Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Blue Wave Economics | The Professor Is In

What did the midterm elections reveal about the economy—and your household budget? Justin Wolfers examines the Democratic sweep through a puzzle: how can the economy gro

Nov 4
33 min

The Hidden Feedback Loop Behind Rising Prices | The Professor Is In

#4 trending · Courses

Why did the Fed hold interest rates, and what is it waiting for? Justin Wolfers makes a crucial distinction about the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates: there can be

Nov 3
26 min

America's Jekyll-and-Hyde Economy | Off The Clock

#10 trending · Courses

The economy is growing — so why does your paycheck feel like it's shrinking? GDP is up 3.4%, unemployment is near record lows, the stock market keeps hitting highs — and

Oct 31
1 h 14 min

What the New GDP Report Actually Says | Diving In

GDP grew 3.4% last quarter — so why does inflation still hurt? Justin Wolfers untangles it. The last big data dump before the 2026 midterms just landed, and it's a tangl

Oct 30
16 min

Did the Midterms Delay a Fed Rate Hike? | Diving In

Why did the Fed hold interest rates steady when inflation is still above 2%? Inflation is running hot by every measure — PCE at 3.4%, core at 3.0%, and the CPI that trac

Oct 29
22 min

The Dilemma Behind Debunking Trump | The Professor Is In

President Trump brags that he's brought $21 trillion in new investment into America. Justin Wolfers already debunked that number (the White House's own list only reaches

Oct 27
19 min

What Is The State of Your Economy?

Why do strong economic numbers feel so bad? Justin Wolfers says there are three economies, not one. Unemployment is 4.2%, the stock market is near a record, and GDP is g

Oct 25
50 min

Trump Says $21 Trillion Is Coming. Is It? | Diving In

President Trump says he’s brought $21 trillion of new investment into America since taking office. Sometimes it’s $18 trillion, sometimes $22 trillion. The exact figure i

Oct 24
20 min

Why Americans Don't Believe the Good Economic News | The Professor Is In

Unemployment is low, inflation has cooled, and by most hard numbers the economy is doing okay — yet Americans sound miserable. Consumer sentiment this summer sat at 52, r

Oct 23
25 min

Don’t Be Fooled by Trump’s Diesel Gimmicks | The Professor Is In

Tax-free red dye diesel won't make a single extra drop — so who really pays for it? President Trump signed an executive order letting truckers fill up with red dye diese

Oct 21
26 min

What Halloween Candy Reveals About Inflation | Off the Clock

Why is inflation rising faster than your wages? It's a cost-push energy shock, not the good kind. Justin Wolfers and Bloomberg's Stacey Vanek Smith dig into the latest i

Oct 17
42 min

Why Official Inflation Can Seem Too Low | The Professor Is In

Prices rose 3.7% over the past year, core inflation is stuck around 2.6%, and your paycheck is buying less than it used to — yet it feels like everything costs way more t

Oct 16
29 min

The Latest Inflation Report, Explained | Diving In

The latest inflation report just dropped, and Justin Wolfers digs into why it's worse than Wall Street expected. Headline inflation came in at an eye-popping 3.7% — well

Oct 14
15 min

The Hidden Force Dragging Down Consumer Sentiment | Diving In

Americans feel almost exactly as gloomy today as they did in 1980 — when inflation was near 14% and unemployment was close to 8%. Today those numbers are a fraction of th

Oct 12
19 min

The Nobel-Winning Insight That Made Spending Hard to Predict | Diving In

Why Robert Hall and Michael Woodford won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics — explained simply. This morning Robert Hall and Michael Woodford won the 2026 Nobel Prize in

Oct 12
24 min

The G7’s 100 Million Barrel Announcement Changes Nothing | The Professor Is In

Justin Wolfers takes apart a headline that circled the globe: the G7 announcing it will release 100 million barrels of oil it had already promised to release back in Marc

Oct 9
26 min

Trump's Red Diesel Order, Explained | Diving In

Justin Wolfers digs into President Trump's new executive order letting truckers fill up with red diesel — the tax-free fuel normally reserved for farmers, construction cr

Oct 8
19 min

This Oil Deal Sounds Huge. Until You Do the Math | Diving In

Trump calls it a massive win: 100 million barrels of emergency oil and fuel released to bring diesel prices down. In this episode of Diving In, Justin Wolfers reads the G

Oct 7
25 min

Why the Jobs Report Keeps Changing | The Professor Is In

The September jobs report landed weak, and the numbers for July and August got quietly revised downward. Economist Justin Wolfers takes your questions on what that actual

Oct 5
23 min

Trump Wants Cheap Money. Why Are Rates Going Up Anyway?

What happens when a president wants lower interest rates—but the economy, inflation, and bond markets are all pushing the other way? In this episode of What Next with Ma

Oct 4
24 min

Chart trend

Position in the Courses chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#2#3AugSepOctNov

all-time peak

288

days in the top 3 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Nov 5, 2026).

#1 — Courses US

#78 ▼ 5 Education US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Justin Wolfers is the Carl Sagan of economic communicators. He has a singular ability to explain complex economic concepts in terms that are relatable to everyone.

CCI_Grampaw · Aug 2026

I honestly love Justin Wolfers, when I see/hear him interviewed by others he is engaging and a wonderful teacher; sometimes I listen to his segments again because he can explain things with such technical, and refreshingly moral, clarity. But this podcast has not found its footing. Strangely, it's as if I can't "hear" him - the rhythms are way off - someone is editing out the natural rhythms of human speech - don't do that, please! Spoken English has powerful rhythms of stress and phrasing, essential for clarity of expression, and also human beings, dontcha know, take breaths at appropriate phrase breaks while they're speaking. Sometimes I find my self gasping, as my whole body can feel that the editing has turned Justin into a robot that doesn't breathe, so I subconsciously try to breathe for him! It also makes the thoughts and builds of arguments unintelligible. A skilled editor would not allow that to happen. Similarly, when you start a commercial in the middle of a conversation with nary a knife's blade between, you've again disrupted the flow of thought, in such a destructive way it will make us 1) forget what was being said, 2) loathe the sponsor of the obnoxiously interrupting message, thereby negating the point of the ad, and 3) generally irritate and cause resentment and frustration in your listeners - who want to hear what you have to say, and don't want to be punished for trying to do so! Also, please, don't put anyone in front of a mic if they don't have decent voice/speech and a basic level of poise. Megan's speech (articulation) is fine, but she really needs voice (sound, resonance) training. The amount of tension in her throat makes her sound harshly pinched and lacking authority, plus she has the too-common profusion of "like"s and upglides and generally sounds embarrassed to speak. She also probably needs a better mic & mixing. Look, I know you're on a shoestring, I'm not talking a fancy studio - just needs a level of professionalism, thoughtfulness and some standards; a good producer would help. For me, I've tried, because I respect Justin so much. But this has been a hard to listen, every episode, and I'm not sure I will stay with it.

Stilph · Jul 2026

I’ve heard Justin before and am glad he is back to podcasting. He has great insight and a talent for easily communicating complex ideas and information.

Denunzi0 · May 2026

Professor Justin Wolfers explains complex economic topics in such clear terms I can finally a) understand them and b) see how they impact my daily life. Great show!

amazing!!!!!$$! · May 2026

These are 2 very highly regarded economists but this podcast is just a flop. Dull and basic, it’s almost as if they are reciting an old econ textbook for children. The moderator Nes doesn’t add much value to the conversation. If you want engaged, insightful, nuanced dialogue on econ and society, listen to the Freakononics podcast.

APhysicist · Dec 2020

Very informative, but way too many advertisements.

Buntu · Mar 2021

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.