Money Talks from The Economist

Donald Trump’s administration has gone to war with the Federal Reserve. His justice department has issued subpoenas to the Fed. But chair Jerome Powell says they have nothing to do with alleged wrongdoing and everything to do with pressuring him to cut rates. Around the world, central bankers have come to Powell’s defence and, at home, even Republican lawmakers have called for the Trump administration to back down. So has Trump’s latest offensive against the Fed just backfired?Hosts: Mike Bird and Alice Fulwood. Guest: Alan Blinder, former vice chair of the Federal ReserveTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Donald Trump had oil on his mind when he declared America would “run” Venezuela, in the wake of an audacious US mission to capture the country’s dictator Nicolás Maduro. But while Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, extracting a profit for US firms may be harder than President Trump thinks.Hosts: Ethan Wu and Mike Bird. Guest: Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist’s global energy and climate innovation editor.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

250 years after the publication of “The Wealth of Nations”, Adam Smith remains a towering figure in economics. But could the field’s most famous book be less revolutionary than you might think? Mr Smith is cited as an influence on politicians from Margaret Thatcher to Javier Milei, but he’s also been widely misrepresented and credited with ideas that were not his own. So is he really the “father of economics”, or is his influence overstated?Hosts: Mike Bird and Alice Fulwood. Guest: The Economist’s senior economics writer Callum Williams.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Break out the mulled wine—it’s the most wonderful (and competitive) time of the year. The Money Talks hosts return with their annual festive quiz. Can you beat Alice, Ethan and Mike at their own game?Hosts: Mike Bird, Ethan Wu and Alice Fulwood.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

The bidding war for Warner Brothers has become an instant blockbuster. Netflix’s $83bn deal to buy the storied studio seemed all but done when David Ellison, the son of tech billionaire Larry Ellison and the owner of Paramount Skydance, rode in with a rival offer. Who wins will shape the future of Hollywood.Hosts: Ethan Wu and Alice Fulwood. Guest: The Economist’s media editor Tom Wainwright. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Land is an unusual asset. It’s very difficult to create more of it and it can’t be moved around to where it's needed most. The politics of land can become dangerous too. In America, a long surge in the value of urban and suburban land is now bubbling over into frustrations across the country. The squeeze of the land boom is being felt across the country from New York, where Zohran Mamdani was elected on a promise to “freeze the rent”, to Florida where lawmakers are considering scrapping property taxes entirely.Hosts: Mike Bird, Ethan Wu and Alice Fulwood. Guest: Sean Dobson, Chairman, CEO and CIO of Amherst.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

AI is changing the way we shop. Instead of searching on Google or Amazon, consumers are increasingly asking ChatGPT what to buy. AI agents are even autonomously handling purchases from start to finish. What does the rise of agentic commerce mean for brands—and will big online marketplaces lose out?Hosts: Mike Bird and Alice Fulwood. Guests: Anita Balchandani, senior partner at McKinsey and Julie Bornstein, founder of Daydream.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Richard Thaler may just understand people’s foibles better than any other economist. Governments around the world have deployed the Nobel prizewinner’s brand of behavioural economics to nudge people into doing everything from saving for retirement to donating organs. So how does he reflect on a lifetime of nudging?Hosts: Alice Fulwood, Ethan Wu and Mike Bird. Guest: Richard Thaler.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Taiwan’s wildly-successful export economy has made it one of the wealthiest countries on earth. But, according to The Economist’s Big Mac index, there’s a secret sauce: it has perhaps the world’s most undervalued currency. That makes the island’s manufacturers more competitive abroad. But, at home, ordinary Taiwanese find themselves much worse off. So, Ethan travelled to Taipei to find out how the currency has stayed so weak for so long and what that means for Taiwan’s relationship with America.Hosts: Ethan Wu, Mike Bird and Alice Fulwood.Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.