Economy
Discover facts about economy. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Economy
Lowering tax rates can theoretically increase tax revenue
If very high tax rates discourage people from producing, cutting those rates could encourage enough activity to bring in more total tax revenue. That is the…
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A 1982 rule gave stock buybacks a safer legal route
SEC Rule 10b-18 created a voluntary safe harbor for repurchases meeting conditions on timing, price, volume, and execution. It gave companies a clearer way to…
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One storm in Madagascar can shake the world's vanilla market
Madagascar supplies most of the world’s vanilla, so a storm there can hit far beyond the island. When harvests or exports are disrupted, buyers around the…
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How hostage negotiators make surrender seem safer
Instead of demanding one huge decision, negotiators offer small concessions one at a time. Each step makes surrender feel less risky, giving the person a…
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How carbon offsets let polluters claim neutrality
An airline can keep burning jet fuel and buy tree-planting credits to cancel out those emissions on paper. The offset changes the accounting, not what comes…
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A child's toothpaste dose can be smaller than the toothbrush
The American Dental Association recommends a rice-grain-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste for children under three and a pea-sized amount for ages three to…
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Which type of consumer debt has quietly skyrocketed to become the second-largest crushing burden on everyday Americans?
Which type of consumer debt has quietly skyrocketed to become the second-largest crushing burden on everyday Americans?
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The modern global economy is currently facing a massive, dangerous shortage of which incredibly common material?
The modern global economy is currently facing a massive, dangerous shortage of which incredibly common material?
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Deep underground in Missouri, the US government is hoarding over a billion pounds of what extremely specific product?
Deep underground in Missouri, the US government is hoarding over a billion pounds of what extremely specific product?
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Who actually spent millions of dollars to aggressively convince the public that plastic recycling was highly effective?
Who actually spent millions of dollars to aggressively convince the public that plastic recycling was highly effective?
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In 1965, the average corporate CEO made 21 times more than their everyday workers. What is that jaw-dropping ratio today?
In 1965, the average corporate CEO made 21 times more than their everyday workers. What is that jaw-dropping ratio today?
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What terrifying and irreversible economic reality is permanently baked into the global supply of Bitcoin?
What terrifying and irreversible economic reality is permanently baked into the global supply of Bitcoin?
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What absolutely mind-boggling statistic highlights the dark, dysfunctional reality of the American real estate market?
What absolutely mind-boggling statistic highlights the dark, dysfunctional reality of the American real estate market?
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The United States is one of only two countries on Earth that enforces this bizarre and aggressive tax law.
The United States is one of only two countries on Earth that enforces this bizarre and aggressive tax law.
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Violent Mexican drug cartels have aggressively taken over the farming of which lucrative everyday grocery item?
Violent Mexican drug cartels have aggressively taken over the farming of which lucrative everyday grocery item?
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What incredibly dark financial bet did massive corporations like Walmart secretly place on their own low-level employees?
What incredibly dark financial bet did massive corporations like Walmart secretly place on their own low-level employees?
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Which wildly unexpected company was the absolute best-performing US stock between 2000 and 2020?
Which wildly unexpected company was the absolute best-performing US stock between 2000 and 2020?
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That massive 50% discount you snagged on Black Friday is very often a total illusion created by what retail pricing trick?
That massive 50% discount you snagged on Black Friday is very often a total illusion created by what retail pricing trick?
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Multiple brutal financial studies proved that a blindfolded monkey throwing darts at a newspaper can consistently outperform what?
Multiple brutal financial studies proved that a blindfolded monkey throwing darts at a newspaper can consistently outperform what?
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Which fundamentally horrific real-world event technically causes a massive, highly celebrated spike in a country's GDP?
Which fundamentally horrific real-world event technically causes a massive, highly celebrated spike in a country's GDP?
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When a government offers a cash bounty to solve a problem, it ironically almost always makes the problem worse. What is this paradox called?
When a government offers a cash bounty to solve a problem, it ironically almost always makes the problem worse. What is this paradox called?
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Ultra-fast fashion brands deliberately only produce tiny batches of new clothes to violently trigger what consumer behavior?
Ultra-fast fashion brands deliberately only produce tiny batches of new clothes to violently trigger what consumer behavior?
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Gift card companies make billions off a ruthless industry term called "breakage." What brutally simple concept does this describe?
Gift card companies make billions off a ruthless industry term called "breakage." What brutally simple concept does this describe?
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When terrifying record-high inflation hits the global economy, which surprising demographic of people actually benefits the most?
When terrifying record-high inflation hits the global economy, which surprising demographic of people actually benefits the most?
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