Stacey Vanek Smith
Stacey Vanek Smith is the co-host of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money. She's also a correspondent for Planet Money, where she covers business and economics. In this role, Smith has followed economic stories down the muddy back roads of Oklahoma to buy 100 barrels of oil; she's traveled to Pune, India, to track down the man who pitched the country's dramatic currency devaluation to the prime minister; and she's spoken with a North Korean woman who made a small fortune smuggling artificial sweetener in from China.
Prior to coming to NPR, Smith worked for Marketplace, where she was a correspondent and fill-in host. While there, Smith was part of a collaboration with The New York Times, where she explored the relationship between money and marriage. She was also part of Marketplace's live shows, where she produced a series of pieces on getting her data mined.
Smith is a native of Idaho and grew up working on her parents' cattle ranch. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in comparative literature and creative writing. She also holds a master's in broadcast journalism from Columbia University.
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Productivity is probably the most important economic indicator for the health of an economy, and it's falling. There is a battle over the narrative around worker productivity and the stakes are high.
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Nearly two-thirds of Americans have gotten pay raises recently, according to a new poll from NPR and Marist. Where is that money going? -
It should be good news for Americans: a new poll shows almost everyone is getting a raise and they're not having to stick it out in jobs they hate. But for many the financial struggle continues. -
Last year, the Indicator analyzed whether the Simpson family's lifestyle was attainable for the middle class. A writer for The Simpsons listened and decided to answer the question with an episode.
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Ukraine has been receiving a stream of weapons from the United States and NATO for the past several weeks. Like the goods that come to your door, these weapons have to go through a supply chain.
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Meetings, love them or hate them, when it comes to the workplace, they're really important. NPR's Life Kit has tips for how to be heard at work. (Story originally aired on ATC on Nov. 13, 2021.)
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Cryptocurrency is an asset for those seeking privacy in their transactions, including criminals. Eyebrows were raised when a couple was arrested for allegedly laundering billions in stolen bitcoin.
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The phenomenon of backwardation illustrates one of the reasons why oil is in short supply right now.
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Music icons like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan have sold their songwriting catalogs for eye-popping amounts of money. It's a growing trend in an industry that's shifted since the start of streaming.
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As Russia places troops on the Ukrainian border, there's a financial nuclear weapon that Europe and the U.S. can use: ban Russia from the system most banks use to transfer money internationally.
