This … is Marketplace. Join host Kai Ryssdal for an afternoon doing what he does best: unpacking the headlines of our economy – and what they mean for the rest of us – in conversation with special guests David Brancaccio and Kyla Scanlon.
Marketplace is all about providing context on the economic news of the day through stories, conversations and newsworthy numbers to help listeners understand the economic world around them.
Kai Ryssdal is the host and senior editor of Marketplace, the most widely heard program on business and the economy — radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting — in the country. Kai speaks regularly with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, startup entrepreneurs, small business owners and everyday participants in the American and global economies. He first came to Marketplace in 2001 as the host of Marketplace Morning Report, where he covered the economic aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, the collapse of Enron, and the slow buildup to the housing crash, the financial crisis and the Great Recession. He co-hosted Make Me Smart, Marketplace’s podcast about the economy, technology, and culture, from 2017 to 2025. Kai received a 2012 Emmy for investigative journalism on a PBS Frontline documentary about money in politics called Big Sky, Big Money. He has appeared often on CNN, CNBC, and CBS news. His written work has been featured in The New York Times and The Atlantic. Before his career in broadcasting, Kai served in the United States Navy and the Foreign Service. He’s a graduate of Emory and Georgetown universities. Kai lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.
David Brancaccio is host and senior editor of “Marketplace Morning Report.” There is a money story under nearly everything, but David often focuses on 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 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.
Kyla Scanlon is an economic commentator, speaker, educator, author, and creator.
With more than one million followers across platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Substack, Scanlon educates and inspires a new generation by reshaping how people understand money and markets.
Through her signature mix of analysis and storytelling, Scanlon covers the pressing issues of the day - from tariffs and artificial intelligence to the value of higher education and Gen Z’s evolving role in the economy. Her debut book and New York Times bestseller, In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work, is where she coined the term “vibecession” to describe the disconnect between strong economic data and negative sentiment.
Raised in Kentucky, Scanlon studied finance, economics, and data analytics at Western Kentucky University. Her first jobs included trading options and selling cars, which is where she saw the opportunity to make finance accessible. During the pandemic, she began using whiteboards and social media skits to decode markets and economic trends for everyday audiences.
Scanlon is now working on her second book, contributes to The New York Times Opinion, The Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Policy, among others, and is a Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator Fellow. She can also be seen regularly on MSNOW and CNN as well as traveling extensively for speaking engagements.