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
July 18, 2025 • 9 mins
The movies come to Indicators of the Week. We dig into why one film is letting you reserve tickets a whole year in advance, what ticket prices might tell us about tariffs and inflation, and how Los Angeles might be cutting back on the red tape when it comes to making movies there.
Related episodes:
Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? (Apple / Spotify)
The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance (Apple ...
Related episodes:
Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? (Apple / Spotify)
The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance (Apple ...
Mark as Played
July 17, 2025 • 9 mins
Cosplay—or dressing up as your favorite character from pop culture—is fun! But it can fall into a legal gray area when it comes to companies' intellectual property.
Today on the show: a group of cosplayers, Lucasfilm(!), a lawyer, and finding economic symbiosis in order to express yourself.
Related episodes:
Before La La Land there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple / Spotify)
Why aren't filmmakers shooting i...
Today on the show: a group of cosplayers, Lucasfilm(!), a lawyer, and finding economic symbiosis in order to express yourself.
Related episodes:
Before La La Land there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple / Spotify)
Why aren't filmmakers shooting i...
Mark as Played
July 16, 2025 • 9 mins
No country can come close to the amount of money Americans spend at the box office each year ... that is, until China came along. The US and Chinese film industries have a long intertwined history, with shifting power dynamics.
Today on the show, we continue our week-long look at the movie business as we explore the on-and-off romance between Hollywood and China's film industries.
Related episodes:
Why aren't...
Today on the show, we continue our week-long look at the movie business as we explore the on-and-off romance between Hollywood and China's film industries.
Related episodes:
Why aren't...
Mark as Played
July 15, 2025 • 9 mins
Despite being, ya know, Hollywood, more and more movies and TV shows are shooting outside of Tinseltown.
Dozens of U.S. states and many countries offer subsidies for film production. This has drawn filmmakers away from L.A. and led to historically low levels of shooting activity in recent years in the city.
After the COVID shutdowns, labor strikes, and January's devastating wildfires ... what can bring back LA's...
Dozens of U.S. states and many countries offer subsidies for film production. This has drawn filmmakers away from L.A. and led to historically low levels of shooting activity in recent years in the city.
After the COVID shutdowns, labor strikes, and January's devastating wildfires ... what can bring back LA's...
Mark as Played
July 14, 2025 • 9 mins
Hollywood, baby! The glitz! The glamour! The ever-changing business models! This week, The Indicator is going to the movies. Starting today with the history of Hollywood and where it began ... New Jersey!
Related episode:
The Origin Of The Oscars
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 Sierra Jua...
Related episode:
The Origin Of The Oscars
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 Sierra Jua...
Mark as Played
July 11, 2025 • 9 mins
We are back with Indicators of the Week! Today, we'll be digging into why U.S. professional gamblers are worried about their future, why businesses might start investing more in research and development, and why cancelling your subscriptions is going to remain difficult.
Related episodes:
How sports gambling blew up (Apple / Spotify)
The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict (Apple / Spotify)
The 'Pla...
Related episodes:
How sports gambling blew up (Apple / Spotify)
The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict (Apple / Spotify)
The 'Pla...
Mark as Played
July 10, 2025 • 9 mins
Many small businesses are online now, but so are cyber criminals trying to take advantage. On today's show, how one bar owner fell victim to a Facebook scam and if big tech could do more to protect small business owners from increasing cyber attacks. Read Stephan's original piece.
Related:
The secret world of those scammy text messages
After being scammed, one woman tries to get her money back
For spon...
Related:
The secret world of those scammy text messages
After being scammed, one woman tries to get her money back
For spon...
Mark as Played
July 9, 2025 • 9 mins
We are just at the start of hurricane season, and we're already seeing the danger and tragedy brought on by storms. There's another cost that gets much less attention, but it's a gamble everyone in the path of a storm has to make.
Today on the show, we examine the decision on whether or not to evacuate from an oncoming disaster.
Based on the digital story: 1 reason people don't evacuate for hurricanes? Rising cos...
Today on the show, we examine the decision on whether or not to evacuate from an oncoming disaster.
Based on the digital story: 1 reason people don't evacuate for hurricanes? Rising cos...
Mark as Played
July 8, 2025 • 8 mins
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is now law. It's expected to cost the government a pretty penny. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a $3.4 trillion increase in the deficit over ten years. This is driven by significant tax cuts, including extensions of those made in 2017.
Trump's advisors argue the tax cuts will pay for themselves. Today on the show, we speak with the guru on that school of thought, Arthur Laffer, and...
Trump's advisors argue the tax cuts will pay for themselves. Today on the show, we speak with the guru on that school of thought, Arthur Laffer, and...
Mark as Played
July 7, 2025 • 9 mins
In the U.S., we insure most everything we sell. So why not trees? Today on the show why trees aren't insured like other crops, and what it would take to get that insurance with extreme weather events on the rise.
Related episodes:
When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. ...
Related episodes:
When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. ...
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July 4, 2025 • 20 mins
This episode was first published as a bonus episode for our Planet Money+ listeners. Today, we're making it available for everyone!
U.S. aid helped Eswatini and Lesotho, two small countries in southern Africa, in their efforts to treat and curb the spread of HIV. Will President Trump's "America First" foreign policy threaten years of progress there against the virus?
In this bonus episode, we're featuring an ex...
U.S. aid helped Eswatini and Lesotho, two small countries in southern Africa, in their efforts to treat and curb the spread of HIV. Will President Trump's "America First" foreign policy threaten years of progress there against the virus?
In this bonus episode, we're featuring an ex...
Mark as Played
July 3, 2025 • 9 mins
The Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants might be the most profound change in the American labor market right now. Industries that rely on immigrant labor are especially vulnerable, as ICE continues to raid businesses believed to have unauthorized workers.
Today on the show, we talk to representatives from the agriculture, construction and long-term care industries to ask: Are people still showing up to work? <...
Today on the show, we talk to representatives from the agriculture, construction and long-term care industries to ask: Are people still showing up to work? <...
Mark as Played
July 2, 2025 • 8 mins
We are back with another edition of listener questions! In this round, we tackle recession pop, why the job market feels so crummy for IT grads, and whether President Trump saying that Walmart "eat the tariffs" is a form of price control.
Related episodes:
Hits of the Dips: Songs of recessions past (Apple / Spotify)
The beef over price controls
Price Controls, Black Markets, and Skimpflation: The WWII Battle Agai...
Related episodes:
Hits of the Dips: Songs of recessions past (Apple / Spotify)
The beef over price controls
Price Controls, Black Markets, and Skimpflation: The WWII Battle Agai...
Mark as Played
July 1, 2025 • 9 mins
Over the past century, the world's human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradually declined. And if that trend continues as it has, we may soon see a crash in the population rate, which some argue could have disastrous effects.
Today on the show, we talk to co-authors Michael Geruso and Dean Spears about their forthcoming book After the Spike: Population...
Today on the show, we talk to co-authors Michael Geruso and Dean Spears about their forthcoming book After the Spike: Population...
Mark as Played
June 30, 2025 • 9 mins
Whether you're watching Love Island in an RV or streaming a playlist in a remote California campground, if you're using satellite internet, odds are you're using Elon Musk's Starlink.
Today on the show, we learn how Starlink got such a big lead in the satellite market and if it can stay ahead of the European Union, China, and, of course, Jeff Bezos.
Related episodes:
Elon's giant rocket
Why I joined DOGE ...
Today on the show, we learn how Starlink got such a big lead in the satellite market and if it can stay ahead of the European Union, China, and, of course, Jeff Bezos.
Related episodes:
Elon's giant rocket
Why I joined DOGE ...
Mark as Played
June 27, 2025 • 9 mins
It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today's episode: Could more babies change the climate in a big way? Why did a U.S. judge side with AI company Anthropic? And why is the bond market so chill these days?
Related episodes:
Artists vs. AI
You told us how tariffs are affecting you (Apple/Spotify)
For sponsor-free episod...
On today's episode: Could more babies change the climate in a big way? Why did a U.S. judge side with AI company Anthropic? And why is the bond market so chill these days?
Related episodes:
Artists vs. AI
You told us how tariffs are affecting you (Apple/Spotify)
For sponsor-free episod...
Mark as Played
June 26, 2025 • 8 mins
During World War II, the U.S. shipbuilding industry flourished. Now, it's nearly non-existent. China is the dominant shipbuilder in the world economy. On today's show, we look at what happened to American shipbuilding and the protectionist impulses that could stifle a revival.
Related episodes:
Will Iran block the Strait of Hormuz?
The great turnaround in shipping
The wide open possibility of the high seas
Related episodes:
Will Iran block the Strait of Hormuz?
The great turnaround in shipping
The wide open possibility of the high seas
Mark as Played
June 25, 2025 • 9 mins
What's the price to save a human life? We examine the monumental legacy of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with journalist Jon Cohen, who traveled to Eswatini and Lesotho to learn how cuts under the Trump Administration are hitting people at the clinic door.
Related episodes:
The gutting of USAID
How USAID cuts hurts farmers
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Pla...
Related episodes:
The gutting of USAID
How USAID cuts hurts farmers
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Pla...
Mark as Played
June 24, 2025 • 9 mins
The world has held a close eye on the Strait of Hormuz lately with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. Nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil passes through the narrow waterway, and many are worried Iran could shut the strait down. Today on the show, we explore what it would mean for Iran to close off the strait, and what insurance could tell us about tensions in the Middle East.
Related episodes:
Oil prices and the...
Related episodes:
Oil prices and the...
Mark as Played
June 23, 2025 • 9 mins
Americans like to spend money. In fact, we spend more per person than almost any other country in the world. So, we wanted to know how an uncertain economy is affecting that. Today on the show, we hear from consumers directly on how their spending habits have changed the past few months.
Related episodes:
How's ... everybody doing? (Apple / Spotify)
Three ways consumers are feeling the pinch (Apple / Spotify)
Related episodes:
How's ... everybody doing? (Apple / Spotify)
Three ways consumers are feeling the pinch (Apple / Spotify)
Mark as Played
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