Marketplace®
Every story is an economic story

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

  • It's essential to speak to your kids about money, according to experts.
    Getty Images

    With our friends from “Million Bazillion,” we discuss why talking to kids about money should be a regular thing. We’ve entered the window of time for the reporting of second quarter earnings, but the specter of inflation has cast a shadow over companies’ expected profit numbers. Unpaid medical debts are about to stop weighing down credit reports. 

    Read MoreDownload
  • The energy situation in Europe, given its dependence on Russia, and the labor market forces are different from what we're seeing in the U.S.
    Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: For the first time since 2002, the Euro and the dollar are flirting with parity. Russia has taken the Nord Stream 1 pipeline offline for routine maintenance, and today Norway is reducing the supply of natural gas sends to Europe because of an incident at one of its gas fields. The gas fields of the Netherlands are another option for Europe – though not one without problems.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Not talking to your kids about money already teaches them one lesson ... that money can be stressful.
    Getty Images

    “You are teaching them about money, even if you’re not saying anything,” says Bridget Bodnar, co-host and senior producer of “Million Bazillion” — Marketplace’s podcast for kids.

    Read MoreDownload
  • "You can pay kind of a lot to get us where we need to be on the front end of a disaster...or you could pay twice or three times as much to rebuild and recover," said Mark Ghilarducci,  Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
    David Odisho via Getty Images

    “You can pay kind of a lot to get us where we need to be on the front end of a disaster…or you could pay twice or three times as much to rebuild and recover,” said Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Airport lockdown, Flights canceled on information time table board in the airport while coronavirus outbreak pandemic issued around the world
    Getty Images

    The Department of Transportation has wrapped up 10 investigations into denied or delayed refunds for airline customers following waves of disrupted flights during the pandemic. Maintenance has begun on the Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline, but there are concerns that gas might not get turned back on. Fire season approaches for California, and we discuss the state’s readiness for it.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Breaking up is hard. Just ask Elon Musk and Twitter.
    Joshua Lott/Getty Images

    Twitter stock is down after Elon Musk has decided to pull out of his deal to acquire it, and we look into the potential saga surrounding the billion-dollar breakup fee. Employment in manufacturing has risen to pre-pandemic levels. The video game industry, which boomed during the pandemic, could see its growth start to slow down in the face of inflation and the fact that more people are heading outside.

    Read MoreDownload
  • TOPSHOT - Women stand in front of a graffiti painted outside the premises of Sri Lanka's presidential palace, in Colombo on July 10, 2022, a day after it was overrun by anti-government protestors. - Sri Lanka's colonial-era presidential palace has embodied state authority for more than 200 years, but on July 10 it was the island's new symbol of "people power" after its occupant fled. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

    From the BBC World Service: Sri Lanka’s president has fled the country and confirmed he’ll leave his post. Economists say any delay to its debt negotiations could plunge the country further into uncertainty. Ten days of annual summer maintenance work has begun on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which carries natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany. But there are fears that gas flows won’t return after the scheduled outage. 

    Read MoreDownload
  • NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 19: A hiring sign is displayed in a store window in Manhattan on August 19, 2021 in New York City. Despite continued concerns about the Delta variant of the Covid virus, the United States economy continues to grow with the leading economic index jumping 0.9% last month. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
    Spencer Platt via Getty Images

    The Labor Department’s report this morning shows the U.S. added 370,000 jobs in June, which leads us into our discussion with Julia Coronado of MacroPolicy Perspectives. The Great Resignation is showing slight hints of slowing down. Even in the face of inflation, gig work still appears to be a solid option for a lot of people.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Kathryn Judge, author of "Direct," discusses the major role of middlemen in our lives.
    Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    Kathryn Judge, who’s spent years studying the middleman economy, says we don’t want a world without intermediaries, but a “rebalancing” is in order.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Checking in on the job market as recession talk looms
    Mario Tama/Getty Images

    We preview this morning’s upcoming jobs report for June, where the data could be an indicator of how the Fed could handle another interest rate hike. Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, has died after being shot during a campaign event. Author Kathryn Judge discusses the place of middlemen within the current economic climate.

    Read MoreDownload