The Indicator from Planet Money

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...

The secret to Nintendo's success (Encore)

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, a brief history of Nintendo and how a small playing card ...

Why every A-lister also has a side hustle (Encore)

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Holidays from The Indicator! For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, why celebrities are i...

The worst year of Warren Buffett’s career

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Warren Buffett aged, he became a different sort of figure. He transformed from short-term investor into long-term builder. He used Berkshire Hathaw...

The spite acquisition that launched Warren Buffett

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With an unprecedented decades-long run of success, Warren Buffett is retiring on December 31, 2025. Buffett’s turning point began with the acquisiti...

Tariffs. Consumer sentiment. Cape Ratio. Pick The Indicator of The Year!

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

2025 was a wild year for the U.S. economy. Tariffs transformed the global economy, consumer sentiment hit near-historic lows, and the stock market hit...

Catching up with a fired federal worker, a shrimper and a fraudster

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a firehose of economic news in 2025, we wanted to check back on some of the people we’ve heard from on our show. Today, we check in with a for...

The ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Absent a holiday miracle, premium subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of this year. This will greatly increase the cost...

Will new loan limits lower the cost of grad school?

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made a lot of changes to the federal student loan system. One of those changes put a new cap on the amount of loans stu...

Can American cities grow AND stay affordable?

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cities like Austin and Atlanta used to top lists of places people moved to looking for relatively affordable places to live. Until, one day, they were...

Nvidia chips for China, frozen Russian funds, and a lot of self-checkout stealing

12 Dec 2025

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: Nvidia chips...

How to make $35 trillion ... disappear

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may be familiar with the AI-fueled stock market boom. Well, former International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Gita Gopinath warns it could mirror...

Bitcoin miners are betting on AI over crypto

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to make Bitcoin, you need powerful computers and a lot of energy. Well, it turns out the same infrastructure needed for Bitcoin mining is ...

How a former Fed vice chair would approach rate cuts

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Federal Reserve is meeting to make its interest rate decision after the government shutdown delayed key economic data. Today on the show, we talk to t...

Take a penny, leave a penny, get rid of the penny

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In November, the U.S. stopped production of the humble penny after 232 years in circulation. On today’s show, a former U.S. Mint director shares the...

Chips up, rent down, and are people really skimping on holiday gifts?

05 Dec 2025

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 big goshDR...

A little doomsday feeling is weighing on the economy

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It is a special edition of the Beigies Awards where one regional Federal Reserve Bank will receive lifetime achievement recognition. Today on the show...

How Japan’s new prime minister is jolting markets

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sanae Takaichi was sworn in as Japan’s first female prime minister a little over a month ago, and she’s already making waves in the East and West....

What would it mean to actually refund the tariffs?

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tariffs are bringing in some serious cash into the US Treasury’s pocket. The problem with that money is that it may need to be refunded. A case in f...

Why the US chose not to have a passenger train system like Europe

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why can't the US be like Europe, Japan or India—countries that all have extensive passenger train systems? On today's show, why the US chose not to....

Moochers, monopolists and market-based poverty help

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Public sector economics is a fundamental piece of the discipline. So we wanted to give our hosts an opportunity to put their knowledge to the test in ...

Who's financing Meta's massive AI data center?

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a rural pocket of northeastern Louisiana, Meta is building a $30 billion data center called Hyperion. But it’s not being completely financed with...

Who’s buying all the beef?

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has said he’d try to get more Argentine beef into the U.S. So who would actually do the buying? That’s a general theme with a lot ...

Pay transparency. The WhatsApp and Instagram decision. Our beef with screwworms.

21 Nov 2025

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 effects ...

How to avoid scammers after a natural disaster

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When people lose their homes to wildfire, hurricanes or flooding, they're eager to rebuild. But scammers are also ready to take advantage. On today’...

Looking for love in the auto supply chain

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Foreign automakers already have huge assembly plants in the U.S., but lots of parts and materials come from overseas. To avoid costly tariffs, they g...

How to make switching jobs not terrifying

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. labor market is stagnant right now, with little hiring and lots of people holding onto their jobs for dear life. In Denmark, there’s a diff...

Why you overpaid at that online auction

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever put in the winning bid for something on an auction site only to realize you significantly overpaid? Yeah, there’s a phrase for that. On today’...

50-year mortgages, falling real wages, and doing your rideshare due diligence

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! We look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news and bring them to you.On today’s episode: ...

Where the US got $20B to bail out Argentina

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. is committed to bailing out Argentina to the tune of $20 billion using a little known mechanism called the Exchange Stabilization Fund. On to...

Trump's backup options for tariffs

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Supreme Court may soon rule on President Trump’s favorite tariff law.  It could render them moot, but that doesn’t mean the end of tarif...

Who is the World Cup for anymore?

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The World Cup is coming up, and it’s going to cost a pretty penny if you are hoping to attend. Today on the show, we talk to NPR Senior Business edi...

How the French pensions débâcle is a warning to us all

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

France has one of the most generous pension systems in the world. But several governments there have collapsed over questions about how the government...

Can air traffic controllers keep calm and carry on — without pay?

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s one job that gets all the attention during a government shutdown: air traffic controllers. Today on the show, we spotlight why this job has ...

This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The “Shiller PE Ratio” is at its highest level since November of 1999. That was at the peak of the online gold rush right before the dot com bubbl...

Who's propping up Russian oil?

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s been subject to more than 5,000 sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine. Yet many purported allies of Ukraine are still getting Russian oil...