, ADP Research Institute and Stanford Economy Lab releases what they say is more detailed employment data. We talk about what it’s like to form a startup under the current economic conditions.

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  • Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force take part in a military display in front of a V-22 Osprey, for service members from 18 countries on the sidelines of the Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium 2022 (PALS 22), at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kisarazu in Chiba prefecture on June 16, 2022.
    PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Japan’s defense ministry has requested a record $40 billion for its next budget, even though the country can’t have an active military under its pacifist constitution after losing World War II. Plus, Russia has again cut off gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany. And, Germany considers a speed limit on its famed autobahn (freeways) as part of efforts to save fuel.

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  • In rural Alaska, the gas that powers electricity-producing generators is delivered by barge or air. Brevig Mission residents expect prices to climb when the next delivery comes.
    Tashka/Getty Images

    First, reports on consumer confidence and jobs emerged today, offering up a clearer picture on what’s been a weird economy thus far. We delve into the Jones Act and its role in heating oil shortages. The BBC reports on the arrival of a grain ship in time to aid drought-ridden east Africa. The spike in diesel fuel prices has left an impact on rural business.

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  • A new report from The New York Times delves into increasingly common monitoring software used to track employee productivity.
    Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

    Jodi Kantor from The New York Times describes how companies are increasingly using new software tools to evaluate how hard their employees are working.

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  • City map navigation interface. GPS navigator vector screen, street roads and location background. City map screen interface with road destination pin, compass and traffic route direction arrows
    Getty Images

    The FTC has zeroed in on a company that sells geolocation data, adding more fuel to the discussion about data privacy. Speaking of being watched, some companies are using software to remotely track worker productivity.

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  • The Lebanese-flagged MV Brave Commander is carrying wheat bound for Ethiopia.
    BBC News

    From the BBC World Service: The MV Commander has docked in the Port of Djibouti and the wheat on board will be packaged and transported by road to neighboring Ethiopia, which is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. Plus, Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says a $1.1 billion IMF loan is a major step in efforts to put the country’s economy back on track. Separately, the government says early estimates suggest recent floods have caused at least $10 billion of damage. And, how drought is putting a squeeze on Spain’s olive oil production. 

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  • How long will the fight against inflation last?
    Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

    The Federal Reserve has spoken: It’s not backing down from a more aggressive interest-rate strategy to try to stamp out inflation. What kind of economic pain will that cause? And how long will it last? Plus, we look at how markets have been reacting to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech from Friday at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. And, inflation is a global issue, but these lingering higher prices are caused by different things in different places. We break it all down.

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  • Warning that parts of the U.S. will see heating oil shortage
    Tim Boyle/Getty Images

    The U.S. Department of Energy is warning that the supply of heating oil in New England is way below average, just as we head into the fall and winter. The Energy Department is telling states in the northeast to stockpile. Plus, this may not come as a surprise to many, but air travel complaints were up 35% in June compared to May, and they’re up almost 270% compared to pre-pandemic levels. And, why scooters, mopeds and motorcycles no longer get to park for free in Paris.

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