The Dip

CES 2026 makes it official: cars are becoming software. Plus whether innovation can make US healthcare better.

Taylor Swift is one of music’s current icons. Her albums and merch fly off the shelves, her songs top streaming charts and tours can even bolster national economies. What can economists learn from her?

Something strange is happening in the US. While high interest rates are helping the richest people grow the value of their assets, an uptick in debt costs or inflation at the store can be devasting for the bottom 50%.

Trump moves cannabis to Schedule III as a New York social equity founder and a drug policy expert speak to DW about who really benefits from America’s new federal regulations.

It’s our weekly Q&A segment, where we answer your questions about the biggest financial stories.

The US has been ramping up economic pressure on Venezuela for years. But since the second inauguration of President Trump, the pressure is bordering more and more on military action instead of just economic.

It’s our weekly Q&A episode where we take your burning questions and put them to the experts who can give you the best answers. We explore how kids are getting their hands on expensive skincare products.

US shoppers are splurging their way through a trillion dollar holiday season while beauty brands chase kids with skincare products.

This week we look at why politicians in the US can’t seem to tackle spiraling healthcare costs – even when it hurts their own voters. Then we turn to the newest conversation around gene-edited embyros.

Americans pay far more for health care than Europeans, facing huge surgery bills and rising premiums as Obamacare subsidies near expiration and Trump and Congress fight over what comes next.

China rare earths, Syria’s unelected leader and the true cost of green energy collide in a fast-paced listener mailbag, as experts unpack trade wars, tense Israel Syria ties and how “clean” renewables really are.

President Trump’s rollback of green subsidies could be causing the US to fall behind China in competitiveness, plus how much faith Syrians can place in their new leadership as the country rebuilds.

Does Tesla's valuation justify Elon Musk's trillion-dollar pay package? We put your questions to our panel of economic experts!

The dust is settling on the trillion dollar pay package being offered to Elon Musk if he can lead Tesla to meet some incredibly ambitious targets in the near future.

We take a look at the real season everyday items like food are getting so expensive, which countries are looking beyond the dollar and why, and even dip into whether NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani's policies are "radical."

Threats of "de-dollarization" have bubbled up for years. But how realistic is this concern? Then we turn our attention to NYC where a new mayor-elect wants to implement progressive strategies. We're joined by DW's Mathis Richtmann, and Daniel McDowell (the author of "Bucking the Buck") to discuss the dollar. While, State Street Economist Cameron Fen breaks down Zohran Mamdani's economic policies.

The Dip’s Daniel Winter takes on your questions in this Q&A episode. From whether we can expect food prices to ever decrease (and if so, which ones) to how EU officials are trying to make the bloc competitive.

China analyst Clifford Coonan talks about the recent deal between the US and China and how much of it is diplomacy vs real economic change. Then retail guru Phil Lempert breaks down why food prices in the US continue climbing. We also hear from Buenos Aires where Argentina’s President Javier Milei is pursuing severe austerity and reform amidst deep economic pain.

Hosts Steven Beardsley and Kassandra Sundt dig into listener questions about the global money landscape, from the rise of AI and the energy demands driving it, to Europe’s struggle to scale tech innovation, and the dilemma facing German automakers against the backdrop of an evolving electric vehicle era.

Quantum computing could revolutionize business as we know it, but does the EU have deep enough pockets to fuel growth? We start off talking to Haim Israel from Bank of America about what he sees as the potential for quantum computing. Then, we talk to the European Investment Bank’s Nadia Calviño about how Europe can keep growing startups within the bloc.

In this week’s Q&A edition, we look at how Ukraine’s economy has been able to function after three and a half years of war. For answers, we turn to DW’s Kyiv Correspondent Rebecca Ritters. Then, listeners wanted to know whether American and Chinese actions are being judged unfairly, DW’s China Analyst, Clifford Coonan, puts the messaging from Beijing in the spotlight.

Beijing tightens export controls on rare earths while Donald Trump threatens additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports. DW's Rick Glauert explains what leverage China can draw upon. Then James Andrew Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies talks about how ransomware is hammering firms and why basic cyber defenses still matter, plus a look at looming quantum threats.

Kassandra and Daniel tackle listener questions in our Q&A edition: how to read markets when official data is delayed, why Germany’s economy keeps stalling, whether Chinese EVs are outpacing German carmakers, and what Ukraine’s drone strikes mean for Russia’s fuel output.

The German auto industry is dragging down the country’s economy, but politicians and individual companies are pointing fingers while claiming to buckle down. Another drag on the German auto sector? US President Trump’s tariffs. But despite “the flood the zone” economic policies from the Trump administration and the government shutdown, gold, bitcoin and the markets are all on a tear.

We answer your questions about the TikTok deal between the US and China, as well as respond to your criticism that we are too harsh on the world’s number two economy. We turned to DW’s East Asia Correspondent for insight on the Chinese economy, and Geopolitical Risk Advisory’s Elizabeth Stephens for more on the TikTok deal.