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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

  • Stacks of shipping containers at the Port of Oakland in California. "Containers aren't unloaded at the port level, and the factories are hesitant to produce," laments India Hynes, CEO of Vinotemp.
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

    China is a big player in the global economy, importing and exporting several trillion dollars worth of goods and services each year. That means China’s trade decisions can affect the health of industries and economies across the globe, but right now it’s hard for the World Trade Organization to do anything about it. For more on this issue, we talk to Chad Bown at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Households are becoming more nervous about personal finances due to inflation. A look at results from Apple and Amazon, which reported earnings and losses this week. 

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  • Authorities in Beijing have started to ramp up their response to cases of COVID-19.
    Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: School children in the Chinese capital are learning from home. Apartment blocks, shopping malls, cinemas and gyms are being sealed off in some areas. Behind the scenes, some business investors are expressing concern. Plus, the World Health Organization and UNICEF claim some baby milk producers are using unethical social media marketing practices. And, how Ukraine’s tattoo industry is getting an unexpected boost since Russia invaded the country. 

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  • GDP fell, but what does that really mean for the economy?
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The hot and cold economy, explained. Delta will start paying flight attendants for boarding time. And self-recorded auditions may be here to stay.

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  • "If you only come back 4% this year [in growth for the world economy], you're not back to where you were, even at the end of 2021," World Bank President David Malpass said.
    Samuel Corum/Getty Images

    High commodity prices, driven by pandemic disruptions and the war in Ukraine, are roiling the global economy. Developing nations are particularly sensitive to these increases, especially in food prices. We speak to David Malpass, President of the World Bank, about the bank’s latest economic projections and what they say about where the world may be headed. Forecasters are talking ahead of morning’s forthcoming GDP numbers, which may show a slowdown amid high inflation. 

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  • Commodity prices are rising, and "it’s hitting people in the poorest countries hardest," World Bank President David Malpass says. Stagflation is also a risk.
    Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images

    Wheat prices could increase more than 40% and energy more than 50% this year, according to the bank’s president, David Malpass.

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  • One of India’s richest men plans a bid for Walgreen Boots British drugstores
    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: The BBC understands that if Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, buys the drugstores, he plans to expand the U.K. brand into India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Plus, a Samsung smartwatch commercial faces criticism from women. And, the “urban miners” looking to profit from electronic waste.

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  • A waiter serves food to customers dining indoors at Langer's Deli in Los Angeles, California on August 7, 2021. - The restaurant announced that proof of vaccination would be required to dine indoors at the restaurant as Covid-19 variant causes surge in the Los Angeles area. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

    Business owners are facing shrinking profit margins as they deal with higher costs for materials and rising wages. We take a look at what options businesses have, including raising prices. A look at why the stock market has been down in the past month. Businesses have been investing in new equipment, which can improve productivity at a time of labor shortages.

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  • According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes dropped 2.7% in March from the previous month and 4.5% from March 2021.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Rental rates are rising faster than they have in years. According to one expert, rents are going up by an average of 15% per year nationwide, compared to just 3% before the pandemic. We take a look into what’s driving the increase and what it means for consumers. Russia has cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria amid increasing tension over their support for Ukraine. A look into why markets have been down in the past month. House prices have been increasing rapidly over the pandemic, but the shortage has been building for years – even before COVID.

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  • The European Union is holding emergency gas talks to decide how to respond to Russia.
    Omar Marques/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: As the European Union holds emergency gas talks to decide how to respond to Russia, what does turning off the gas taps mean for Poland and Bulgaria? Plus, a Chinese drone manufacturer has halted sales to Russia and Ukraine to try and stop its products being used in the war. And, the “vampire devices” which are driving up our home energy bills.

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  • "We absolutely need to be looking under every stone for places that we can add housing ... to allow for greater density," said  Chris Herbert, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    The rapid rise in home prices has provided a windfall for homeowners, but rising interest rates make home-buying increasingly out of reach for renters.

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David Brancaccio