Is it football? Is it soccer? Whatever the name, it’s big business. On this episode of Econ World, sports economist and author Stefan Szymanski joins host Carmel Crimmins to explore how the World Cup became a multi-billion-dollar spectacle, and why the 2026 event is shaping up to be the biggest yet. Plus, find out how an economist predicts the World Cup winner.

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Further Listening:

Trump's inflation problem

The affordability gap

Swiftonomics

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America’s small private colleges are facing declining enrollment, rising debt, and mounting closures. Is higher education in crisis or simply adapting to a new market environment? On this episode of Reuters Econ World, Jon Marcus of the Hechinger Report joins host Carmel Crimmins to unpack the economic forces reshaping universities, from tuition models to demographic shifts, and explore what it all means for students, communities, and the future of learning in America.

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Further listening

American capitalism

Prices

Live podcast: The affordability gap

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What starts at the checkout line often ends at the ballot box. President Trump’s war in Iran is driving up the price of gasoline and groceries making inflation one of the defining issues in U.S. politics right now. With the midterms just months away, host Carmel Crimmins talks to Sally Buzbee, Reuters U.S. editor, and U.S. economics editor Dan Burns about the political and economic consequences of America’s affordability crisis.

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Further listening

Kevin Warsh’s policy trap

Prices

Live podcast: The affordability gap

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People in the Netherlands on average spend less time working than any other advanced country - just 32 hours a week. Could the rest of the world follow their lead? On this week’s episode of Econ World, guest host Ethan Plotkin meets workers in Amsterdam who have Fridays off and speaks with the chief economist at the Dutch Statistics Office to hear how shorter work hours are impacting the economy.

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Further listening

Labor market limbo

Interview with European Central Bank chief economist Philip Lane

Live podcast: The affordability gap

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President Trump’s pick for Fed chair is facing a multi-trillion-dollar high-wire act. The Iran war is ratcheting up inflationary pressures as the jobs market weakens. Raising or cutting interest rates right now could be problematic. But doing nothing is also risky with President Trump determined to see the Fed cut rates. On this episode of Reuters Econ World, U.S. economics editor Dan Burns joins host Carmel Crimmins to discuss how Warsh may try to thread the economic and political needle. 

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Further listening

Trump’s economy — Live from New York

Is the U.S. economy in danger of contracting?

Live podcast: The affordability gap

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Australia's sky‑high cigarette taxes have slashed smoking rates - but they have also helped fuel a booming black market for illicit tobacco. Host Carmel Crimmins speaks with Assistant Customs Minister Julian Hill and economist Lachlan Vass on whether Australia’s tobacco excise has overshot its mark - economically and politically.

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Produced by Eliza Davis Beard

Sound engineering and music by Josh Sommer

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Further listening

Trade and Australia

Tax

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What’s the best refuge for investors in times of crisis? Traditional safe-haven assets, including gold and the yen, are faltering as the war in Iran rattles markets. Host Carmel Crimmins is joined by Reuters Morning Bid hosts Mike Dolan and Anna Szymanski to unpack what 'safe' really means in a world of inflation, energy shocks and geopolitical risk.

* This episode was recorded before the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7, 2026.

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Produced by Eliza Davis Beard

Sound engineering and music by Josh Sommer

Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Further listening

⁠Just noise? Investing in turbulent geopolitical times⁠

⁠The dollar⁠

⁠Gold⁠

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Hear Carmel Crimmins live from New York with A Starting Point's (ASP) Chris Evans and Mark Kassen as they examine the ways Gen Z has been hit by the cost of living crisis and look for solutions. Watch as NYC council member Chi Ossé and Aaron Hedlund from the White House Council of Economic Advisers join them on stage for a bipartisan discussion of how young people are affected by the affordability gap.

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Further listening

Trump’s economy — Live from New York

Is the U.S. economy in danger of contracting?

Labor market limbo

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The U.S. electric vehicle market was bracing for an “EV winter” after President Trump’s policies championed gas-powered cars. Then he went to war with Iran. Can the energy crisis caused by that conflict turn things around for EVs? Reuters U.S. autos editor Mike Colias joins host Carmel Crimmins to talk pump prices, politics and the psychology of buying a car.

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Further listening

Fast lane

Iran: supply shock

Europe’s energy security

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The “father of capitalism” has some lessons for the global economy. Host Carmel Crimmins talks to European economics editor Mark John about why Adam Smith’s observations on trade, the super-rich and productivity in “The Wealth of Nations” still resonate 250 years after the book’s publication.

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Further listening

Labor market limbo

Conglomerates

Growth and the planet

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Gulf states are paying the price for the U.S. war in Iran. Iranian missile and drone strikes are upending their image as a safe haven in an unsafe region and forcing investors to reprice the risk of doing business there. Reuters Gulf Bureau Chief Maha El Dahan joins host Carmel Crimmins to talk about the economic fallout for these energy-rich states and what it means for their investment pledges around the world. 

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Further listening

Iran: supply shock

OPEC+

Energy war

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