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.
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When will the Iran war hit food prices?
The US-Israel war in Iran is already being felt by American consumers at the gas pump, but when — and how badly — could it be felt at the supermarket?...
How your bank account might predict dementia
Some of the earliest signs of dementia can show up in your financial portfolio. Missed bill payments and erratic investments could be indicators, and...
How taxing the wealthy could work
Tax cuts for the middle and working classes, and tax hikes for the rich. What's behind this trend? We ask Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen to expla...
Polymarket bots, lithium found: lots!, marathon shoe thoughts
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On t...
The UAE wants a dollar lifeline
With the Iran War underway, the United Arab Emirates is looking for some economic certainty. The rich Arab nation is home to a lot of foreign-held dep...
The new economic arms race
Iran’s weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz is the perfect example of how modern warfare is increasingly waged, not only with drones and bombs, but a...
Jan. 6ers already got pardoned. Will they get their money back too?
In 2025, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of the Jan.6 rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 202...
Premium and affordable products are having a moment
It’s the Beigie awards! Our less than ten times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy.
Today on the...
The Devil Wears Prada Index, SNAP, and flight cancellations
It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news! And unlike florals for spring, these numbers ARE g...
How to get your tariff cash back
Businesses might finally see some tariff money refunded to them. That’s because this week, the federal government officially rolled out a process that...
The Iran war puts the petrodollar regime to the test
The global oil market has supported the U.S. dollar for more than 50 years. But the system has shown signs of cracking. Amidst the Iran war, Iran has...
Corporate landlords aren't the real villain
So you want to buy a house. You MIGHT notice that the owner isn’t a neighbor in your town, but a large corporation. A recent housing bill that passed...
Is anyone gonna do anything about these Iran War trades?
Traders have made millions betting on the Iran War. They are also suspiciously timed. No public information, then boom: a Truth Social post from Presi...
Fed chair, health care, and AI shoe repair
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 dra...
Fixing the oil crisis might not fix the Persian Gulf
If the Strait of Hormuz completely reopens, it still might not be enough to restart the economies in the Persian Gulf. Many countries there have been...
Think the oil shock is bad in the US? Look here
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is pretty slow right now. A once steady stream of global oil has been severed, and oil prices have shot into the...
How the workplace helps you win Survivor
With the 50th season of Survivor underway, three former Survivor winners tell us how some of the skills they learned in their careers helped them win...
Can you really do what you love?
They say do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. But c’mon. Is that possible in this day and age? On today’s show, we speak to a te...
Class myths, an influx of e-ships, and pricey Olympics tix!
It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news. (Now on YouTube!)
On today’s episode...
Where AI data centers are reducing power bills
Over the last half decade, wholesale electricity prices have increased 267% in places close to data centers. That’s contributed to a backlash against...
How are drivers riding out the gas crisis?
Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com
If you’re a commuter, gas prices may not be yo...
Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation
We practically live on our phones these days. Scrolling and scrolling, endlessly. Entrepreneur Aza Raskin is responsible for creating this infinite sc...
Is the economy red, orange, yellow or green?
Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com
It’s not often you get to talk to a regional F...
Jobs that new college grads are and are not landing
Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com
Economists have described the state of the jobs...
Greetings from: Our favorite public goods
Freedom of the Seas. GPS. The Large Hadron Collider. These are all public goods that make our world more prosperous, accurate, and knowledgeable. But...
Why Pokémon cards are growing faster than your retirement account
Pokémon cards are scorching hot right now. An index tracking the thousands of rare cards shows that valuations have increased 170% in the last year al...
Who's afraid of private credit?
There is a $3 trillion dollar black box at the center of the economy. It’s called private credit. These are direct loans from private investors to pri...
Do school lunches really need an overhaul?
School lunch has been revamped a ton over the last two decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to rejigger the menu once more to align with its M...
The US loses tech hires, sayonora to Sora, and Afroman's win
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On t...
Tracing the tax that's supposed to fund TSA
Every time you buy a ticket that leaves a U.S. airport, you pay a fee that’s supposed to help fund the TSA. So why have TSA workers been working witho...
Your next flight doesn't have to be so expensive. Here's why
Why are flight tickets so expensive right now? Increased oil prices seems like it’d be the obvious answer. That’s mostly right. Airlines used to do so...
Why hasn't the Russian economy collapsed?
How has Russia’s economy not completely collapsed after four years of war, sanctions and billions in debt? One economist says it is the war that has b...
The multimillion dollar Saturday Night Live UK gamble
Live from London, it’s Saturday Night? Saturday Night Live made its UK debut over the weekend after a well-hyped promotional campaign. Will this all-A...
Trump and truckers, Poland prospers, and a booming ant biz
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On t...
How Iran is wasting American resources
Iran is using an affordable strategy to even the playing field in the war with the U.S. It’s using drones that cost in the thousands of dollars to com...
How much is the Iran war costing us?
It’s really hard to estimate the total cost of war in the middle of one. Over the first six days of the Iran war, an estimated $11.3 billion was charg...
A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock
The U.S. and Israel war with Iran is causing a shock to the economic system. Gas prices are higher, diesel too, and even fertilizer is being affected....
Can anything save the news biz?
If you were in the business of making a bunch of money in 2026, you probably wouldn’t pick journalism. From social media to AI, the attention economy...
A lot of gas trapped, oil reserves tapped, and Live Nation gets a (tiny) cap
It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!), our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today...
Should colleges accept money from bad people?
At a dinner in 2010, physicist Sean Carroll is handed a phone. On the other end: A wealthy patron looking to potentially fund his research. Months lat...