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The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes

Financial Times

143 episodes

The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes is a new weekly podcast from the Financial Times packed full of smart, digestible analysis and incisive conversation. Soumaya Keynes digs deep into the hottest topics in economics along with a cast of FT colleagues and special guests. Come for the big ideas, stay for the nerdery.

More about the show

Soumaya Keynes is an economics columnist for the Financial Times. Prior to joining the FT she worked at The Economist for eight years as a staff writer, where as well as covering trade, the US economy and the UK economy she co-hosted the Money Talks podcast. She also co-founded the Trade Talks podcast.

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Episodes page 1 of 3

  1. Why oil hasn’t ruined the global economy. With Rory Johnston

    · 29 min

    Eight months ago, when the Iran war began, analysts worried that oil could go up to $200 per barrel. That’s a huge jump compared with about $70 before the conflict, and there were fears it would cause a huge shock to…

  2. Lessons in communication for Kevin Warsh. With Chris Giles

    · 27 min

    It is not a calm time in the markets. Investors are losing their cool while bond yields rise along with inflation. So where are central bankers? Offering words of calm? Or adding to the anxiety? The Fed’s Kevin Warsh…

  3. The EU vs China: it’s complicated. With Bernd Lange

    · 23 min

    Europe has a China problem. Every single day, Europe buys a billion euros’ worth more stuff from China than it sells back. And the EU wants to stand up to Beijing over surging exports, which are challenging European…

  4. Why Big Tech wants more economists

    · 31 min

    Tech companies are hiring economists to study how AI is reshaping work and society. But what happens when the companies building the technology also produce the research into its effects? Host Soumaya Keynes talks to…

  5. How to be a middle power in a superpower world. With Jenny Bates

    · 31 min

    The global economy is becoming increasingly hostile with tariffs, export controls and industrial policy being used as geopolitical weapons, while the world’s biggest powers compete for economic advantage. So where does…

  6. Can you spreadsheet your way to equal parenting? With Corinne Low

    · 27 min

    Dads today are doing more childcare than previous generations, so why hasn’t the parenting gap between mothers and fathers disappeared? One reason: mums are doing more too. Host Soumaya Keynes talks to Corinne Low,…

  7. Will US debt burst the AI bubble? With Ruchir Sharma

    · 27 min

    Building data centres and running the US government have something in common: they cost a lot of money. Tech companies are borrowing heavily to fund the AI build out, just as Washington is borrowing vast sums to fund…

  8. Memory chip mania isn’t going away, with Dan Kim

    · 32 min

    In recent months, part of the chip market has been going bananas. Prices for memory chips – which AI data centres use in droves – have rocketed, as US tech companies lock in massive orders. That’s bad news for…

  9. Kevin Warsh spoke — what did we learn? With Torsten Slok

    · 19 min

    Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh took to the stage at Jackson Hole under pressure. Inflation is sticky, bond markets have been wobbling and his insistence on minimal Fed communication has been seen by some to make…

  10. From "The Story of Money": How a stock market crash gave birth to modern antisemitism

    · 50 min

    The 1873 Gründerkrach, the spectacular stock market crash that followed Germany’s unification, is one of history’s great financial maelstroms. But its most enduring legacy isn’t about money. Host Robin Wigglesworth…

  11. From "Trumponomics": Can the US Actually Tax Billionaires?

    · 24 min

    As wealth becomes increasingly concentrated — and artificial intelligence threatens to shift even more income from workers to investors — has the US tax system become outdated? Stephanie Flanders speaks with Harvard…

  12. How to break China’s chokehold on rare earths

    · 31 min

    In the midst of the US-China trade conflict last year, Beijing unsheathed its fiercest weapon. By ramping up restrictions on exports of rare earth metals – crucial elements for high-tech manufacturing – China forced…

  13. Will AI solve the productivity puzzle? With Nick Bloom

    · 30 min

    Productivity has been a problem for the past 15 years. In developed countries, weak demand, a lack of competition and a paucity of new ideas have all been blamed. Could AI finally reverse that trend? Soumaya speaks to…

  14. Is China catching up with the US in AI? With Kyle Chan

    · 30 min

    The US has long been the world’s undisputed leader in AI. Now, that lead looks under threat. Cutting-edge Chinese models such as Kimi K3 are proving almost as capable as leading American models; meanwhile, companies in…

  15. The US-Iran war has not triggered a food crisis — yet. With Adam Hanieh and Susannah Savage

    · 27 min

    When the US and Israel started bombing Iran earlier this year, market watchers eyed the oil markets nervously. But as the price of crude oil climbed, so did the price of another key commodity produced in the Gulf:…

  16. The economics of weight loss, with Rebecca Diamond and Claer Barrett

    · 29 min

    In the western world, richer people tend to be thinner – especially women. But does wealth make people thin, or does being thin make them wealthy? And could the rise of weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy…

  17. Why didn’t the Iran war cause a recession? With Tyler Goodspeed

    · 32 min

    When Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, economists were panicked. Several warned that a prolonged closure of the chokepoint could trigger a recession. After all, that’s what oil shocks do. But no recession came – even…

  18. How to win at AI (if you’re not the US or China), with AI minister Kanishka Narayan

    · 40 min

    When the US government banned a top AI lab from exporting its newest models, the world took notice. Export controls forbidding foreign access to Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable systems locked most of the world out of…

  19. China wanted western tech. Now, the tables have turned. With John Minnich

    · 43 min

    For decades, China accelerated its industrial development through a straightforward bargain: foreign firms invested in China, often through joint ventures, gaining access to the enormous Chinese market, while Chinese…

  20. Brexit at 10: What comes next? With Anand Menon

    · 30 min

    Just before the UK voted to leave the EU in June 2016, the Treasury (and others) warned the consequences would be catastrophic. GDP would fall and unemployment would rise, Sterling would dip and government borrowing…

  21. The US-China decoupling fantasy, with Jessica Chen Weiss

    · 32 min

    Everything looks to be going China’s way: Beijing has a stranglehold on the world’s critical minerals, and its high-tech manufacturing has rapidly become world-leading. Its massive trade surplus is undermining vital…

  22. How to win a trade war, with Paul Krugman and Chad Bown

    · 31 min

    In a reversal of roles, Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman steps into host Soumaya Keynes shoes to quiz her and co-author Chad Bown about their new book "How to Win a Trade War", and the lessons it contains for…

  23. Can African countries mimic Asia’s economic success? With Joe Studwell

    · 29 min

    Africa is traditionally seen as a continent of immense resources, let down by poor governance and excessive violence. Joe Studwell disagrees. In his book, How Africa Works, Studwell flips those assumptions upside down,…

  24. Should economics have fewer taboos? With Alvin Roth

    · 26 min

    Economists like to think of their discipline as a rational science. But might we make better decisions if we ditched some of our moral aversions? Specifically: would we make better choices if we learned to conquer…

  25. Will AI help the Fed conquer inflation? With Austan Goolsbee

    · 31 min

    Between the Iran war, high gas prices, and wobbly jobs numbers, central bankers have plenty to worry about. But some see a light on the horizon: artificial intelligence. AI could lead to abundant production and lower…

  26. How will falling fertility rates hurt the economy? With Melissa Kearney

    · 34 min

    Typically, a society’s population remains stable if women have about 2.1 children each. By that metric, the word has a big problem. In developed countries the total fertility rate is well below that figure. So what are…

  27. Will energy security fears change the global energy market? With Daniel Yergin

    · 28 min

    A few months ago, the oil market looked pretty serene. But the US-Iran war has upended global supplies and pushed energy security to the top of the policy agenda. Importers have realised they need to diversify their…

  28. Introducing: The Story of Money

    · 1:17

    The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once quipped that “there can be few fields of human endeavour in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.” This show sets out to prove the opposite. Each…

  29. Will the energy shock change global trade imbalances? With Brad Setser

    · 34 min

    China runs an enormous trade surplus, much to the chagrin of some of its trading partners: cheap exports of cars, chemicals and other goods are hampering major economies, especially in Europe. But the Asian nation, the…

  30. How long will the Iran energy shock last? With Chris Giles

    · 31 min

    President Donald Trump backed off his threats to wipe out “a whole civilization". Instead, we have a ceasefire – at least for now. But how much damage has the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel already done to…

  31. Economic warfare: lessons from history, with Mark Harrison

    · 26 min

    Warring countries have attacked each other’s economies for hundreds of years. But do the tools of economic warfare – sanctions, tariffs, blockades and embargoes – actually work? Soumaya speaks to Mark Harrison,…

  32. The global economy is Iran’s hostage. Can it be released? With Edward Fishman

    · 28 min

    Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already rocked global oil markets and stock market indices, spooking everyone from politicians to central bankers. But if Iran wants to make matters worse, it can.…

  33. Lessons from China’s industrial dominance, with Kyle Chan

    · 33 min

    There’s a trope going around these days: western commentators travel to China, tour its factories and when they return home they say that when it comes to innovation, China has won the global race. But how true is…

  34. Introducing Untold: Opus Dei

    · 1:09

    Introducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help…

  35. Is AI (finally) making us more productive? With John Burn-Murdoch and Sarah O’Connor

    · 27 min

    Banks, consultancies and LinkedIn posts alike are trumpeting the transformative effects of AI, promising an imminent uptick in productivity. Some of these claims are no doubt exaggerated. But there are unmistakable…

  36. Are investors getting the Iran conflict wrong? With Robin Brooks

    · 27 min

    Markets haven’t exactly been calm since the conflict in Iran started. But are they mispricing the risks of a bigger economic blow-up? And how does this conflict compare with what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine?…

  37. Could common debt make the EU stronger? With Carlos Cuerpo

    · 31 min

    Some believe a deeper pool of common debt would allow the European Union to tackle some of its biggest problems, attracting more investment, reducing the cost of financing, and helping the EU achieve greater strategic…

  38. Trump’s tariffs are not dead yet, with Michael Froman

    · 21 min

    Shortly after the US Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal, he hit back. The president vowed to impose a 10% levy on US imports through different means. He raised those duties to 15% the following…

  39. What did ‘Nudge’ get wrong? With Nick Chater

    · 30 min

    When Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein released their book ‘Nudge’ in 2008, it caught the public imagination. ‘Nudge theory’ – the idea that people could be encouraged to make better choices through small, subtle…

  40. How China is fighting ‘involution’, with Yanmei Xie

    · 30 min

    China’s export powerhouse is feeding global demand for cheaper electronics, cars, clothing, and plenty more besides. But the supercharged competition driving that trend is causing problems within China itself,…

  41. What an economist eats for lunch (in 2026), with Tyler Cowen

    · 33 min

    If you want to understand food – and eat better – economics is a good place to start. How do immigration patterns shape a country’s cuisine? How do labour laws make our working lunches worse? And why do strip malls…

  42. How big a deal is the EU-India trade agreement? With Nicolas Köhler-Suzuki and Ajay Srivastava

    · 28 min

    The EU-India trade deal was partly a geopolitical statement, directed towards Trump. But what’s actually in it? What were the toughest bits to agree, who gave up concessions, and what will the deal mean for the…

  43. The economy in 2026: What risks lie ahead? With Gita Gopinath

    · 25 min

    Are the headline growth figures really telling us the full story about the global economy? Gita Gopinath, a former deputy managing director at the IMF and a professor of economics at Harvard University, discusses this…

  44. How the Fed fights back, with Don Kohn

    · 35 min

    It wasn’t the Trump administration’s first attack on the Federal Reserve – but it was perhaps the most shocking. The Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into Jay Powell – nominally over his testimony about…

  45. How bad is America’s affordability crisis? With Mechele Dickerson

    · 32 min

    Affordability is set to be a key issue in US politics ahead of the country’s midterm elections. And though American politicians often express their support for the country’s middle class, life has become progressively…

  46. Behind The Money: How First Brands Group collapsed

    · 27 min

    Some of the world’s biggest financial institutions are reeling after the collapse of a little-known car parts supplier: First Brands Group. The company filed for bankruptcy last month, and since then, FT reporters have…

  47. Martin Wolf speaks to Christine Lagarde: Europe’s ‘existential crisis’

    · 25 min

    The European Commission must urgently dismantle internal trade barriers that are stifling innovation, productivity and investment across the EU. So says Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, in a…

  48. The Wolf-Krugman Exchange: Power, plutocracy and political economy

    · 43 min

    In this final episode of their series for The Economics Show, FT chief economics commentator Martin Wolf and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman consider listeners’ questions and comments ranging from a critique of…

  49. The Wolf-Krugman Exchange: America vs the world

    · 42 min

    The US last week released its new national security strategy – and it wasn’t good news for Europe. The document, which sets out US foreign policy priorities, blasted Europe for undermining “political liberty and…

  50. The Wolf-Krugman Exchange: Maga man and Mamdani

    · 38 min

    Donald Trump promised to bring industrial jobs back to America when he swept to victory in last year’s presidential election, powered by a 12-point lead among male voters, but can he really deliver? In the second of…

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