The Indicator from Planet Money

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. Sign up for our newsletter. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes for Planet Money and sponsor-free listening for The Indicator.

Episodes

For a lot of Gen Z, gambling is investing

September 2, 2026 • 8 mins
Why are more than half of Gen Zers using investment dollars for sports gambling? It’s been eight years since sports betting became widely legal. Today we look at its impact on a new generation of sports bettors and efforts to curb gambling’s more harmful effects. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who's gonna fix it?...
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A Treasury showdown with the bond market

September 1, 2026 • 9 mins
Why is the U.S. Treasury planning to buyback at least double the number of long-dated government bonds it usually does? And will Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s buyback plan pit him against both the bond markets and the Federal Reserve? Today we explain what the Treasury’s up to and what it means for you. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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—Bond vigilantes. Who they ar...
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How ICE arrests are creating 'economies of fear'

August 31, 2026 • 7 mins
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, marking the biggest month for ICE arrests of President Trump’s second term. We talk to a researcher who thinks this increased ICE activity is creating an “economy of fear” in cities around the country — and has the data to prove it.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— How ending TPS is...
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The teacher pay penalty, Meta's major settlement, and a footwear flop

August 28, 2026 • 9 mins
This week’s indicators: The teacher pay penalty; Meta’s massive settlement; Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods are struggling.  

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation

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Coyote vs. Acme finally gets its big break

August 27, 2026 • 9 mins
Coyote vs. Acme will finally get its theatrical release on Friday after a years-long saga involving supposed tax write-downs, negotiations and multibillion-dollar studio deals. It's a drama almost straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. Today we have the story from the inside. This episode is an update of an episode from December 2023.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— Why Paramount wen...
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What Mark Cuban REALLY thinks of Medicare for All

August 26, 2026 • 9 mins
Medicare for All could save the U.S. trillions… or maybe way less than that? In our second episode on Medicare for All, we look at the convoluted figures behind the hot political topic. We hear directly from billionaire and healthcare voice Mark Cuban on what works about Medicare for All, and why its actual cost is so complicated. 

Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.

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— Why do hos...
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Medicare for All is not Medicare for All

August 25, 2026 • 9 mins
As midterms near, Medicare for All is back in the spotlight and Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has become the newest face for it. Today, we dig into what Medicare for All would actually do and hear directly from El-Sayed on why he thinks it’s critical to figure out.

Tomorrow, billionaire Mark Cuban joins the show as we continue our discussion on Medicare for All.

Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.
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Could politics put your city's funding at risk?

August 24, 2026 • 8 mins
The Trump administration recently admitted to pulling grants over politics. This practice could become more common. How do cities use grant money, and how will they adapt?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?

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EV sales slow, US Treasury yields grow, 'Niu Lai' has impressive box office mojo

August 21, 2026 • 9 mins
This week’s indicators: EV sales sputter in North America but flutter internationally; U.S. Treasury Yields … RISE!; a low-budget movie so terrible, it became a box office hit in China. 

Fact checking by Julia Ritchey

Your Next Listen 
— The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance

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Is bankruptcy really all that bad?

August 20, 2026 • 9 mins
Bankruptcy has a negative stigma surrounding it. But what if we told you it’s not as bad as you may think? In fact, economists think we should actually see more of it! 

Based on the radio story: More Americans are going bankrupt. What does that mean?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— We're in a renter's market (believe it or not)

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Have a bad manager? Science explains why.

August 19, 2026 • 9 mins
The best manager isn’t necessarily the best employee. Turns out it isn't so easy to predict what DOES make a good manager. Today on the show, we turn to science to help answer that very question.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Productivity and workforce whiplash

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Trump versus Capital One

August 18, 2026 • 8 mins
The Trump Organization has sued Capital One for closing its bank accounts. The organization says it did so out of political reasons. But banks can close accounts for a zillion reasons. They don’t have to say why. Capital One cited money laundering as a concern. 

On today’s show, how banks decide to close accounts, how much politics plays a role and what the bank might have seen in its crime-stopping crystal ...
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Did you know companies can vote in Delaware?

August 17, 2026 • 9 mins
Fenwick Island, Del. has only around 900 people on its voting rolls, but some of those registered voters are not human. Many are family trusts and a few are companies. The town says its system works for its tiny beach community. So why are some lawmakers trying to stop it?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— Who’s behind that shell company? 

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Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump, and a dating app in the dumps

August 14, 2026 • 9 mins
It’s Indicators of the Week!

On today’s episode: Retirees get a bump in benefits; credit card debt delinquency at a historically high level; and the dating app Bumble on a serious decline — Men first! IRL events! What will work! 

Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim and Vito Emanuel.

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— Trying to fix the dating app backlash

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C is for C-shaped economy

August 13, 2026 • 8 mins
Which letter best describes how the U.S. economy is shaped: C or K? We examine the arguments for both and why there’s so much disagreement over who’s faring best in today’s economy. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators  

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Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore

August 12, 2026 • 9 mins
Rage. That’s what consumers are feeling right now. A new survey found consumer complaints hit a record high this year. Another from last year found a huge share of consumers felt ‘rage’ with a product or service problem. Just think about the modern consumer experience: hidden fees, ballooning customer support wait times (perpetually experiencing higher call volumes than usual) … shrinkflation! Argh!! What&r...
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Borrowing money to invest! What could go wrong?

August 11, 2026 • 9 mins
The total amount of investors using margin aka borrowing money to help pay for a trade  is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. Is this something we should worry about? We spoke to Jurrien Tinner at Fidelity Investments. 

Note: Jurrien Timmer's views are his own and not representative of Fidelity. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

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— How AI might mess with fina...
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Why is Trump paying to stop wind farms?

August 10, 2026 • 9 mins
President Trump is no fan of wind farms. And his administration is putting taxpayer money where his mouth is, paying companies billions of dollars to NOT build them. 

On today’s show, Trump’s plan to squelch wind farms with the public purse. 

Fact checking by Tyler Jones. 

Your Next Listen 
— Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)

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I'm just here for the health benefits

August 7, 2026 • 8 mins
Dependable health insurance is keeping more people in their jobs. Rising health costs don't help. Today we look at the repercussions this kind of job lock has on the wider economy. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— The ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future 

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Following the Chipotle playbook for the cyclospora crisis

August 6, 2026 • 9 mins
Taco Bell and Taylor Farms are taking hits to their reputation due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country. They could learn a thing or two from Chipotle, which went through its own public relations battle during a similar outbreak about a decade ago.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Big Lettuce meets Small Intestine

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