The Indicator from Planet Money
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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.
Épisodes récents
369 épisodes
How to make switching jobs not terrifying
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 differ...
The winner's curse
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 s...
50-year mortgages, falling real wages, and doing your rideshare due diligence
It’s … Indicators of the Week! We look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news and bring them to you.
On today’s e...
Where the US got $20B to bail out Argentina
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 to...
Trump's backup options for tariffs
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. O...
Who is the World Cup for anymore?
The World Cup is coming up, and it’s going to cost a pretty penny if you are hoping to attend. Today on the show, we talk to NPR Senior Business edito...
How the French pensions débâcle is a warning to us all
France has one of the most generous pension systems in the world. But several governments there have collapsed over questions about how the government...
Can air traffic controllers keep calm and carry on — without pay?
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 ta...
This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble
The “Shiller PE Ratio” is at its highest level since November of 1999. That was at the peak of the online gold rush right before the dot com bubble bu...
Who's propping up Russian oil?
Russia’s been subject to more than 5,000 sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine. Yet many purported allies of Ukraine are still getting Russian oil —...
How Apple's market power blocked ICEBlock
Last month, the Trump administration asked Apple to remove an app from its App Store that crowdsourced sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcemen...
When AI is your job interviewer
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 sho...
A school cellphone ban study, white collar jobs wither, and spooky candy prices
It’s … Indicators of the…Eek! (Indicators of the Week.) Our regular look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
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Are China and India BFFs now?
China and India have a long, complicated history. Just a few years ago, there was a spate of armed skirmishes between the two nations. And yet, there...
Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?
Health insurance subsidies are at the center of the current government shutdown. Democrats want to extend some expiring Affordable Care Act/Obamacare...
How Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel
Republican politicians like to use the term ‘Marxist’ to criticize Democrats. Lately, they’ve dubbed New York City mayoral candidate a ‘Marxist’ despi...
The new language of AI tech workers
It’s hard for young tech workers to find a job, even with the AI buildout bonanza. This has spawned a curious worldview that fears AI is coming for ou...
Amazon's outage, anxious retirees, and LA brings the Heat, too
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: the A...
Are concert tickets UNDER priced?
Ticketmaster's CEO says that concert tickets are underpriced. But from inflation to bots to unscrupulous resellers, the market for tickets feels out o...
No AI data centers in my backyard!
In the rush to power AI, data centers are popping up in small communities across the U.S. But a growing backlash against this build-out is pitting com...
Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?
Quarterly earnings reports are a long-standing requirement for public companies in the U.S. But the Trump administration wants to axe quarterly releas...
Why are veterinarian bills getting so ruff on the wallet?
Since 2020, the cost of veterinary care has increased about 40%—almost twice the rate of inflation. As a result, many pet owners say they've skipped n...
Government shutdown fallout, price floors, and AI slop against the machine
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: Frozen and c...
OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy
There have been many headline-grabbing AI deals recently: Nvidia investing up to $100 billion in OpenAI. OpenAI promising to buy $300 billion worth of...
Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings
From drones to body armor to bulletproof whiteboards, companies are offering schools a multitude of products to try to deter or protect against the ne...
Why do we live in unusually innovative times?
For most of human history, economic growth was, well, pretty bleak. But around the Enlightenment, things started clicking. This year's Nobel Memorial...
Scam compounds, sewing patterns and stolen dimes
As Vice Week wraps up here at The Indicator, we wanted to take a slightly different perspective on the evolving business of crime and take a look at T...
How AI might mess with financial markets
Market manipulation is an age-old issue. People trying to make money off unsuspecting investors by artificially influencing the price of a stock, say....
When cartels start to diversify
The Sinaloa Cartel made the bulk of its money on cocaine. But cartels are diversifying into new operations including things like wildlife trafficking....
What’s supercharging data breaches?
It may seem like data breaches have gotten a heck of a lot more common. Well, there’s something to that. The bad guys are getting badder faster than t...
Fighting AI with AI
With only several seconds of audio, someone can clone a victim’s voice, call their bank, and potentially get access to … everything. Vocal deepfakes h...
Vice Series: The evolving business of crime
Crime doesn’t resemble the old days. A deepfake of your voice can be used to convince a relative you need money. AI bots are capable of colluding in f...
Why Americans don't want to move for jobs anymore
Americans are moving at record lows for work. What’s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today’s Jobs Friday, we explore the...
How close is the US to crony capitalism?
We have seen a blurring of boundaries between government and business under President Trump. It has some political commentators ringing the alarm bell...
Why is everyone buying gold?
Gold is on fire right now with some gold ETFs outperforming the major stock indexes over the past 12 months. Gold is supposed to be boring, an inflati...
We're about to lose a lot of foreign STEM workers
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitioners. Today on the show, we talk to an economist about how...
What media consolidation means for free speech
Jimmy Kimmel’s brief departure from the airwaves triggered a wave of debate over free speech. Partly triggering his suspension was the government thr...
Argentina's bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season
It’s Indicators of the Week! It is that show where we parse the most fascinating financial numbers in the news and bring them to you.
On...
No, your doctor isn't getting rich off of vaccines
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Junior says doctors are pushing vaccines onto their patients in order to make profits.
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Why are so many public schools closing?
Faced with declining enrollment, public school districts across the country are rethinking how many schools they can run. Fewer students often means l...