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

Student loans are back, U.S. travel is whack, and AI — please, step back

April 25, 2025 • 9 mins

It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at the some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

On today's episode, we investigate falling foreign travel to the U.S., why student loan default collections are back, and why maaaaaaaybe being so friendly with our AI chatbot pals has a cost.

Related episodes:
Economists take on student loan forgiveness
Is AI overrated? (Apple / Spotify)...

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Who's advising Trump on trade?

April 24, 2025 • 9 mins

President Trump has not been afraid to tack on tariffs over and over again. Allies and foes alike are anxiously wondering if the tariffs will stick or whether a trade deal will be made. On today's episode, we take a look behind the curtains of the White House administration and examine the advisors whispering into Trump's ear.

Related episodes:
Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump (Apple / Spotify)
China's trade war per...

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Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump

April 23, 2025 • 9 mins

Donald Trump grew up learning to make deals. He's also loved tariffs since the 1970s.

So are his market-shaking tariffs a bargaining chip? Or are they here permanently?

We go all the way back to Trump's childhood to try to figure out if Dealmaker Don or Tariff Man Trump is in charge.

Marc Fisher's book with Michael Kranish is Trump, Revealed.

Related episodes:
What's so bad about a trade ...

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China's trade war perspective

April 22, 2025 • 9 mins

By now, you've heard a lot about how the U.S.-China trade war is affecting American consumers, businesses and the stock market. But how is the trade war being felt in China? Today on the show, two of NPR's in-house China experts, Emily Feng and John Ruwitch, explain the view from China.

Related episodes:
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<...

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A trap-loving DJ takes on economics

April 21, 2025 • 9 mins

It's time for The Indicator Quiz! We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we've covered on The Indicator.

Today's quiz show involves a DJ from Vancouver, Washington that tests his economic education on the World Trade Organization, the Panama Canal, and of course, Bad Bunny.

Play along with us and see how you do!

Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Em...

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Economic lessons learned from Investopedia (and Ferris Bueller)

April 17, 2025 • 9 mins

The current economic upheaval has lots of us scrambling for our glossaries and history books.

Today on the show, the editor-in-chief of Investopedia walks us through three vocab terms — spanning topics from tariff history to market volatility — that are spiking on the website lately.

Related listening:
Did Trump enable insider trading? (Apple / Spotify)
What's a moneyline bet anyway? (Apple / Spotify)
W...

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Did Trump enable insider trading?

April 16, 2025 • 9 mins

On the morning of April 9, President Trump posted on Truth Social "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT." Around four hours later, he announced a pause on some new tariffs, causing a stock market spike. Now, Democrats are demanding an investigation into possible insider trading. But were Trump's posts actually insider trading?

Related episodes:
Morally questionable, economically efficient (Apple / Spotify)
An insider ...

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The spat over VAT

April 15, 2025 • 9 mins

If you've ever passed through airport customs overseas and been refunded a VAT — or value added tax — for souvenirs, you've benefited from the VAT system. But President Trump says VAT is unfair to the U.S. On today's episode, we learn what VAT is and what it isn't.

Related episodes:
What's so bad about a trade deficit? (Apple / Spotify)
Tarrified! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
Why there's no refere...

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How much is a weather forecast worth? (Update)

April 14, 2025 • 8 mins

The federal government has been tracking the weather for more than 150 years. But the rise of the Internet and big tech have made weather forecasting a more crowded space. Today on the show, the value of an accurate forecast and how the Trump administration's early moves are clouding the government's future forecasting. This piece originally aired in November 2024.

Related stories:
Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge ...

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IRS information sharing, bonds bust, and a chorebot future

April 11, 2025 • 9 mins

Today on the show, we discuss why the IRS is sharing some taxpayer information, why bonds and stocks both fell, and how robots will replace you,or at least most of your chore wheel, in the near future.

Related episodes:
Why are stocks and bonds both falling?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking b...

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What keeps a Fed president up at night

April 10, 2025 • 9 mins

"There's no bad weather, only bad clothing." That's the motto of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where Austan Goolsbee is president. As economic weather conditions stay unpredictable, Austan tells us how he's gearing up for tariffs, inflation, and more.

Related episodes:
The Fed cut rates ... now what? (featuring: Sasquatch) (Apple / Spotify)
Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
A chat with...

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What happens when an economist becomes prime minister?

April 9, 2025 • 9 mins

Today on the show, we meet Canada's new Prime Minister, economist Mark Carney.

What's it like when your former job — being a non-political banker who decides a country's interest rate — bleeds into your now-political decisions on everything?

Related episodes:
A polite message from Canada to the U.S. (Apple / Spotify)

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR ...

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What's so bad about a trade deficit?

April 8, 2025 • 9 mins

President Trump claims a main goal of his crippling tariffs is to address the U.S. trade deficit. So is the U.S. trade deficit a problem? On today's show, why we'll never have a trade surplus with every single country; what the benefits of a trade deficit are; and whether or not the trade deficit affects jobs.

Related episodes:
Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
Why there's no referee for the tr...

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Tariffied! We check in on businesses

April 7, 2025 • 8 mins

Trump's wave of tariffs is here. Just about everyone in the world of business is still processing exactly what this means. It's a massive, widespread increase in taxes. Today on the show, we hear from business people we've had on the show who tell us what they're doing in response to the latest, and largest, wave of tariffs.

Related episodes:
Trump's contradictory trade policies (Apple / Spotify)
How's ... everybo...

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How states are scooping up federal workers

April 4, 2025 • 7 mins

It's Jobs Friday and all eyes are on government workers. Will the Trump administration's layoffs finally show up in the latest jobs report? Today on the show, we look at the numbers for federal workers and who's trying to hire them.

Related listening:
Can ... we still trust the monthly jobs report (Apple / Spotify)
The last time we shrank the federal workforce (Apple / Spotify)
A 'Fork in the Road' for federa...

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Why the great vinyl shortage is over

April 3, 2025 • 9 mins

There have now been a few major vinyl booms. And unbeknownst to many, a small village in the Czech Republic has been responsible for manufacturing a large number of these albums. On today's show, how this dominant player became a problem for its competitors in the U.S.

Related episodes:
Rumor has it Adele broke the vinyl supply chain
'Let's Get It On' ... in court (Update) (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-f...

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What $10 billion in data centers actually gets you

April 2, 2025 • 9 mins

Billions of tech dollars flowing into a community to build data centers should transform a local economy ... right? Well, maybe not.

On today's episode: Why data centers create few permanent jobs. And why communities might want them anyway.

Related episodes:
Why China's DeepSeek AI is such a big deal (Apple / Spotify)
Is AI overrated? (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator fro...

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Should we vote for all judges?

April 1, 2025 • 8 mins

Mexico is gearing up to directly elect federal and state judges for the first time this June. President Claudia Sheinbaum says the new system will combat nepotism and increase the integrity of the courts. But critics see it as a naked attempt to dilute the court's independence. Today on the show, how Mexico's judicial reforms are creating angst for businesses at home and abroad.

Related episodes:
SCOTUS: De-facto pro-...

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Overly Friendly Emails and other marketing pet peeves

March 31, 2025 • 9 mins

Brands trying to be your best bud. Generational labels. Gendered double standards.

Today on the show: three advertising experts bring their three pet peeves in advertisements.

Related episodes:
How to make an ad memorable (Apple / Spotify)
J. Screwed
The Gender Gap Series: The Problem With The Pink Tax

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via...

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Missing taxes, spiking copper and Napster's re-re-rebirth

March 28, 2025 • 9 mins

On Indicators of the Week, we look at a huge projected tax shortfall, the price of copper and the afterlife of Napster, the peer-to-peer file-sharing service that refuses to die.

Related episodes:
A new-ish gold rush and other indicators (Apple / Spotify)
Can the Federal Reserve stay independent (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via...

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The Indicator from Planet Money

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Student loans are back, U.S. travel is whack, and AI — please, step back

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Who's advising Trump on trade?

Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump

China's trade war perspective

A trap-loving DJ takes on economics

Economic lessons learned from Investopedia (and Ferris Bueller)

Did Trump enable insider trading?

The spat over VAT

How much is a weather forecast worth? (Update)

IRS information sharing, bonds bust, and a chorebot future

What keeps a Fed president up at night

What happens when an economist becomes prime minister?

What's so bad about a trade deficit?

Tariffied! We check in on businesses

How states are scooping up federal workers

Why the great vinyl shortage is over

What $10 billion in data centers actually gets you

Should we vote for all judges?

Overly Friendly Emails and other marketing pet peeves

Missing taxes, spiking copper and Napster's re-re-rebirth

Popular Podcasts

Student loans are back, U.S. travel is whack, and AI — please, step back

Who's advising Trump on trade?