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

  • There are signs that inflation is picking up in the U.K. and the U.S.
    Niklas Halle'n/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: The Bank of England’s chief economist Andy Haldane thinks so, but there’s a risk that boom could turn to bust. Plus, a Turkish power company which provides a quarter of Lebanon’s electricity has cut supplies from its offshore generators. And, the creator of the Ethereum cryptocurrency believes a new generation of environmentally friendly tokens is on the way.

    Read MoreDownload
  • How to stop your favorite retailer from pulling a Blockbuster
    Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

    We take a closer look at what’s been done with stores like J.C. Penney, Petco and Guitar Center to keep them in business when they’re at risk of failing. Plus, another key inflation gauge shows prices are rising. And, add the Colonial Pipeline shutdown to the list of challenges truck drivers have been facing over the past year.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted the news on Wednesday, citing environmental concerns.
    Saul Martinez/Getty Images

    “We could have told him about Bitcoin and energy use. Why has Musk changed his mind now?”

    Read MoreDownload
  • What happens when a store starts to die?
    Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

    From Victoria’s Secret to J.C. Penney, struggling retailers have taken a couple of different paths to try to remain in business.

    Read MoreDownload
  • The U.S. doesn’t have enough cybersecurity experts
    Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images

    As fallout from the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack continues, demand is growing for cybersecurity experts. But there aren’t enough to go around. Plus, you can no longer buy a Tesla with Bitcoin. And, fierce competition among real estate brokerages in this hot housing market.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Maamoul cookies are a festive favorite in Lebanon, but they have become too expensive to make for many people.
    BBC News

    From the BBC World Service: As Lebanon struggles with triple-digit inflation and a sharply rising poverty rate, people making festive maamoul cookies are changing their recipes due to rising food prices. Also, a spike in U.S. inflation last month is rattling global markets. And, Brazil’s Parliament is asking why a contract offer from Pfizer to buy doses of its vaccine was ignored for two months.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Is inflation just couch surfing? Or is it moving in for real?
    Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

    Consumer prices are up again, but some economists still see this as temporary and having to do with an economy trying to recover. Plus, what methods government officials are trying to use to combat fuel shortages. Also, a legal victory for Amazon over a big European tax bill. And, a Kurdish market in Nashville damaged by severe flooding is able to reopen in time to serve its community during Ramadan.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Gas stations begin to run out of gasoline after drivers rushed to fill up on May 11, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Megan Varner/Getty Images

    The biggest set of fuel pipelines in the country remains off today after last week’s ransomware attack. Some gas stations are running dry in the Southeast, in part because of panic-buying. Plus, what to expect for the latest reading on inflation. And, with more people getting vaccinated, there’s increasing political pressure from some conservatives to pull the plug on some pandemic relief programs.

    Read MoreDownload
  • Some international companies operating in Myanmar are reviewing their leases after months of protests following a military coup.
    STR/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Foreign companies are concerned about employee and customer safety, and public pressure to stop doing business with the military, which seized control from the democratically elected government in February. Plus, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong says more than 40% of its members are considering a move out of the Asian financial hub. And, what does the future hold for frequent flyers?

    Read MoreDownload
  • Pipeline hackers say they only want money, not chaos
    Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

    The ransomware gang accused of the cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline says it doesn’t mean to cause any problems for society and it’s just after money. In fact, the group said it would essentially institute a type of moderation to make sure it didn’t attack targets that would really cause disruptions or send a political message. Also, moving patterns among Americans during the pandemic, how they’re affected by income. And, the often unscrupulous underground economy in which migrants around the world are forced to participate.

    Read MoreDownload