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The Indicator from Planet Money
NPR · Business
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…
More from this show
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Why Meta is giving you Muse for free
Meta’s new AI agent Muse is one of the fastest-growing apps ever. It’s a big bet from a company spending billions to win the AI race. But what is the real cost of using this powerful, free AI product? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen – SNAP strains, youth baseball's class divide, and Meta's bug bounty…
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How bots are overtaking humans on the internet
There are now more bots than humans online. What does that mean for how we experience the internet? Can bots and humans peacefully coexist online? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen – Can the internet survive AI summaries? –Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App Connect with The Indicator…
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CoreWeave woes, Pokémon foes, and maple syrup lows
This week’s notable indicators: A distressing credit warning for CoreWeave, a Pokémon heist, and depleted maple syrup reserves in Canada. Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim. Your Next Listen – Why Pokemon cards are growing faster than your retirement account –Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App Connect…
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Can a "moneyball" system work for campaign funding?
Elections are more expensive than ever, but are campaign donations going to the races where they’ll make the most impact? Today, we talk to the startup co-founder of Oath who believes there’s a smarter way to allocate individual donations. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen – How did political campaigns…
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The case for sharing your salary
Should money and class figure more prominently in how we identify ourselves? Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist Mona Chalabi thinks yes. Today on the show, a conversation with Mona, author of the forthcoming book Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are . Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen –…
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The gamble of trying to inflate away debt
The United States national debt is running at more than $40 trillion dollars. It’s a potential crisis in the making, but President Donald Trump suggested it can all be solved just by inflating the debt away. Today, we dig into the nitty gritty on how and when inflating the national debt could work. Fact checking by…
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Why Oracle's debt load could be your problem
Oracle, the multinational tech giant has taken on a lot of loans to build up its AI capacity. But Oracle’s investors are not happy with this piling debt load. We explain why Oracle is such a pivotal player — and potentially weak link — in the AI-fueled economy. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen – How…
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Will AI take my job? Ask an economist!
Is AI coming for our jobs? Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei believes AI could wipe out many white-collar jobs in the next few years. While Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues AI will reshape existing roles and create even more jobs than we have now. So which future are we really facing: a job-pocalypse or a jobs transformation?…
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Supercore inflation, Bumble valuation and Pooh's repatriation
This week’s indicators: Why is inflation so super (derogatory)? How did Bumble go from dating app doldrums to a stock market sweetheart?; And oh, bother! Could Winnie the Pooh be moving home to England from New York City? Fact checking by Leyla Doss. Your Next Listen – Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump…
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How did political campaigns get so expensive?
The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching, and it’s gearing up to be the most expensive election in American history. So how did we get here, where every election feels more expensive than the last? Today on the show, we’re exploring what’s causing the flood of money into our politics. Fact checking by Sierra…
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A rebate runaround, a car rental rip-off and … roaches?!
A labyrinthine rebate process. Shrinking cereal boxes. Mystery rental car charges. Cockroaches?! We share listener tales of Consumer Rage and unpack the economic forces driving that ANGER. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen – Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore –Over 2,000…
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How did we get a Nobel Prize in economics?
This year's Nobel Prize for Economics went to American economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford! Their research focused on macroeconomic models and economic shocks. But … How did we get a Nobel Prize in economics, or as it’s actually called, the more long-winded “Swedish Central Bank Prize in Economic Sciences…
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The echo of the bison (Encore)
Nearly 30 million bison once roamed North America, from modern Canada to Mexico. In the late 1800s, white settlers and the U.S. military annihilated the population of bison, bringing these creatures to the brink of extinction. The consequences for the people who relied on the bison were dire — and still being felt…
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SNAP strains, youth baseball's class divide, and Meta's bug bounty
This week our top indicators include changes to the funding model for SNAP, private equity’s influence on youth baseball and Meta’s attempt to find flaws in its brand new AI assistant. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen – Why Trump's spending bill could close your grocery store –Over 2,000 episodes in…
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The chilling effect of ICE in hospitals
Federal immigration enforcement arrests reached record highs this past summer, and under the second Trump administration, immigration agents can now more easily access so-called sensitive areas, including hospitals. Today on the show: how both patients and healthcare workers are bearing the physical and economic costs…
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One economist's answer to data center anxiety
Rising electricity prices are one of the primary reasons why data centers are a public enemy this election cycle. But is it realistic to expect energy prices to stay high forever? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen No AI data centers in my backyard! Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App…
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Inside Norway's sovereign wealth fund dilemma to divest from Israel
Norway has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, but it’s facing a self-imposed dilemma. Should the fund's investments include companies that directly or indirectly contribute to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war? On today’s show, the ethical tightrope Norway is walking to invest its oil riches responsibly. Fact…
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The proper etiquette of the Venmo nudge
How do you ask your friends to pay you back in a timely way? We’ve got an etiquette coach to help with that. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen — Is this a bank? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter ! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more…
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Can we make Social Security better for blue-collar workers?
Most workers can’t start collecting full Social Security benefits until age 67. But a new proposal from Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens would allow workers in “physically demanding jobs” to receive full retirement benefits at 60. Today, two social security experts tell us the pros and cons. Fact checking by…
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New college degrees designed to job-proof graduates
What do influencing, AI and health sciences have in common? They’re all degree programs colleges have launched in the last few years to attract students looking for a new career path. On today's show, how colleges are rethinking degrees for a changing job market. Fact checking by Leyla Doss. Your Next Listen —…
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Is investing in sports worth it for universities?
Universities spend millions of dollars every year on their athletics programs. But does that investment pay off? Today, we interrogate the “Doug Flutie Effect.” Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim. Your Next Listen — How college sports juiced Olympic development Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s…
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What does every business need but not every industry has?
What rhymes with "snakes" and helps the government classify economic activity? NAICS — or the North American Industry Classification System. These codes categorize every industry from artificial turf installation to zucchini farming. But they’re not exactly easy to get. Today we look at one business’ quest for a NAICS…
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How the rich make money by losing money
Decades ago, rich Americans used to pay taxes as high as 40% on their investments. Nowadays, an obscure investment strategy is helping them slash that figure toward … 0%. Today on the show, Bloomberg reporter Loukia Gyftopoulou, tells us about this generation’s “great American tax dodge,” and the “mad genius” behind…
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Unaffordability index: Rent, GLP-1s, Obamacare
This week’s indicators: Rent is squeezing middle-income earners, the Trump admin is squeezing ACA enrollees, and GLP-1s are squeezing employers. Fact checking by Julia Ritchey. Your Next Listen — Why GLP-1s aren't lowering employers' costs Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter ! —…
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What Doordash, Dell and Palantir all have in common
President Trump and his money managers made more stock trades since his second term started than all members of Congress combined . The White House says there is no conflict of interest. Today on the show, we look at three companies he’s traded in that raise ethical flags because of their relationship with the federal…
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Why are used cars priced like new cars?
The used car market is out of control and there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix for high prices. Today, three reasons why finding an affordable car is so difficult. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen — Prepping for a rainy day and higher used car prices Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The…
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How will the US refill its dwindling oil reserves?
Whether it’s oil from Venezuela or somewhere else, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve needs to be refilled. The SPR is widely considered critical for energy security. On today’s show, the challenges to refilling the reserves at a time of high federal debt and climbing gas prices. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez .…
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How Hemp-THC businesses are bracing for a near total ban
Follow us to Tennessee where hemp farmers are already pivoting in the face of a state ban and soon, a looming federal ban on basically all THC-derived hemp products. Will Congress step in to save this $28 billion industry? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen — How would-be weed merchants hit a ‘grass…
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OpenAI's waiting game, gas pump pain, and severe sulfur strain!
This week’s indicators: Tracking your pain at the gas pump in real-time; OpenAI’s IPO hard-launch tug-of-war; one unexpected ingredient is making fertilizer—and potentially your groceries—a whole lot more expensive. Fact checking by Schuyler Swenson. Your Next Listen — What Iran teaches us about why wars start Connect…
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Strait talk: Why the oil crisis is getting worse
A vital artery for Saudi oil exports is under siege and it’s not the Strait of Hormuz. Today on the show, we explain what’s going on in the Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane connected to the Red Sea, why it’s important, and why the global oil crisis is poised to get even worse. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next…
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