The Indicator from Planet Money
Episodes
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...