Podcasts · Business

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

300 episodes

A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy. It's a quick hit of insight into money, work, and business. Monday through Friday, in 10 minutes or less. Sign up for our newsletter. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes for Planet Money and sponsor-free listening for The Indicator.

Episodes page 2 of 6

  1. Could politics put your city's funding at risk?

    · 8:30

    The Trump administration recently admitted to pulling grants over politics. This practice could become more common. How do cities use grant money, and how will they adapt? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next…

  2. EV sales slow, US Treasury yields grow, 'Niu Lai' has impressive box office mojo

    · 9:24

    This week’s indicators: EV sales sputter in North America but flutter internationally; U.S. Treasury Yields … RISE!; a low-budget movie so terrible, it became a box office hit in China. Fact checking by Julia Ritchey…

  3. Is bankruptcy really all that bad?

    · 9:00

    Bankruptcy has a negative stigma surrounding it. But what if we told you it’s not as bad as you may think? In fact, economists think we should actually see more of it! Based on the radio story: More Americans are going…

  4. Have a bad manager? Science explains why.

    · 9:29

    The best manager isn’t necessarily the best employee. Turns out it isn't so easy to predict what DOES make a good manager. Today on the show, we turn to science to help answer that very question. Fact checking by…

  5. Trump versus Capital One

    · 8:48

    The Trump Organization has sued Capital One for closing its bank accounts. The organization says it did so out of political reasons. But banks can close accounts for a zillion reasons. They don’t have to say why.…

  6. Did you know companies can vote in Delaware?

    · 9:17

    Fenwick Island, Del. has only around 900 people on its voting rolls, but some of those registered voters are not human. Many are family trusts and a few are companies. The town says its system works for its tiny beach…

  7. Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump, and a dating app in the dumps

    · 9:13

    It’s Indicators of the Week! On today’s episode: Retirees get a bump in benefits; credit card debt delinquency at a historically high level; and the dating app Bumble on a serious decline — Men first! IRL events! What…

  8. C is for C-shaped economy

    · 8:35

    Which letter best describes how the U.S. economy is shaped: C or K? We examine the arguments for both and why there’s so much disagreement over who’s faring best in today’s economy. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your…

  9. Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore

    · 9:29

    Rage. That’s what consumers are feeling right now. A new survey found consumer complaints hit a record high this year. Another from last year found a huge share of consumers felt ‘rage’ with a product or service…

  10. Borrowing money to invest! What could go wrong?

    · 9:03

    The total amount of investors using margin aka borrowing money to help pay for a trade is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. Is this something we should worry about? We spoke to Jurrien Tinner at Fidelity…

  11. Why is Trump paying to stop wind farms?

    · 9:19

    President Trump is no fan of wind farms. And his administration is putting taxpayer money where his mouth is, paying companies billions of dollars to NOT build them. On today’s show, Trump’s plan to squelch wind farms…

  12. I'm just here for the health benefits

    · 8:28

    Dependable health insurance is keeping more people in their jobs. Rising health costs don't help. Today we look at the repercussions this kind of job lock has on the wider economy. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your…

  13. Following the Chipotle playbook for the cyclospora crisis

    · 9:29

    Taco Bell and Taylor Farms are taking hits to their reputation due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country. They could learn a thing or two from Chipotle, which went through its own public relations battle…

  14. How ending TPS is squeezing workers, businesses and (soon) consumers

    · 9:06

    What happens when roughly a million people working legally in the U.S. suddenly lose that right to stay here? We’re starting to find out in places like Miami, Florida, home to one of the largest Haitian communities in…

  15. Why we're short on blood, water and helium

    · 9:19

    Shortages are in the news again! Here’s why the supply of blood, water and helium are at concerningly low levels. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen — How Colorado towns are trying to get some water…

  16. Who is a music industry plant? And does it matter?

    · 9:07

    Musicians from the Rolling Stones to up-and-coming pop star Bella Kay have one thing in common: Influencers are being paid to promote their songs. On today's show: Who is an industry plant and why does it matter? Fact…

  17. Mamdani markets, America bets, Gen Z drinks

    · 8:59

    It’s Indicators of the Week! On today’s episode: The inner workings of Mamdani’s marts; how much Americans gamble; and Gen-Z aren’t the sober generation we’ve been led to believe! Fact checking by Corey Bridges. Your…

  18. Trump’s new Truth Social plan: pay $100K

    · 8:55

    President Trump’s social media company, Truth Social, wants to sell investors early access to its posts. When Trump announces tariffs or new strikes on Iran, those milliseconds matter in the market. Is this corruption?…

  19. Even Moore’s law can't save affordable tech

    · 8:39

    For decades, consumer tech like laptops and gaming systems got better AND cheaper. Memory shortages caused by the AI boom are making those lower prices a thing of the past. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next…

  20. You had housing questions. An economist answered them

    · 9:30

    The U.S. housing market is pretty weird right now. Whether you’re a buyer, seller or a renter, it leads to all kinds of questions, like: How did we end up with a housing shortage? Is housing still a good investment?…

  21. Petty! Econ! Grievances!

    · 8:24

    We have some grievances. Economic ones. And we’re airing them out. On today’s show: Redeeming fast food rewards points in airports, not knowing the full price of your meal upfront, and the pen-and-paper restaurant bill…

  22. Three beefs: U.S. and Brazil, Taco Bell and liability, Waymo and trial lawyers

    · 9:22

    It’s Indicators of the Week! Today on the show: Brazil’s fast payments system that’s got the Trump administration huffy, why Taco Bell might be liable for their role in cyclospora infections and why some lawyers are…

  23. Can Paramount "gift" its way past the FCC?

    · 9:44

    Paramount’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery has a few hurdles ahead of it. One of them is an FCC approval. But a recent investigation shows that Paramount and the FCC have a dubious relationship, one…

  24. Can Y’all Street outflank Wall Street?

    · 8:21

    Biz-friendly Texas is opening a stock exchange, built and based in the state. Can it become—or best—Wall Street? And how has politics influenced the birth of Y’all Street? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next…

  25. Tale of Two Cities

    · 8:39

    The formerly sleepy economies of suburban Austin, Texas and Syracuse, NY are getting two new semiconductor chip plants. They’re bringing thousands of jobs and dollars to the area but while Austin’s housing market seems…

  26. Why doesn't the US have better sunscreen?

    · 9:40

    Why has the Food and Drug Administration taken so long to approve new sunscreens? Unlike the rest of the world, the FDA only just approved its first new ingredient in nearly three decades. We learn about a proposal to…

  27. New NPR Series: "We Keep Us Safe" from the Embedded podcast

    · 3:23

    In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation in the wake of George Floyd's killing. Antonio arrived in Seattle during the…

  28. The Strait of Hormuz no-fee, China cuts down on pollution and IMAX's economic Odyssey

    · 10 min

    It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). On today’s episode: What happened to Trump’s proposed Strait of Hormuz fee?; China’s pollution takes a dip … and maybe solves a mystery?; IMAX is expensive. But BIG. (For…

  29. Why the Pope wants to disarm AI

    · 8:08

    Over 100 years ago, Pope Leo XIII wrote a seminal letter encouraging workers to unionize in the face of industrialization. The current Pope Leo XIV in his seminal letter warned of an economic disruption from today that…

  30. Why your neighbor might be paying less for their car

    · 8:57

    Many Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates are diversifying away from oil, but how do you actually measure that? After China resumed buying American soybeans, what are farmers doing now? And is your neighbor paying…

  31. Can the internet survive AI summaries?

    · 9:57

    AI summaries are gaining traction and making the potential for a “zero click web” increasingly real. What does that mean for the internet as we know it today? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen — AI is…

  32. Young people aren’t paying their car loans. We can help.

    · 9:13

    About one in 20 car loans made to young people are in serious delinquency. That’s the highest rate since the global financial crisis. Today on the show, former FDIC chair Sheila Bair answers young listeners' car buying…

  33. SK Hynix to the moon, Gen-Z to their rooms, and Connecticut tax reform looms

    · 8:52

    It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). On today’s episode: You could’ve septupled your money if you invested in this scalding-hot South Korean memory chip stock; nearly half of all adults under 30 are moving…

  34. Why Google fell behind in the AI race

    · 9:27

    When it comes to AI, Google’s Gemini does not have the same household recognition that Claude and ChatGPT do. One big explanation: the innovator’s dilemma. We explain how Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is trying to…

  35. Cracking down on egg prices

    · 9:53

    Too much news, there’s just too much news. Today on the show, we tackle three big stories we’re following: Venezuela’s ever-increasing debt problem, the real story behind high egg prices, and how gaming companies are…

  36. We're in a renter's market (believe it or not)

    · 9:29

    Depends on where you live, but renters have a lot of power right now in the United States. What’s behind this trend and how might you be able to take advantage of the renters’ market at your next lease renewal. Fact…

  37. Why the US is losing the drone war

    · 9:00

    The US defense industry is struggling to keep up with the revolution in cheap drones vs. expensive reusable military equipment. Today on the show, we talk with Stacie Pettyjohn, the director of the Defense Program at…

  38. Obama's new Presidential Center and his tricky relationship with the South Side

    · 35 min

    How do residents of the South Side of Chicago feel about their new neighbor: the Obama Presidential Center? A mixture of pride and excitement, tempered with some concerns about what it could do to housing…

  39. Does the new Fed chair care about jobs?

    · 8:50

    Last month, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh presided over his first interest rate decision and press conference … but he didn't talk much about maximum employment. How much does Kevin Warsh care about the jobs side of the…

  40. Why Trump wants to rip up his own trade deal

    · 9:30

    During President Donald Trump’s first term, he touted the USMCA as the largest and most fair trade deal ever achieved. So why is he now talking about ‘terminating’ it? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen —…

  41. What Iran teaches us about why wars start

    · 10 min

    If war is so costly, why do we keep fighting them? We dig into the wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza to understand the incentives that lead countries into violence. Today on the show, the five factors that lead to war.…

  42. What you should know about your student loans

    · 9:21

    For many of the 43 million Americans with federal student loans, July 1 is a day to mark on the calendar. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is introducing stricter borrowing caps and new repayment plans. Today on the…

  43. GLP-1 and women, the AI office boom, and RTO: CEO ego?

    · 8:43

    It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). On today’s episode: The effect of GLP-1s on women and the workplace; NYC’s once flailing office space is BACK; your boss asking you to come back to the office miiiight be…

  44. AI is pumping out books. Are they any good?

    · 8:46

    Are all these AI books any good? And by good, we mean are people willing to buy them — not whether the prose is singing. We talk to two researchers who’ve got some answers and a travel guide expert on why AI can’t…

  45. How stock options made him an overnight millionaire

    · 9:54

    In 2019, Juan Hernandez was laid off from SpaceX. Luckily, he still had the opportunity to buy $50K - $60K of the company’s stock and, years later, it’s safe to say the risk was worth it. Today on the show, how stock…

  46. Why the $250 bill would be good … For criminals!

    · 8:48

    A plan to create a new $250—with President Donald Trump’s face on it—has created a lot of pushback. Who probably won’t be pushing back, though? Criminals. On today’s show, we explain why. Fact checking by Sierra…

  47. An urban planner, infinite scroll, and … what is a public good?

    · 9:37

    It’s time for The Indicator Quiz! We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we’ve covered on The Indicator. For today's quiz show, we are putting an urban planner from Nevada to the test. Play along…

  48. How your phone keeps you scrolling ... even when you want to stop

    · 9:08

    You pick up your phone to do one quick task, and suddenly 20 minutes have flown by without you even noticing. How do apps do that to you? Today on the show, we bring you an episode of Short Wave that explains how your…

  49. Are we in a new era of permanently higher prices?

    · 9:26

    Inflation is at a three-year high. That’s a problem for the Fed. Yet, under the leadership of new chair Kevin Warsh, it opted yesterday not to hike interest rates. So today on the show, who are the winners and who are…

  50. Is gambling the reason we have pro sports?

    · 9:04

    To hear author David Bockino tell it, gambling has always been a key ingredient of pro sports in the U.S.—it’s as American as apple pie. Bockino is the author of the new book Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports…

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