The Indicator from Planet Money
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.
Episodes
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 front of the Supreme Court could declare several of Trump’s tariffs illegal, which would prompt a return of billions of dollars. Today on the show, we look at how that would work and why the process will likely not be easy.
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Three ways compa...
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. We learn why, despite this, US railroads could still be worth bragging about.
Related episodes:
What happens when railroads get hitched
How three letters reinvented the railroad business
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 a game we’re calling Indicator Quizbowl. Today on the show, Wailin and Darian go head to head to see who the bigger public policy nerd is.
Related episodes:
Could cash payments ease recessions?
A trap-loving DJ takes on economics
For sponsor-free epi...
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 Meta’s own money. Today on the show, the opaque system of AI data center financing and why it’s fueling fears of a bubble.
Related episodes:
OpenAI’s de...
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 of these trade deals — big numbers but vague details. When China says it’ll buy more soybeans, is it the government or companies that does the buying? When South Korea promises to invest in American shipyards, who’s actually doing that? Today on the show, we dig into two que...
On today’s episode: the effects of pay transparency, Meta’s big win, and freaky flies and beef.
Related episodes:
Are we entering a new dawn for antitrust enforcement?
Why beef prices are so high
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to...
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’s show, the lucrative business of contractor fraud and advice on how to avoid them.
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An indicator lost: Big disaster costs
When insurers can’t get insurance
Selling safety in the fight against wildfires
For sponsor-free epi...
To avoid costly tariffs, they gotta buy American. But … How does one meet those suppliers? How do you build a new relationship with them?
The answer: Speed dating.
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The old trade war that brought foreign carmakers to the U.S.
Tariffs: What are they goo...
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 different kind of labor system where it’s easy for employers to hire and fire, but at the same time people have a strong safety net in-between jobs. Today on the show, we learn how “flexicurity” works through the story of a Danish woman who left her job, and we ask how the mode...
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’s show: the winner’s curse.
Richard Thaler’s new book with Alex O. Imas is The Winner’s Curse: Behavioral Economics Anomalies, Then and Now.
Read Planet Money’s newsletter on the winner’s curse.
On today’s episode: The cost of living is outstripping wage growth for most of us, the math behind the Trump administration’s proposed 50-year mortgages, and how we’re just giving Uber and Lyft free money.
Related episodes:
Trump's plans for the housing market
The Money ...
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 today’s show, what is this fund, why was it created and does Argentina have any hope of paying it back?
Related episodes:
Dollarizing Argentina
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple ...
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 tariffs. On today’s show, we explain the president’s back-up options for imposing tariffs.
Related episodes:
Are Trump’s tariffs legal?
Worst. Tariffs. Ever.
Three ways companies are getting around tariffs
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Peacock, potassium and other Paris Olympics Indicators
Why the Olympics cost so much
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Today on the show, what France’s political fiascos teach all of us about the economics of an aging population, and what a retirement expert’s ideal retirement system mi...
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 taken on outsize political influence and one controller’s experience during the longest shutdown on record.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Tyler Jo...
You can find John Campbell's book here: Fixed: Why Personal Finance is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone
Related episodes:
How the ‘shadow fleet’ helps Russia skirt sanctions
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe t...
Related episodes:
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees
The DOJ's case...
Companies are starting to use AI to interview potential employees. Sound creepy? Well, a new study suggests it might not be all bad.. Today on the show, we look at why a job interview with AI might be preferable to one with a human. ? And Adrian gets grilled by an AI job recruiter named “Anna.”
Related episodes:
AI creates, transforms and destroys … jobs
Fighting AI with AI
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