James Sneed

1 month ago | wrvo.org | Kenny Malone |Keith Romer |Marianne McCune |James Sneed

Lately we've noticed that something we think about all the time here at Planet Money is having a viral moment: recession indicators!From the more practical (like sales for lipstick going up and men's underwear going down) to the absurd and nonsensical (like babysitter buns coming back into style?) — people are posting to social media every little sign they see that a recession is coming. And we LOVE it.

1 month ago | npr.org | Kenny Malone |Keith Romer |Marianne McCune |James Sneed

How economists (and TikTok) know if a recession is coming Download Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1252663619/1269345350" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Romain Costaseca/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Romain Costaseca/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Lately we've noticed that something we think about all the time here at Planet Money is having a viral moment: recession indicators! From the more practical (like...

1 month ago | wrvo.org | Jeff Guo |Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi |Jess Jiang |James Sneed

Virtually every product brought into the United States must have a so-called "country of origin." Think of it as the official place it comes from. And this is the country that counts for calculating tariffs. But what does it really mean when something is a "Product of China"? How much of it actually comes from China? And how do customs officials draw the line? Here in the U.S., the rules are delightfully counterintuitive.

1 month ago | npr.org | Jeff Guo |Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi |Jess Jiang |James Sneed

What "Made in China" actually means Download Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1249592921/1269275951" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> A 'made in China' sticker is seen on a shipping crate of items seized by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for further inspection at the Air Freight Federal Inspection Facility near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Patrick T....

1 month ago | wrvo.org | Sarah Gonzalez |Marianne McCune |James Sneed

On today's show: we're ... venting. We at Planet Money are an ensemble show – each with different curiosities and styles. But we recently realized many of us have something in common: We're annoyed consumers. So we're going to get ranty ... but then try to understand the people annoying us. Like stingy coffee shops, manufacturers that don't design things for repair ... and stores that send way to many emails every day.