The pandemic has upended the way the world shops, worships and especially how often we wash our hands. With the virus waning in many parts of the globe (while still raging in some places, like India and Brazil), economists and policymakers are debating whether our societal quarantine workarounds will persist -- or be jettisoned by summer's end. On this week's podcast, host Stephanie Flanders takes a rare break from moderating and hands the microphone to Sebastian Mallaby of the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations for a discussion of the pandemic's economic effects. William Dudley, former president of the New York Federal Reserve, explains why the inflation fears that have gripped the U.S. are likely just a short-term reaction to surging consumer demand. Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, suggests the Euro is emerging as a winner in the ``relative ugliness contest'' among world currencies. And, Flanders argues that, while countries including the U.K. have a new focus on ``living local,'' it's no real threat to globalization.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a long time since anyone in America or Europe had to think seriously about inflation. But the highest U.S. numbers since 2009 have rattled financial markets and critics of President Joe Biden are warning that his big spending could trigger a full-blown 70s-style price spiral.Bloomberg Senior Asia Economy Correspondent Enda Curran reports from Hong Kong on the price pressures facing Asian exporters, and how they’re affecting what consumers pay in American stores. Then host Stephanie Flanders talks to Jason Thomas, head of Global Research at the Carlyle Group, who says he believes that reopening the U.S. economy will help push inflation back down again—and that the long-term forces which have kept a lid on prices are still in place. With U.S. gas stations across the Southeast running short of supply and drivers sitting in line to fill their tanks, you would have been forgiven for thinking the 70s had already returned. Though the Colonial Pipeline is now back up and running, Chief Energy Correspondent Javier Blas explains how a cyberattack on America’s biggest fuel conduit could do such damage, and why U.S. energy companies are scrambling to shore up their defenses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world’s biggest businesses are massive, spanning countries and continents. Now they're getting even larger, and that may not be a good thing. In the past few decades alone, the largest 50 firms have tripled their profit. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google together make more money in a week than McDonald's makes in an entire year. On this week’s podcast, host Stephanie Flanders talks with Bloomberg’s Chief Economist Tom Orlik about what the rise of these mega-companies could mean for the global economy. London School of Economics Professor Philippe Aghion joins Flanders to explain why the rise of big tech, once great for innovation and growth, is no longer. Aghion also discusses his plan for getting the very best out of capitalists. And French economy reporter William Horobin explains why the campaign to extract tax from the tech giants just got a lot more interesting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U.S. President Biden marked his 100th day in office this week with another massive spending package -- this one squarely aimed at taxing the rich to give money to everyone else. He’s proposed nearly $6 trillion dollars in new spending since taking office, much of which is to be paid for with higher tax revenues. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve policy makers are looking at this ocean of government spending, a booming stock market and rapidly recovering economy and have decided to leave interest rates at rock bottom and keep on buying up debt. Bloomberg White House reporter Nancy Cook and Federal Reserve reporter Rich Miller join host Stephanie Flanders to consider whether we really are seeing a revolution in U.S. economic policy under the man that Donald Trump used to call sleepy Joe.Meanwhile, the unequal impact of Covid-19 continues to reverberate through the U.S. economy. Bloomberg Economy reporter Mike Sasso reports on how the pandemic is causing a retirement rush with some older Americans simply unable to find work, while others cash in on stock market gains to embrace life beyond the 9-5, and Senior Editor Alex Tanzi reveals some unexpected shifts in intergenerational inequality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many, the pandemic has altered where we work, how we work and when we work. But will that change be forever? Or will we wake up in a year and find we’re back to normal? It’s a vital question, because if work changes, the shape of the economy will change, too. Bloomberg’s Spanish Economy reporter Jeannette Neumann visited a quiet corner of northeast Spain to meet those who escaped the city and to find out just how sustainable their new lives really are.Host Stephanie Flanders talks with Dublin Bureau Chief Dara Doyle about the Irish government’s attempts to persuade people to stay away from the office, and perhaps work from the local pub instead. She also speaks with Sven Smit, co-chair of the McKinsey Global Institute, on his view of work in the post-pandemic world. With 100 million developed market jobs at risk of being displaced, how should we respond? And if you have kids, what should your child’s reaction to home schooling tell us?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 50 years ago, the public and private sectors united to bring men to the moon and back. As the world begins to look at how it can recover from the Covid-19, what lessons can the original moonshot have for the modern challenges facing governments and industry today?In this week’s episode, host Stephanie Flanders talks with Mariana Mazzucato, author and professor in Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London. Find out how similar partnerships could help solve intractable problems such as global warming and pandemics, why doing what sounds obvious simply isn’t happening and what she says U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration needs to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent weeks have seen an outpouring of optimism about the economic recovery, especially in the U.S. The International Monetary Fund has added its voice to the chorus, predicting developed economies could not only enjoy rapid growth in the coming years but see little or no permanent damage from the sudden collapse in 2020. But is that rebound going to be felt everywhere? Stephanie Flanders talks with Bloomberg Chief Economist Tom Orlik about what's changed and his outlook for global growth.Almost 100 days have elapsed since the chimes of Big Ben marked Brexit's formal implementation. U.K. economy reporter Lizzy Burden reports on the country’s messy post-divorce relationship with the European Union, and talks to some people who have been caught in the middle. Finally, Flanders speaks with U.S real estate reporter Alex Wittenberg about how the boom in online shopping could be the death knell for golf courses all across America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world enters a second year of Covid-19, we begin our new season of Stephanomics with perspectives on the pandemic’s fallout from Bloomberg correspondents all over the world. From cross-border jealousy and government spending battles to desolate beaches and unexpected theater companions, Andrew Rosati in Brazil, Shelly Hagan in Canada, Kamlesh Bhuckory in Mauritius and Anya Andrianova in Russia tell us how the global health catastrophe has changed local economies.Host Stephanie Flanders then talks with Bloomberg Chief Energy Correspondent Javier Blas about why one stuck container ship could cause so much disruption to global trade, and how long we may be living with the after-effects of the resulting traffic jam. Flanders also speaks to Dr. Dambisa Moyo—author, economist and board member of Chevron and 3M—about what the post-pandemic future may hold for workers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few decades ago, nobody really questioned vaccines. They were viewed as a standard part of staying healthy and safe. Today, the number of people questioning vaccines risks prolonging a pandemic that has already killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. How we got to this moment didn’t start with the rollout of vaccines or in March 2020, or even with the election of Donald Trump. Our confidence in vaccines, often isn't even about vaccines. It’s about trust. And that trust has been eroding for a long time. Doubt, a new series from Bloomberg’s Prognosis podcast, looks at the forces that have been breaking down that trust. We'll trace the rise of vaccine skepticism in America to show how we got here — and where we’re going. Doubt launches on March 23. Subscribe to Prognosis today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 150 years after the end of slavery in the U.S., the net worth of a typical white family is nearly six times greater than that of the average Black family. Season 3 of The Pay Check digs into into how we got to where we are today and what can be done to narrow the yawning racial wealth gap in the U.S.Jackie Simmons and Rebecca Greenfield co-host the season, which kicks off with a personal story about land Jackie's family acquired some time after slavery that they're on the verge of losing. From there the series explores all the ways the wealth gaps manifests and the radical solutions, like affirmative action, quotas, and reparations, that can potentially lead to greater equality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.