The Indicator from Planet Money
Episodes
GameStop rejected, a troubling loan trend, and no to pre-IPO AI shares
15 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s Indicators of the Week: the Gamestop and eBay romance that never was, more and more people are taking out loans for everyday things, and ...
How Trump's central bank beef could hurt the economy
14 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A new documentary from Frontline PBS, called “The President vs. the Fed”, helps us make sense of the unprecedented power struggle between the worl...
Should NATO be pay-to-protect?
13 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
NATO was formed after World War 2 as a collective security alliance that would prevent future world wars. But President Trump sees NATO more like a tr...
Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who's gonna fix it?
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the Wild West of online betting. Prediction markets have been plagued by insider trading allegations, ethical questions and even national secur...
The new AI model that could steal your life savings
11 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Anthropic’s AI model, Claude Mythos, is very powerful. SO powerful it can find software vulnerabilities that might let it, I don’t know, steal you...
Which jobs are future-proofed?
08 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With AI disrupting the workplace, is your job even going to be around in ten years? The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just the handbook for that. To...
Trump crypto, Trump ballroom and Trump drones
07 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What do a Florida-based drone company, a crypto billionaire, and a European steelmaker have in common? Ties to President Trump. Since returning to off...
When will the Iran war hit food prices?
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US-Israel war in Iran is already being felt by American consumers at the gas pump, but when — and how badly — could it be felt at the supermar...
How your bank account might predict dementia
05 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the earliest signs of dementia can show up in your financial portfolio. Missed bill payments and erratic investments could be indicators, and ...
How taxing the wealthy could work
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tax cuts for the middle and working classes, and tax hikes for the rich. What's behind this trend? We ask Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen to expla...
Polymarket bots, lithium found: lots!, marathon shoe thoughts
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s ...
The UAE wants a dollar lifeline
30 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With the Iran War underway, the United Arab Emirates is looking for some economic certainty. The rich Arab nation is home to a lot of foreign-held dep...
The new economic arms race
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Iran’s weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz is the perfect example of how modern warfare is increasingly waged, not only with drones and bombs, but...
Jan. 6ers already got pardoned. Will they get their money back too?
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 2025, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of the Jan.6 rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 202...
Premium and affordable products are having a moment
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the Beigie awards! Our less than ten times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy. Today on the show, Kevin ...
The Devil Wears Prada Index, SNAP, and flight cancellations
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news! And unlike florals for spring, these numbers ARE...
How to get your tariff cash back
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Businesses might finally see some tariff money refunded to them. That’s because this week, the federal government officially rolled out a process th...
The Iran war puts the petrodollar regime to the test
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The global oil market has supported the U.S. dollar for more than 50 years. But the system has shown signs of cracking. Amidst the Iran war, Iran has ...
Corporate landlords aren't the real villain
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
So you want to buy a house. You MIGHT notice that the owner isn’t a neighbor in your town, but a large corporation. A recent housing bill that passe...
Is anyone gonna do anything about these Iran War trades?
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Traders have made millions betting on the Iran War. They are also suspiciously timed. No public information, then boom: a Truth Social post from Presi...
Fed chair, health care, and AI shoe repair
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week. Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: the drama behind...
Fixing the oil crisis might not fix the Persian Gulf
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If the Strait of Hormuz completely reopens, it still might not be enough to restart the economies in the Persian Gulf. Many countries there have been ...
Think the oil shock is bad in the US? Look here
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is pretty slow right now. A once steady stream of global oil has been severed, and oil prices have shot into the...
How the workplace helps you win Survivor
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With the 50th season of Survivor underway, three former Survivor winners tell us how some of the skills they learned in their careers helped them win ...
Can you really do what you love?
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
They say do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. But c’mon. Is that possible in this day and age? On today’s show, we speak t...
Class myths, an influx of e-ships, and pricey Olympics tix!
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news. (Now on YouTube!) On today’s episode: Is the ...
Where AI data centers are reducing power bills
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last half decade, wholesale electricity prices have increased 267% in places close to data centers. That’s contributed to a backlash agains...
How are drivers riding out the gas crisis?
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com If you’re a commuter, gas prices may not be your friend r...
Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com We practically live on our phones these days. Scrolling and...
Is the economy red, orange, yellow or green?
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com It’s not often you get to talk to a regional Fed presiden...
Jobs that new college grads are and are not landing
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour. Economists have described the state of ...
Greetings from: Our favorite public goods
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Freedom of the Seas. GPS. The Large Hadron Collider. These are all public goods that make our world more prosperous, accurate, and knowledgeable. But ...
Why Pokémon cards are growing faster than your retirement account
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pokémon cards are scorching hot right now. An index tracking the thousands of rare cards shows that valuations have increased 170% in the last year a...
Who's afraid of private credit?
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There is a $3 trillion dollar black box at the center of the economy. It’s called private credit. These are direct loans from private investors to p...
Do school lunches really need an overhaul?
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
School lunch has been revamped a ton over the last two decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to rejigger the menu once more to align with its M...
The US loses tech hires, sayonora to Sora, and Afroman's win
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s ...
Tracing the tax that's supposed to fund TSA
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Every time you buy a ticket that leaves a U.S. airport, you pay a fee that’s supposed to help fund the TSA. So why have TSA workers been working wit...
Your next flight doesn't have to be so expensive. Here's why
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why are flight tickets so expensive right now? Increased oil prices seems like it’d be the obvious answer. That’s mostly right. Airlines used to d...
Why hasn't the Russian economy collapsed?
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How has Russia’s economy not completely collapsed after four years of war, sanctions and billions in debt? One economist says it is the war that has...
The multimillion dollar Saturday Night Live UK gamble
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Live from London, it’s Saturday Night? Saturday Night Live made its UK debut over the weekend after a well-hyped promotional campaign. Will this all...
Trump and truckers, Poland prospers, and a booming ant biz
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s ...
How Iran is wasting American resources
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Iran is using an affordable strategy to even the playing field in the war with the U.S. It’s using drones that cost in the thousands of dollars to c...
How much is the Iran war costing us?
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s really hard to estimate the total cost of war in the middle of one. Over the first six days of the Iran war, an estimated $11.3 billion was cha...
A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. and Israel war with Iran is causing a shock to the economic system. Gas prices are higher, diesel too, and even fertilizer is being affected....
Can anything save the news biz?
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you were in the business of making a bunch of money in 2026, you probably wouldn’t pick journalism. From social media to AI, the attention econom...
A lot of gas trapped, oil reserves tapped, and Live Nation gets a (tiny) cap
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!), our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episo...
Should colleges accept money from bad people?
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
At a dinner in 2010, physicist Sean Carroll is handed a phone. On the other end: A wealthy patron looking to potentially fund his research. Months lat...
The shadowy world of merchant cash advances
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
During the pandemic, mostly unregulated lenders went after struggling restaurants and music venues, charging at times sky high rates. Now, they’ve f...
Will Trump’s shipping insurance plan work?
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
More than a thousand ships are stranded outside the Strait of Hormuz, bobbing in the water. A big reason? Insurance. War insurance premiums have skyro...
No healthcare premiums? In this economy?! Here's how.
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It turns out healthcare in America CAN be cheaper. If your employer wants it to be. Today on the show, we speak with a Canadian-founded startup that h...
Why are fewer Americans working the night shift?
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The night shift isn’t for everyone, but it often means a boost in pay and a foot in the door. Yet a smaller share of Americans are working the grav...
Want a 2.5% mortgage? Buy it.
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Remember those juicy mortgage rates from back in 2021? You don’t actually need a time machine to get one today. You just need to find someone willin...
The anxiety rattling China’s youth
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
China will soon unveil its economic blueprint for the next five years, including a target for economic growth. This comes as consumption is down, wage...
Why Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Paramount Skydance is making a $110 billion play for Warner Bros. Discovery, and with it intellectual property like Harry Potter, Batman, and subsidia...
Should the families of organ donors be compensated?
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Two economists get into the business—and stakes—of organ donation, and they argue why the government should financially compensate their families....
ICE is bad for business, heat is bad for coffee, and sci-fi is bad for markets
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s … Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!), our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s epi...
How your favorite fish sticks might be funding Russia's war
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Russia exports billions of dollars worth of fish a year across the world. But after the invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. banned imports of Russian fish. ...
What an Epstein recording reveals about how elites get jobs
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What do the latest batch of documents tell us about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and elite networking? Quite a bit. Today on the show, we an...
Do traders who place big bets make big money?
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re going whale watching today. No, not orcas or great blues, but financial traders that place big bets on something called options. On today’s ...
Why there are roving rotisserie chicken mobs
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You asked, we answered. On today’s show, we tackle questions from our dear listeners on whether AI interviewers are biased, what the heck M2 money ...
Can I get my tariff money back now?
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court struck down a bunch of President Trump’s tariffs yesterday. The Trump administration originally used an emergency economic powers ...
Retirement luck, Hassett hassles the Fed, and boneless chicken in ... court?
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Why you bett...
Why this rural town wants an ICE facility
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration is planning to pour more than $38 billion into warehouses for mass immigrant detention. While some communities are starting t...
How well are ICE's 12,000 new officers being trained?
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Department of Homeland Security says it has more than doubled the workforce of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Trump. Yet vide...
How Iran's flagging economy inflamed its protests
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
According to activists, Iran has killed over 7,000 people as part of a crackdown on protesters. Why did protests engulf Iran in the first place? A big...
Jobs numbers, immigrants in healthcare, and ... Jesus Christ?
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Ana...
What it costs to be an elite figure skater like the 'Quad God'
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Behind every Ilia Malinin or Alysa Liu, there is an army of elite figure skating coaches and choreographers who have been with them from the beginning...
What is going on with gold and silver?
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The prices of gold and silver are on rollercoaster rides; Gold has been rising over the last few years, silver shot up like a skyrocket in January …...
The boxed meal helping Americans stay on budget
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Food keeps getting more expensive, so how do shoppers respond? They change what they buy, right? It’s not just that cheaper foods get more popular. ...
Are we in an economic 'doom loop'?
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Trade wars. Financial panics. Inflation. How come it feels like it’s all bad news in the global economy these days? Economist Eswar Prasad’s answe...
Just how bad are these job numbers?
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a weird time for jobs numbers. Another month, another jobs report pushed back by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Averaging two private sources,...
How college sports juiced Olympic development
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How did the U.S. become the Olympic powerhouse it is today? Cold War competition. The Soviet Union sponsored their athletes. But America wanted its at...
Warming your house the green way just got more expensive
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
People wanting to purchase heat pumps might soon face sticker shock. Many consumers have sought out energy credits to find a greener and more affordab...
All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right?
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Data centers are getting a lot of heat right now. There’s neighborhood pushback against them for water usage and environmental concerns, and some po...
America's next top Fed Chair
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Warsh has been tapped as the next chair of the Federal Reserve. We’re sure that he’ll have a lot of questions about how to run the Fed if co...
A huge EU-India deal, Heated Rivalry, and a hefty $200k to Olympians
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: a HUGE trade...
Hawaii’s worker shortage goes NUTS
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Fr...
Why isn’t corporate America standing up to Trump?
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump has been storming through corporate America — taking a stake in Intel, demanding a cut of Nvidia’s sales, restricting skilled work...
Can Europe sell America?
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
“Sell America.” There’s new talk of how Europe could turn the economic screws on the U.S. after President Trump’s play for Greenland. Selling ...
How Pakistan is revving up a fight against tax dodgers
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan has had some major economic bumps as of late, including a near default in 2023. At the root: seriously low tax collection. Millions of Pakist...
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Why...
How beef climbed to the top of the food pyramid
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Beef is back on top. Well, at least on top of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new food pyramid, unveiled alongside updated national dietary...
Is Greenland really an untapped land of riches?
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump is dead set on acquiring Greenland, and while national security is the stated reason, the country’s untapped mineral wealth c...
Are U.S. defense contractors lavishing their investors too much?
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In early January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening bans on defense contractors paying dividends or buying their stock back...
ICE influencers, a world-record trade surplus, and the moon goes nuclear
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Influen...
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
203 years ago, President James Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to powerful countries in Europe. Fast forward, and President Trump is...
Can a good story change economic reality?
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Economic decisions aren’t only driven by hard data. A compelling story can change economic behavior and outcomes. In today’s episode, we explore r...
One Fed battle after another
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Department of Justice served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas. Powell says it’s all ...
How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
While Americans are known for their generosity, the U.S. government, increasingly, is not. The Trump administration’s cuts to SNAP benefits among ot...
How AI is shrinking the job market for teens
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Karissa Tang is a 17-year-old in California who got curious about the impact of AI on typical teen jobs like cashiers and fast food counter workers. S...
Venezuela didn't steal U.S. oil. Here's what happened
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump claims Venezuela stole American oil. Is that true? We trace Venezuela's oil industry from its 1920s birth through nationalization and ...
Can you trust you're getting the same grocery prices as someone else?
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When you're in a grocery store nowadays, chances are your data is being collected. From a swipe of the loyalty card to the purchase of an ice cream pi...
How cocaine smuggling through Latin America really works
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Former Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, appeared in a New York court yesterday. He’s facing drug-trafficking and weapons charges after the U.S. a...
Why China pulled the plug on Japan
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi made waves last fall after saying her country might intervene if China invaded Taiwan. In response, China ...
Venezuela’s economic descent (Updated)
03 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
At The Indicator, we’ve been following the conditions in Venezuela over the years. In 2024 we covered how Venezuela’s economy went into freefall,...
We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
2025 is finally over. We had bad consumer sentiment vibes, tariffs, and a seemingly ascendant stock market. And those are just a few indicators from ...
Why Americans don't want to move for jobs anymore (Encore)
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Americans are moving at record lows for work. What’s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today’s episode, we explore the...
Gilded Age 2.0? (Encore)
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To hear President Trump tell it, the late 1800s, i.e. the Gilded Age, were a period of unparalleled wealth and prosperity in the U.S. But this era was...
The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict (Encore)
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seasons greetings from the The Indicator! On today's show, the story of a man who started buying and selling stocks as a hobby — and got seriously a...
The economic challenges facing men without college degrees
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many men in the U.S. feel like they're not doing as well as their fathers. But what does the data say? This episode, we're sharing an extended convers...