The Indicator from Planet Money
Episodes
How GoFundMe can affect your FEMA eligibility
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With the LA wildfires still burning, we were left with a lot of questions. Today, we answer two of them: whether GoFundMe campaigns could interfere wi...
Why China's DeepSeek AI is such a big deal
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Indicators of the Week unpacks numbers from the news. This week, we delve into what President Trump's first AI announcement reveals about the economic...
Why Trump's potential tariffs are making business owners anxious
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A freshly re-inaugurated President Trump is reportedly considering making his first moves on tariffs: a 10% tariff on Chinese imports and a 25% tariff...
Go ask ALICE about grocery prices
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grocery prices have gone up 27 percent since before the pandemic. And high prices are especially painful for lower income households, who have less wi...
Add to cart: Greenland
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump's proposal that the United States take "ownership" of Greenland has raised a lot of eyebrows. Can the U.S. just buy itself thi...
Student loans, savings accounts, and goodbye to artificial red dye
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news. On today's episode, we examine three measures ...
Who's on the hook for California's uninsurable homes?
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Southern California wildfires are devastating large swathes of Los Angeles, destroying homes and businesses and displacing thousands. In the state...
The race to produce lithium
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lithium is one of the hot commodities of the 21st century: needed for electric vehicles, semiconductors needed for AI, and grid-scale batteries. While...
How batteries are riding the free market rodeo in Texas
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to build a grid-scale battery project in Texas, be prepared to ride the free-market rodeo. On our second episode of this week's battery se...
How batteries are already changing the grid
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Renewable energy, when it comes to solar and wind power, has always had a caveat: it can only run when the wind blows or the sun shines. The idea of a...
What's going on with men's labor force participation?
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's the first Jobs Friday of the new year, and there's good news! The unemployment rate ticked down slightly to 4.1%, and the economy added 256,000 j...
What's a moneyline bet anyway?
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The online financial website Investopedia compiles an annual list of the top ten financial terms that drew the most interest from their audience. The ...
Why Netflix spent billions for WWE
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last night, after years on cable, WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw, made its debut on Netflix. It's another example of live sports programming ma...
The water mystery unfolding in the western U.S.
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a rural area in Arizona with massive groundwater basins underneath the earth. Water should be plentiful there, but wells are running dry. Toda...
President Jimmy Carter's economic legacy
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of Indicators of the Week, we discuss the economic legacy of former President, Jimmy Carter. Today on the show, we detail some of his ...
Why to look twice when your portfolio is doing well
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People with American stocks in their portfolio are likely very happy right now. U.S. stocks were on a tear in 2024. But to some investors, that's a re...
The curious rise of novelty popcorn buckets (Encore)
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Even before the Dune: Part 2 popcorn bucket went viral this year, movie theaters have been trying all types of ways to lure customers back. There's re...
Invest like a Congress member (Encore)
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are some new funds that track stock trading by members of Congress and their family. So we thought, why don't we get in on that? Today on the sh...
Half a billion people need reading glasses. Why can't they get them? (Encore)
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you need some reading glasses in the United States, you don't have to break the bank to pick some up. That's important for older folks who need a l...
How video games become more accessible (Encore)
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gaming provides entertainment and community for billions of people worldwide. However, video games haven't always been accessible to those with disabi...
How TV holiday rom-coms got so successful (Encore)
24 Dec 2024
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, we fire up the gas log...
What indicators will 2025 bring?
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
2024 is over (phew!). We had weird consumer sentiment vibes, Bitcoin went to the moon, and the economy might have achieved a soft landing. And that's...
Help us pick the indicator of the year!
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
2024 was a wild year for the U.S. economy: The economy did well in terms of inflation and unemployment, but vibes ruled the roost. (Mostly didn't feel...
Can empty-nesters boost housing affordability?
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The "silver tsunami" of aging Americans is often seen as a potential way to alleviate the country's housing affordability woes. However, the data sugg...
Trump's contradictory trade policies
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President-elect Donald Trump has called for a weaker dollar given it would be good for American exporters. But tariffs, a staple of his economic polic...
Do job references matter?
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the not-so-distant past, serving as someone's job reference meant answering a few questions over the phone. Nowadays, that process is often more in...
There are a lot of billionaires in Trump's coming administration
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President-elect Donald Trump's administration picks are shaping up to be a very affluent bunch. If all are confirmed, Trump's incoming administration ...
Why the US economy is still the envy of the world
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Economist's Simon Rabinovitch argues the U.S. economy has a set of structural advantages that have allowed it to perform remarkably well in the la...
A supermarket beef, a quantum leap, and Christmas trees for cheap
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's the most wonderful time of year, er, week, because it's that time when we look at the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's...
An economist's role in the fall of Syria's government
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2012, Karam Shaar had to leave his home country of Syria due to the civil war. But he still wanted to make a difference. Through his economic analy...
The brewing recovery in Western North Carolina
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Reserve's last Beige Book of 2024 is like Spotify Wrapped but for the economy. There's a little bit of everything inside — labor markets...
The Tuna Bonds Scandal and the fishy business of hidden debt
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2016, the economy of Mozambique tipped into crisis. The culprit was a government corruption scandal linked to more than $1 billion that offici...
How influence actually works
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Influence. The ability to persuade, motivate, or connect with other people. It's one of these skills that's hard to measure, but incredibly important ...
Men without college degrees aren't doing well
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many men in America don't feel like they're doing as well as their fathers. But what does the data say? Today on the show, we speak to Richard Reeves ...
What a second Trump term could mean for SpaceX
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
SpaceX is capping off a busy 2024, with more than 100 rocket launches, including its vaunted Starship. NPR Science Correspondent Geoff Brumfiel attend...
What a difference a one-day strike makes
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From retail to fast food to nursing, one-day strikes have been a growing trend over the last decade. But what makes one-day strikes more or less effe...
Boeing's biggest blunder? Financial engineering.
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Boeing continues to struggle. Safety concerns, a door blowing off mid-flight, a labor strike, impending layoffs ... and that's just the past year. Wha...
How Trump's tariffs plan might work
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President-elect Donald Trump made a lot of economic promises on the campaign trail, but none as sweeping as his plan to enact tariffs. Trump believes ...
What's in your wallet? Ask the new Treasury Secretary
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many were waiting longer than expected to hear Donald Trump name his nominee for Treasury Secretary, the person in charge of pursuing his economic age...
Trump's plans for the housing market
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Across the U.S., millions of people are feeling the burden of high housing costs. During his campaign, president-elect Donald Trump promised to do som...
How big is the US housing shortage?
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Housing affordability is a top concern for Americans and a hot political topic. Estimates for the number of needed homes stretch into the millions, bu...
The most expensive banana in the world and other indicators
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are back with a pricey Indicators of the Week. Today, we're digging into why it's so hard to get price information from funeral providers, how much...
Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Wall Street investors divine what a second Trump administration might mean for markets, there's talk of a new gang in town: the bond vigilantes. On...
How Magic Johnson's Starbucks created new neighborhood businesses
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There's been a lot of research showing how third spaces — a place that isn't the home nor the workplace — have brought communities together, even ...
How to shop during a crisis
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Events like the recent dock worker's strike and hurricanes sparked panic buying among American shoppers. Today, a logistics expert helps us craft a sh...
A fraught climate change conference, how are US home builders doing, and more
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is a LOT of economic news happening at the moment (it all happens, so very much of it, all the time), so we wanted to give you an idea of what w...
The Economics of Everyday Things: Pizza (Box) Time!
17 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're sharing an episode of a podcast that we've enjoyed, and think you will, too! It's called The Economics of Everyday Things. It's made by t...
23andMe's financial troubles, Paul vs. Tyson and Bitcoin to the moon
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Indicators of the Week, we cover our favorite numbers in the news. On this week's edition we cover Netflix's foray into live sports, the possible p...
Who's powering nuclear energy's comeback?
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nuclear energy hasn't been a growing industry in decades. But now, it seems to be making a comeback. This week, the Biden administration announced a g...
Why the government's flood insurance program is underwater
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Major flooding events are increasingly common across the U.S., but homeowners looking for flood insurance will find few choices. The main providers of...
Why this former banking regulator is writing kids books
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a first-best world, we'd all save enough money and there'd be no scammers. In a second-best world, we'd all know how to protect ourselves. That's w...
What's a weather forecast worth?
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government has been tracking the weather for more than 150 years. Yet over the last few decades, the rise of the Internet and big tech hav...
Stocks jump, the temperamental peso, and other election aftermath indicators
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's ... Indicators of the Week! It's that time of week when we look at the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: Elect...
The story behind Cuba's economic dysfunction
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, a powerful hurricane hit Cuba, causing nationwide electricity outages — right after a string of power failures that have plagued the coun...
America's economy is the envy of the world. Will it stay that way?
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump's victory in this year's election had a lot to do with how many Americans feel about the US economy (surprise: not good). But Simon Rabin...
Why Midwest crop farmers are having a logistics problem
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's the most important day of the year for the country ... The Beigie Awards! The Beigie Awards are back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Ba...
Why the US government is buying more apples than ever before
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the second year in a row, the U.S. government is buying the largest quantity of apples in its history because there are not enough consumers and p...
Cool, cool, cooling jobs
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1% and 12,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy during October. I...
The U.S. once banned Chinese immigrants — and it paid an economic price
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1880, the Chinese were the biggest group of immigrants in the western U.S. But Sinophobic sentiments crystallized into racist policies and eventual...
What's missing in the immigration debate
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration is a top concern among U.S. voters this election cycle. But Zeke Hernandez, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies immi...
What happens when Social Security runs out of money?
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social Security has thus far been self-sustaining—payroll taxes go into this big fund, which then pays out monthly checks. But the problem we have n...
What looks like a bond and acts like a bond but isn't a bond?
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Maldives is a small island nation struggling with a heavy debt load. Its borrowing includes $500 million worth of something called sukuk. These ar...
An economist answers your questions on love
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We ask economists for their expertise all the time on The Indicator, so why not their tips on love? On our final installment of Love Week, we ask econ...
Trying to fix the dating app backlash
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unanswered messages. Endless swiping. An opaque algorithm. The backlash to online dating feels like it's reached a fever pitch recently. For today's L...
How American heiresses became Dollar Princesses
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 19th century, British aristocrats had a big problem. They were short on cash to fund their lifestyles and maintain their vast country esta...
Why the publishing industry is hot (and bothered) for romance
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once relegated to supermarket aisles, romance books are now mainstream. And authors, an often-maligned group within publishing, have found greater com...
It's Love Week! How the TV holiday rom-com got so successful
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Love Week on the Indicator, our weeklong series exploring the business and economic side of romance. On today's show, we fire up the gas lo...
Reversing shrinkflation (via potato chips) and other indicators
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's ... Indicators of the Week! It's that time of week where we look at the most intriguing indicators from this last week of economic and business n...
Rebranding 'the world's most dangerous private army'
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin died in an exploding plane widely attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, it wasn't cle...
Can the yield curve still predict recessions?
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two years ago, the yield curve inverted. That means short-term interest rates on Treasury bonds were unusually higher than long-term interest rates. W...
Why are some nations richer?
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year's Economics Nobel went to a trio of researchers whose work focuses on the importance of strong institutions for an economy. Today we hear fr...
The cost of living, lead pipe removal, and a more expensive Mega Millions
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's ... Indicators of the Week! It's that time of week when we look at the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: Infla...
The trouble with water discounts
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The problem of how to price water is a perennial conundrum. Water is an essential limited resource that everyone needs, so how do you price it so ever...
Half a billion people need reading glasses. Why can't they get them?
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you need some reading glasses in the United States, you don't have to break the bank to pick some up. That's important for older folks who need a l...
The year the music festival died
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is 2024 the year the music festival died? Festivals are getting canceled left and right, from Northern California to Florida to Virginia. Big name fes...
Why the name Taft-Hartley got airplay during the dockworkers' brief strike
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. economy is breathing a little easier after the International Longshoremen's Association reached a tentative agreement last week with the Unit...
Does unemployment whiplash mean recession?
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's Jobs Friday! It's that time of the month where we check in on the American worker.In September, 254,000 jobs were added to the US economy and the...
Champagne. Neapolitan pizza. Now döner kebabs?
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Germany, döner kebabs are more than just an affordable, satisfying street food. They're a symbol of Turkey's culinary influence in the country. To...
Are we about to lose TikTok? Like actually tho?
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok could begin shutting down in the U.S. as soon as January 19 of next year. But the app is not going down without a fight. The company is asking ...
Is an American sovereign wealth fund such a bad idea?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sovereign wealth funds have been around since the 1800s, but they're having a bit of a moment right now ... The financial instrument was recently name...
Mail bag! Grad jobs, simplified branding and central bank independence
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Penny for your thoughts? Today we open our mail bag to hear from Indicator listeners. A college graduate tells us about their job search, a researcher...
America's small GDP bump, China's big stimulus dispersal, and a Monkey King
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for ... Indicators of the Week! It is our show where we talk about fascinating numbers from the news. On today's episode, America's small GD...
What does the next era of Social Security look like?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peak 65 is here. More than 4 million Americans will turn 65 each year between 2024 and 2027, representing the largest retirement surge in history. Yea...
Are pharmacy benefit managers driving up drug prices? (Update)
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A group of obscure yet powerful players in the prescription drug industry are under the microscope. On Tuesday, at a Senate hearing in D.C., the head ...
How to pass on a global media empire
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rupert Murdoch took an Australia paper in Adelaide and turned it into one of the most influential media empires in the world. The question of who will...
Could you live without GPS? It's OK, the economy can't, either
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A recent survey found that nearly half of all Americans say they could not live without GPS in their car. The American economy couldn't live without G...
The Fed cut rates ... now what? (featuring: Sasquatch)
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's ... Indicators of the Week! We roundup the economic indicators that caught our eyes and ears. This week, all our attention was on the Federal Res...