AI Summary
5 min read🎙️ The Speakers & Context
- The Format: Host-led discussion with remote interviews, styled as a playful "Beijie Awards" ceremony reviewing Federal Reserve Beige Book anecdotes.
- The Key Players:
- Hosts: Robert Smith and Wayland Wong (NPR Planet Money) – veteran economics journalists known for distilling complex macro data into narrative-driven stories; here, they leverage their Beige Book expertise for episodic "awards" coverage.
- Guests: Carl Bonham (Director, University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization – UHERO; UH professor) – credible local economist unpacking Hawaii's labor dynamics; Jeff Clark (President, Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company) – industry insider detailing agribusiness pain points.
- The Vibe: Humorous and glamorous "award show" parody, blending levity with sharp economic forensics.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Carl Bonham (UHERO Director, UH Professor) & Jeff Clark (Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co. President)**
- 2 (03:06) **Runner-up: Minneapolis Fed**
- 3 (03:47) **Beige Award Winner: San Francisco Fed - Hawaii Economic Mystery**
- 4 (06:52) **Macadamia Nut Labor Shortages**
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Macadamia nuts. Labor shortages. Volcanoes. All that might sound like econ Mad Libs, but they’re all connected to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s entry into the Beige Book this month: labor shortages are hurting macadamia nut harvests in Hawaii.
On today’s show, we take a vacation and talk to someone on the Big Island who runs a macadamia nut farm. He calls them “mac nuts.”
Related episodes:
Why beef prices are so high
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
More from this podcast
The Indicator from Planet Money →