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

  • Wall Street is the iconic location of the American stock market, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is the market's iconic index of household-name companies.
    Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images

    We consult Lindsey Piegza of Stifel as the markets, especially the tech-filled Nasdaq, are reeling from a selloff that’s been going on for five weeks. What’s going on? Also, we look into why oil appears to be cheaper, but not the retail gasoline we’re buying at the pump. And, banks are keeping an eye out for signs of future loan defaults as consumer credit is on the rise.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Prince Charles delivers the Queen's speech at the State opening of the UK Parliament in London.
    BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Prince Charles is to read the Queen’s Speech on her behalf for the first time, after the 96-year-old monarch pulled out due to mobility problems. Plus, Sri Lanka’s prime minister resigns after months of sometimes violent protests over his handling of the country’s worst economic crisis in history. 

    Read MoreDownload
  • MADERA, CALIFORNIA - MAY 25: In an aerial view, a tractor kicks up dust as it plows a dry field on May 25, 2021 in Madera, California. As California enters an extreme drought emergency, water is starting to become scarce in California's Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Farmers are facing a shortage of water to use on their crops as wells and reservoirs dry up. Some are pulling out water dependent crops, like almonds, or opting to leave acres fallow. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    California is entering its third year of drought, and that has farmers in the state’s Central Valley concerned about an already burdened food system. The Central Valley produces about a quarter of the food in the United States. We spoke to a farmer about the obstacles he faces. How is Wall Street is recovering after weeks of tech stocks taking a beating? On the heels of the Kentucky Derby’s conclusion over the weekend, we look into the economics behind investing in racehorses.

    Read MoreDownload
  • In California, almond trees are being removed and hundreds of thousands of acres of rice won't be planted because of the drought, says Don Cameron of Terranova Ranch.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    “There are a lot of empty fields that aren’t being planted — something I’ve never seen before,” say Terranova Ranch’s Don Cameron.

    Read MoreDownload
  • In this file photo, immigrants await their turn for green card and citizenship interviews at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Queens office on May 30, 2013 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
    John Moore/Getty Images

    A sharp decline in immigration to the U.S. could be contributing to the country’s labor shortage. According to research from economists at the University of California, Davis, the country had 2 million fewer working-age immigrants at the end of 2021 than it would have had if pre-pandemic immigration trends had continued. We spoke to Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell about the consequences of the decline in immigration. Plus, we talk to Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives, about what’s driving the latest market volatility. And, how far does the U.S. economy have to go before it makes up all of the jobs that were lost to the pandemic?

    Read MoreDownload
  • The decline in immigration may be contributing to the scarcity of workers relative to employers' needs. Immigrants are also well-represented among the ranks of entrepreneurs.
    Oliver Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

    The U.S. had 2 million fewer working-age immigrants at the end of 2021 than it would have had if pre-pandemic trends continued.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Abortion rights groups are mobilizing ahead of the 2022 midterm elections
    Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    Abortion rights groups had already planned to ramp up spending ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. And that was before the leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion, which could now further change things. We spoke to Mary Ziegler, a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, about the future of these lobbying for abortion rights and anti-abortion groups. Plus, the White House unveiled a plan this morning to connect more Americans to high-speed internet as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

    Read MoreDownload
  • When it comes to reproductive rights, political spending doesn't always correlate with policy outcomes.
    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    When it comes to reproductive rights, political spending doesn’t always correlate with policy outcomes.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Speaking at a Victory Day parade in Moscow, Vladimir Putin did not make any major announcement related to the war in Ukraine.
    MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: The annual event serves as a reminder of the 27 million Soviet citizens who died during World War II. President Putin took the opportunity to justify his invasion of Ukraine, which is squeezing the finances of ordinary Russians. Plus, China’s export growth is slowing. And, as people in the Philippines cast their votes, we hear about the economic challenges facing the country’s next President.

    Read MoreDownload
  • According to critic Blake Gopnik, it's not the price tag that's interesting, it's the "retread."
    Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

    Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe silkscreen is valuable, yes, but not very innovative, says art critic Blake Gopnik.

    Read MoreDownload
David Brancaccio