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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

  • Drugmakers face opioid trial after pandemic delays
    Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images

    Four local governments in California are asking for $50 billion from four drug companies. Plus, technology to help companies better monitor and analyze their progress toward inclusivity. And, blocking middle seats on flights costs airlines money, but a new CDC study shows just how much it can reduce the risk of coronavirus exposure.

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  • A plan by 12 top European soccer teams, including Manchester United, to create the new European Super League has been met with fierce opposition from fans, former players and top politicians.
    Stu Forster/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Twelve of Europe’s biggest soccer clubs unveiled plans to form a breakaway league they’ve dubbed the European Super League. It’s aimed at bolstering pandemic-ravaged finances, but it’s been met with fierce opposition. Plus, a new travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand removes mandatory quarantine measures.

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  • "We know, going into the pandemic, that women of color actually owned pennies on the dollar compared to white men and white women," said  Heather McCulloch who runs Closing the Women’s Wealth Gap.
    LaylaBird via Getty Images

    The House passed an equal pay measure along party lines. We look at how it would strengthen existing rules on pay discrimination and what Republicans are objecting to. Also, China’s GDP growth in the first quarter. Plus, an update on Americans’ willingness to get vaccinated. And, the rise in domestic violence during COVID lockdowns.

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  • The light at the end of the tunnel … in numbers
    Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

    Those numbers: An 18.3% jump in GDP for China in the first quarter and U.S. stock market highs yesterday. They reflect an optimistic economic outlook going forward. Plus, a new Brookings Institution report on the “staggering” lack of diversity among the directors of the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks. And, continuing to gauge what’s ahead for the U.S. economy in terms of inflation.

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  • China's growth was led by strong exports and people spending their money locally.
    Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Economists say it’s difficult to compare the start of this year with the period between January and March 2020, because activity plunged when the pandemic started. Also, the boss of Europe’s biggest travel group TUI says vaccine passports and more testing will help save vacation season. And, why drone racing is a big money generator.

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  • March was a month of shopping in the U.S.
    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Vaccinations and stimulus checks are behind the news that retail sales took off, up nearly 10% in March. Plus, new U.S. sanctions for Russia target Moscow’s sovereign debt, what investors are lending to Russia. Also, hundreds of companies sign statements opposing “any discriminatory legislation” that would make it harder for people to vote in the U.S. And, why small business owners are having trouble filling open positions.

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  • That design style for tech companies you see everywhere
    humaaans/Pablo Stanley

    You know the one we’re talking about: sans-serif fonts, pastel palettes, long-limbed cartoon figures. Why is it so ubiquitous? And what is it hiding? Plus, expected new U.S. sanctions on Russia to respond to the massive hacking campaign attributed to Moscow, with digital intrusions into U.S. federal agencies. And, officials from Britain and the EU are set to meet and discuss the effects of Brexit on Northern Ireland.

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  • In the three months since the U.K. left the European Union, trade bottlenecks and social unrest have ensued.
    Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Top officials from the U.K. and the European Union will discuss the effect Brexit is having on Northern Ireland, which has experienced trade bottlenecks and street protests. And, Taiwan shuts off irrigation to some farmers as it prioritizes its valuable semiconductor chip industry.

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  • In 2008, Mike Merrill started selling shares of himself for $1 each.
    Courtesy of Padraic O'Meara

    In 2008, Mike Merrill started selling shares of himself for $1 each. How’s his stock doing now?

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  • A primer on Corporate Memphis, Big Tech’s favorite design trend
    humaaans/Pablo Stanley

    Sans-serif fonts, pastel palettes, long-limbed cartoons. Why are these designs so popular? And why do they garner criticism?

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