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
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 ...
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 ...
Mark as Played
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:
What might save China's economy (Apple / Spotify)
Tarrified! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
<...
Related episodes:
What might save China's economy (Apple / Spotify)
Tarrified! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
<...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
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 ...
Related episodes:
Morally questionable, economically efficient (Apple / Spotify)
An insider ...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
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 ...
Related stories:
Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge ...
Mark as Played
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...
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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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...
Related episodes:
The Fed cut rates ... now what? (featuring: Sasquatch) (Apple / Spotify)
Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
A chat with...
Mark as Played
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 ...
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 ...
Mark as Played
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...
Related episodes:
Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
Why there's no referee for the tr...
Mark as Played
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...
Related episodes:
Trump's contradictory trade policies (Apple / Spotify)
How's ... everybo...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
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...
Related episodes:
Rumor has it Adele broke the vinyl supply chain
'Let's Get It On' ... in court (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-f...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
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-...
Related episodes:
SCOTUS: De-facto pro-...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
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...
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...
Mark as Played
March 27, 2025 • 8 mins
Many nonprofits accept your used cars as a way to donate. This happens from Make-A-Wish America to Habitat for Humanity to ... public radio stations!
So, how does the process actually work? And who takes a cut along the way?
Today, we follow the car money.
Related episodes:
Show your love for The Indicator from Planet Money by making a donation
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator fr...
So, how does the process actually work? And who takes a cut along the way?
Today, we follow the car money.
Related episodes:
Show your love for The Indicator from Planet Money by making a donation
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator fr...
Mark as Played
March 26, 2025 • 9 mins
As relations between the US and Europe continue to sour, European countries are working to lower their reliance on the U.S. for weapons and security. Today on the show, we ask what Europe needs to do to become independent militarily and what potential barriers could stand in the way.
Related episodes:
Europe's NATO members take an economic hit (Apple / Spotify)
Two Indicators: Economics of the defense industry (Apple...
Related episodes:
Europe's NATO members take an economic hit (Apple / Spotify)
Two Indicators: Economics of the defense industry (Apple...
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