Swamp Notes: Is the US economy really K-shaped?

Swamp Notes: Is the US economy really K-shaped?

Imagine a graph with one line going up over time. Below it, another line does just the opposite. It kind of looks like the letter K. On the FT's Swamp Notes podcast, Claire Jones and Rob Armstrong break down why people are saying that letter represents the state of the economy and what it means for the White House.


Mentioned in this podcast:

Does the K-shaped economy theory even make sense?

Email Marc with your questions (Marc.Filippino@FT.com)

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here


This is a repeat of an episode published on Swamp Notes, a sister podcast of Political Fix, on Nov. 28, 2025. Follow the Swamp Notes podcast to hear more.


Swamp Notes is hosted by Marc Filippino, and produced by Henry Larson. This week’s show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. The FT’s acting co- head of audio is Topher Forhecz. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.


The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.


CREDIT: Bloomberg, PBS, CNN

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(587)

Introducing: The Story of Money

Introducing: The Story of Money

The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once quipped that “there can be few fields of human endeavour in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.” This show sets out to prove the op...

29 Apr 1min

The Mandelson Starmer saga stumbles on

The Mandelson Starmer saga stumbles on

The rolling drama over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador is eating the government alive, with more committee hearings coming next week and crucial elections for Labour on May 7....

24 Apr 37min

Labour lambasted over defence

Labour lambasted over defence

It’s not just the Trump administration attacking the UK’s defence capabilities. Now a Labour grandee and former head of Nato, Lord George Robertson, has accused Sir Keir Starmer of ‘corrosive complace...

17 Apr 35min

Squeezed Britain: student loans, salaries and strikes

Squeezed Britain: student loans, salaries and strikes

Sir Keir Starmer had promised 2026 would be the year the UK economy and household finances would finally “turn the corner”. But the Iran war has nixed those hopes. Now the pressure from unions to incr...

10 Apr 36min

Trump taunts drive Starmer into EU’s arms

Trump taunts drive Starmer into EU’s arms

Donald Trump has heaped insults on Sir Keir Starmer in recent weeks over his stance on the Iran war. The US president labelled the UK prime minister “no Winston Churchill”, said Britain’s aircraft car...

2 Apr 41min

The case for keeping Starmer

The case for keeping Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer’s authority is slipping and Westminster is alive with speculation about potential successors. But chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley joins host Lucy Fisher, alongside deputy...

27 Mar 37min

Introducing Untold: Opus Dei

Introducing Untold: Opus Dei

Introducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei ex...

23 Mar 1min

Angela’s ambitions

Angela’s ambitions

Angela Rayner heaped scorn on Sir Keir Starmer’s administration this week, fuelling fresh scrutiny of her ambitions. Does she want to return to cabinet or seize the reins? The former deputy prime mini...

20 Mar 40min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
frokostshowet-pa-p5