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PBS Launches Podcast 'Settle In' to Examine Economic History

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  Published in Stocks and Investing on Sunday, March 8th 2026 at 22:20 GMT by PBS
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WASHINGTON D.C. - March 9th, 2026 - As global economic anxieties continue to mount, PBS News has launched a compelling new podcast, "Settle In," aiming to bridge the gap between historical economic crises and the present day. The inaugural episode, released this week, focuses intensely on the 1929 stock market crash, a period widely considered the catalyst for the Great Depression, and explores its relevance to the current economic climate.

The timing of the podcast's launch is no coincidence. Throughout 2025 and into early 2026, fluctuating market indices, persistent inflation in key sectors, and rising interest rates have fueled widespread concern about a potential recession. "Settle In" isn't simply a historical recounting; it's a deliberate attempt to equip listeners with the knowledge to better understand and potentially navigate the economic uncertainties facing the world today.

Hosted by Jane Marlow, a highly respected economics correspondent with PBS News, the podcast takes a deep dive into the factors that contributed to the 1929 crash. Marlow skillfully guides listeners through the roaring twenties - a period of unprecedented economic expansion fueled by rampant speculation and readily available credit. The episode details the rise of margin buying, where investors purchased stocks with borrowed money, amplifying both potential gains and, crucially, potential losses. This practice, relatively common even in modern markets (albeit with stricter regulations), is presented as a key contributing factor to the swift and devastating collapse.

The podcast isn't confined to dry economic analysis. "We really wanted to humanize the story," Marlow explained in a pre-launch interview. "Numbers and charts are important, but they don't convey the real impact on people's lives. We've included interviews with historians specializing in the era, economists who have studied the crash extensively, and, most powerfully, descendants of individuals who lived through it." These personal narratives paint a vivid picture of the widespread financial ruin, job losses, and social upheaval that followed the market's collapse.

"Settle In" meticulously examines the immediate aftermath of Black Tuesday - the infamous day the market began its precipitous decline. The episode details the bank runs, the deflationary spiral, and the initial, often inadequate, responses from the Hoover administration. It highlights the critical lack of a robust social safety net at the time, leaving millions vulnerable to hardship. The podcast draws striking parallels to the economic fallout experienced during the 2008 financial crisis, emphasizing the importance of governmental intervention and financial regulation.

Importantly, the podcast doesn't shy away from discussing the role of policy and regulation. It explores the limited regulatory framework of the 1920s and how this allowed for unchecked speculation and risky financial practices. The episode contrasts this with the more robust regulatory environment established in the wake of the Great Depression - including the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - and discusses whether current regulations are sufficient to prevent a similar catastrophe. The discussion delves into the ongoing debates surrounding deregulation in recent decades and the potential for these trends to create new vulnerabilities in the financial system. There is specific mention of comparisons to the subprime mortgage crisis and the increasingly complex world of derivative trading.

The podcast's launch comes amidst increasing scrutiny of the tech sector and concerns about potential asset bubbles in areas like cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. While the circumstances are different, "Settle In" encourages listeners to identify the common threads: excessive optimism, speculative fervor, and the potential for systemic risk. It poses a crucial question: are we, in 2026, repeating the mistakes of the past?

Available on all major podcast platforms (including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts) as well as the PBS News website, "Settle In" represents a significant addition to the growing landscape of economics-focused podcasts. PBS News plans to release new episodes on a bi-weekly basis, each exploring a different historical economic event and its contemporary implications. Future episodes are slated to cover the oil crises of the 1970s, the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s.