Gold is on fire right now with some gold ETFs outperforming the major stock indexes over the past 12 months. Gold is supposed to be boring, an inflation hedge. But right now, it's responding to something else. Today on the show, we talk to a finance professor about what’s behind the current gold rush and if gold’s hot streak is built to last.
Understanding Gold by Claud B. Erb and Campbell R. Harvey
Related episodes:
A new-ish gold rush and other indicators
Gold Rush 2.0
A secret weapon to fight inflation
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NPR's Book of the Day - Angela Flournoy’s ‘The Wilderness’ focuses on a Black, female ‘chosen family’
The group of friends at the center of Angela Flournoy’s new novel, The Wilderness, are figuring out how to navigate life as they enter middle age. NPR’s Juana Summers spoke with the author about the evolving journey of her characters and what their ups and downs say about the dynamics of long-term friendships.
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Ologies with Alie Ward - Serpopsychology (WHAT’S CREEPY?) with Frank McAndrew
Are you creepy? How would you know? What’s “creepy” as opposed to scary or eerie? We talk to the pioneer of this research, Serpopsychologist, Dr. Frank McAndrew, a professor emeritus at Knox College. We chat: dates that give you the willies, Weary Willie the Clown, haunted dolls, college goths, dark alleyways, evolutionary neurobiology, what NOT to get Oprah, the line between horror and comedy, the phobia of balloons, dating tips, and why you should re-evaluate your bathmat. Welcome to Spooktober 2025. We have more waiting in the wings for you this month.
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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - The Department of War…From Within
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned the military’s top brass from all over the world for a meeting to announce…they need to shave and get in shape? And then Trump followed with a speech about how he wants to deploy them in American cities and also Joe Biden sucks. Good talk, everybody.
Guest: Idrees Ali, national security correspondent for Reuters.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
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What Could Go Right? - Whatever Happened to Civics? with Nick Capodice
It’s time for a lesson in civics! Zachary and Emma are joined by Nick Capodice, co-host of the Civics 101 podcast where he gets into the basics of how the U.S. government works and also helps teachers design lesson plans to pair with the show. Nick highlights how our collective grasp on how things work in Washington is slipping, the decrease of civics education funding since the 1950s, and the recent rise of deep divisions in American politics. He focuses on the importance of civic participation and voting and how to reclaim your voice beyond the ballot box.
What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
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Short Wave - Why Animal Scavengers Protect Your Health
Worldwide, populations of scavenging animals that feed on rotting carcasses are declining. Scientists are finding that this can seriously hurt human health. NPR science reporter Jonathan Lambert has been looking into how human health is intertwined with scavenging animals and why these animals’ decline could lead to more human disease. Today, he brings all he learned, including how conservation could help, to your earholes.
Check out more of Jon’s reporting on scavengers and human health.
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Check out more of Jon’s reporting on scavengers and human health.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2905: The Gift of Imagination
Episode: 2905 Imagination's Contributions to Science and Technology, Developmental Psychology and Imagination. Today, the gift of imagination.
Global News Podcast - US government shutdown begins
A partial government shutdown has come into effect in the US. Democrats and Repulicans failed to agree on a spending bill, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal workers face not being paid. Also, the UN is appealing to the ruling Taliban to restore nationwide communications after the internet was cut across Afghanistan. The UN has announced a new security force to try and tackle gangs in Haiti. Leaders of the European Union will discuss how to protect their countries from drone attacks during meetings in Denmark. Scientists in the US are developing a technique that could use almost any cell in the body as the starting point of life. Official figures show Switzerland's glaciers have lost a quarter of their total volume over the past decade. Plus, an AI actor has been unveiled at the Zurich Film Festival.
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - Will Eric Adams’s Exit Change the NYC Mayoral Election?
Eric Adams is out of the NYC mayoral race! Nate and Maria discuss his tenure as mayor, the timing of his announcement, and what this means for the remaining candidates. And — because it can be hard to remember a time before his multiple scandals and single-digit polling — they talk about the enthusiasm that once surrounded Adams, and what that arc says about the Democratic leadership vacuum. (And yes, they talk about Nate’s tweet).
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James is joined by Dr. Tyler Black and Dr. Kaveh Hoda to discuss the MAHA claim that the medication Tylenol is increasing the incidence of autism.
Sources:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406
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