The Indicator from Planet Money
A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons. Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney
Episodes
April 26, 2024 • 9 mins
We wrap up our series on the economics of the video game industry with a triple roundup. Today, how the new ban on noncompete contracts could affect the gaming industry, whether young men are slacking off work to play games and the ever-controversial world of loot boxes.
Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)
Designing for disability: how video games become more ...
Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)
Designing for disability: how video games become more ...
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April 25, 2024 • 9 mins
Employees at video game companies are known for working long hours to meet product launch deadlines. This pressure, known in the industry as crunch, has only gotten more intense as games have grown more complex. Mounting layoffs in the growing industry have only made things worse on the labor front, inspiring some workers to take matters into their own hands.
Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of ...
Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of ...
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April 24, 2024 • 9 mins
The origins of competitive gaming are rooted in college campuses going back to the early 1970s. Now a globally popular industry, esports is at the center of many questions about long-term financial viability.
Today, we dive deep into the hype surrounding esports and why the luster seems to be rubbing off the industry that was once seen by some as the next NBA.
Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of ...
Today, we dive deep into the hype surrounding esports and why the luster seems to be rubbing off the industry that was once seen by some as the next NBA.
Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of ...
Mark as Played
April 23, 2024 • 9 mins
Gaming provides entertainment and community for billions of people worldwide. However, video games haven't always been accessible to those with disabilities. But this is changing.
Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of video games, we explain how accessibility has become an increasingly important priority for game developers and how advocates pushed them to this point.
Related episodes:
Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of video games, we explain how accessibility has become an increasingly important priority for game developers and how advocates pushed them to this point.
Related episodes:
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April 22, 2024 • 9 mins
People used to pay one standard price for their favorite games in a one-off transaction. But now, many game companies are offering their games for free, supported by in-game purchases. This is called the live service model.
Today, the first episode of a week-long series about the video game industry. We investigate the promise and pains of the live service model and explain how it turned the industry upside down.
<...
Today, the first episode of a week-long series about the video game industry. We investigate the promise and pains of the live service model and explain how it turned the industry upside down.
<...
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April 19, 2024 • 9 mins
It's highs and lows in this edition of Indicators of the Week! The surprisingly high amount of electricity needed for artificial intelligence, basketball star Caitlin Clark's surprisingly low base salary, plus a potential crackdown on the ticketing company everyone loves to hate (possibly because of those high fees).
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April 18, 2024 • 9 mins
After the financial crisis of 2008, regulators around the world agreed banks should have more of a cushion to weather hard times. Now, U.S. regulators are once again looking to update minimum capital requirements through a set of proposals called Basel III Endgame. Today, on the show, a blow-by-blow account of this battle between bankers and regulators.
Related episodes:
Time to make banks more stressed? (Apple / Spot...
Related episodes:
Time to make banks more stressed? (Apple / Spot...
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April 17, 2024 • 9 mins
When an insurance company can't cover all of its claims, it actually has its own insurance. This is called "reinsurance." How does that work and why do reinsurers look at their risk pool differently than say home or auto insurers?
Related episodes:
Why is insurance so expensive right now? And more listener questions (Apple / Spotify)
When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free epi...
Related episodes:
Why is insurance so expensive right now? And more listener questions (Apple / Spotify)
When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free epi...
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April 16, 2024 • 9 mins
Anti-vaccine activists, far-right groups and some religious conservatives convened in Las Vegas this spring to discuss the creation of a parallel economy. These are groups who believe their speech is threatened by big banks and big tech. On today's show, what is a "freedom economy," and how would it work?
Related episodes:
A Supreme Court case that could reshape social media (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-fre...
Related episodes:
A Supreme Court case that could reshape social media (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-fre...
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April 15, 2024 • 9 mins
We are back to answer your listener questions. On today's show, we explain reverse mortgages and their risks, why insurance has gotten so expensive, and whether there's a catch to charitable donations at the store.
If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.
Related episodes:
When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)
Are we counting jobs right? We answer ...
If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.
Related episodes:
When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)
Are we counting jobs right? We answer ...
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April 12, 2024 • 8 mins
In this edition of Indicators of the Week: the new incentive for speed in cash prizes for Olympic track and field, growing iPhone assembly in India and the curious inflation puzzle of the foot-long cookies at Subway.
Related episodes:
Can India become the next high-tech hub? (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at pl...
Related episodes:
Can India become the next high-tech hub? (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at pl...
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April 11, 2024 • 9 mins
With tax season upon us, many people are paying someone or a software to get their tax returns done. A small group of people, however, are filing online directly with ... the IRS. For free. Today on the show: how the IRS's tax filing experiment came to be, how it's been working so far, and who doesn't like it.
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April 10, 2024 • 9 mins
Europe wants clean energy, but it's struggling to compete with the low cost of China's green technology. The E.U. just announced it's investigating the subsidies received by Chinese wind turbine suppliers, which play a part in those low costs.
On today's episode, we speak with Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, about how the E.U. is trying to build and maintain a competitive green tech industry...
On today's episode, we speak with Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, about how the E.U. is trying to build and maintain a competitive green tech industry...
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April 9, 2024 • 9 mins
You've heard of the British royal family, but what about the "working royals?" Today on the show, an expert on the royals explains what the job is like — how they measure productivity, how they get paid, and how this tiny, specialized workforce of 11 people might cope with the health crises of King Charles III and Kate Middleton.
Subscribe to journalist Elizabeth Holmes' newsletter on the British royal family.
R...
Subscribe to journalist Elizabeth Holmes' newsletter on the British royal family.
R...
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April 8, 2024 • 9 mins
General Electric has been staggering along for years as a conglomerate. But recently, it's turned to a popular strategy to unlock new value: spinning off. Just last week, GE spun off its clean energy business into a new company: GE Vernova. On today's show, we explore what a spin off is and why companies do them.
Related Episodes:
What happened to GE?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Mone...
Related Episodes:
What happened to GE?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Mone...
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April 5, 2024 • 9 mins
The U.S. labor market continues its hot streak, adding 303,000 jobs last month — more than expected. Many of these jobs will require a four-year degree despite a push among some employers to eliminate these requirements. On today's show, we look at the state of the job market for people without a four-year college degree.
Related episodes:
The lopsided market for higher ed
Enough with bachelor's degrees
The cos...
Related episodes:
The lopsided market for higher ed
Enough with bachelor's degrees
The cos...
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April 4, 2024 • 9 mins
"Shadow fleet" refers to the collective of ships used by countries that have sanctions against them, like Russia, to transport commodities around the world. These ships pose threats to global and environmental security because they skirt international maritime law. So what can be done about them?
Today on the show, we explain what exactly makes the shadow fleet so dangerous and why there are surprisingly limited options fo...
Today on the show, we explain what exactly makes the shadow fleet so dangerous and why there are surprisingly limited options fo...
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April 3, 2024 • 9 mins
Since 2020, grocery prices have shot up. If you're looking to save a buck, it's often more affordable to shop for groceries at a big retailer like Walmart. But some smaller grocers say those low prices are the result of an unfair playing field—and they're looking to a little-used antitrust law from the 1930s as a solution. Today, we consider the Robinson-Patman Act and whether reviving it could bring consumers some relief.
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April 2, 2024 • 9 mins
The sun is shining, birds are singing, and...our allergies are going NUTS. That can only mean one thing: It's time for The Indicator Quiz! The show where we bring a lucky listener on to test their econ knowledge. Today's quiz focuses on questions related to labor. Play along with us and see how you do! Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at indicator@npr.org and p...
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April 1, 2024 • 9 mins
Does breaking the law ... make financial sense? Paying future fines and settlements at the risk of harm to people and the environment? Some legal scholars argue that's just the cost of doing business.Today, we ask whether a company's duty is to the law ... or to its shareholders.
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