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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

  • PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA - MAY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong walk at the Samsung Electronic Pyeongtaek Campus on May 20, 2022 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday for his first summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol on a range of issues, including North Korea's nuclear program and supply chain risks.
    Kim Min-Hee - Pool/Getty Images

    President Biden is in South Korea today, the first of a five-day Asia tour. His first stop? A Samsung computer chip factory. A similar one is to be built in Texas. The president is using his visit to the Samsung plant to push lawmakers here in the U.S. to provide billions of dollars in funding for domestic chip manufacturing. Big retailers are reporting that their loads of surplus inventory are cutting into their profits. We dive into the story of a lawsuit from the descendants of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cancer cells were taken without her consent and used in the creation of vaccines and other materials that led to billions in profits for pharmaceutical companies. The case explores a variety of ethical questions.

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  • Canada to ban Chinese tech firms from its 5G rollout
    Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Canada says it will ban two of China’s biggest telecoms equipment makers, Huawei and ZTE, from working on its 5G phone networks. Also, the BBC visits the Ukrainian port city of Odessa to hear how grain exports are being blocked by Russia, and the Bank of England’s efforts to improve financial literacy, one Beanie Baby at a time. 

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  • We are happy to take risks when it comes to gaining things. But not when it comes to losing them.
    Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

    How much impact will inflation have on profits? Will higher interest rates lead a recession? Investors are getting out of stocks at a rate that’s causing the markets to fall at concerning levels. To navigate through some of this, we consult with Barry Ritholtz, a veteran who has seen it all. Also, companies have been trying to get employees back into the office, at least a few days a week. But rising COVID infection rates are frustrating some of those efforts. We look into the return of tourism, which can be an economic driver for lots of places – but also a source of disruption.

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  • "What does tourism do for this community? Has tourism contributed to a loss of biodiversity? These are questions that a tourist can ask irrespective of their budget," said sustainable travel consultant Judy Kepher-Gona.
    Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images

    “What does tourism do for this community? Has tourism contributed to a loss of biodiversity? These are questions that a tourist can ask irrespective of their budget,” said sustainable travel consultant Judy Kepher-Gona.

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  • U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
    Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    In the wake of the pandemic, there’s enormous demand from college students for mental health care. The Department of Education has thoughts on how schools can provide it.

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  • College students sitting in a lecture hall keeping social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic and wearing masks to protect from the transfer of germs.

    But first … we attempt to put yesterday’s down market numbers into context, even though the market doesn’t appear any better this morning. The Department of Education is offering guidance on how colleges can utilize government funding to address the mental health of students. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes just spoke with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona about this, and we have some of the highlights of their discussion. Plus, China’s COVID lockdowns in its largest port cities triggered concerns about even more disruptions to the already-burdened global supply chain. But in our discussion with Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, that hasn’t happened. We spoke to Seroka about the various challenges the port has been facing.

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  • Shipping hasn't slowed at the Port of Los Angeles, according to executive director Gene Seroka.
    Mario Tama/Getty Images

    “What we’ve seen is consistent cargo flow,” says Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

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  • SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 11: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (R) and Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese shake hands during the third leaders' debate of the 2022 federal election campaign on May 11, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. The Australian federal election will be held on Saturday 21 May with Liberal leader Scott Morrison looking to secure a fourth term in power for the Coalition against Labor and opposition leader Anthony Albanese.
    Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: As Australians head to the polls this weekend, new data says unemployment is its lowest since the 1970s, but inflation and youth unemployment remain major focuses for voters. Also, Sri Lanka defaults on international debt and the BBC visits a “secret school” defying the Taliban to continue teaching Afghan girls.

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  • Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the son of a deposed dictator.
    Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

    Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of an ousted dictator and whose mother Imelda was known for her legendary collection of footwear, is poised to become the next president of the Philippines. To help us parse what this could mean for the rest of the world and how the Philippines got to this point, we spoke with the BBC’s Howard Johnson. Additionally, we have the latest on breaking news this morning that the U.S. Soccer Federation and its players have a landmark deal to guarantee equal pay for the men’s and women’s teams. Also, the latest on the effects of sanctions on Russia. Plus, we dig into the changing dynamics of the housing market. And, Susan Schmidt joins us for our discussion about market activity.

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  • Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the son of a deposed dictator.
    Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

    Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has promised a golden age for the Philippines, but he’s up against pandemic and more.

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