The Indicator from Planet Money

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What's The Indicator from Planet Money about?

A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.

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Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth ...

12.01.2023

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on whether the federal government can tax some "unrealized" gains. That's when an asset you hold, rather than sell, gains value. Tax experts say it's the biggest constitutional tax case ...

The Indicator from Planet Money episodes:

12.01.2023 Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes? The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on whether the federal government can tax some "unrealized" gains. That's when an asset you hold, rather than sell, gains value. Tax experts say it's the biggest constitutional tax case ...
11.29.2023 Putting the 80/20 rule to the test A favorite of productivity hackers, the Pareto Principle, aka the 80/20 rule, has taken on a life of its own since it was first observed by an Italian economist over a century ago. The concept states that a small number ...
11.28.2023 Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war The Middle East is synonymous with oil production. And historically, oil prices usually surge when there's a conflict there. But right now, despite the Israel-Hamas war, we're seeing the opposite — oil prices have fallen. Today on the show: how ...
11.27.2023 Texas' new power grid problem In 2021, a huge winter storm hit Texas. It caused a days-long blackout that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The Texas grid operator adopted a new policy to guard against another blackout: it would incentivize plants to keep power in ...
11.22.2023 A salary to be grateful for, and other Thanksgiving indicators It's an Indicator Friendsgiving! You're not alone in feeling the news has been awfully grim this year. So we're taking a collective breath and sitting down at the table to find some economic indicators to be thankful for. That includes ...
11.22.2023 How "dark defaults" could cost you A lot of people have experienced some version of this: You sign up for the free one-week trial of some subscription service, only later to be surprised when you get a bill for the deluxe, forever plan. Or you log ...
11.21.2023 The messy human drama behind OpenAI The company behind ChatGPT pushed out its CEO Sam Altman on Friday. OpenAI's board gave the public little insight into its controversial decision. On Sunday, Microsoft announced it was hiring Sam Altman. By Monday morning, hundreds of OpenAI employees are ...
11.17.2023 Prices fall, unemployment rises and Boomers have all the houses We've been on a wild economic ride lately so let's find the key trends to make sense of where the economy's headed. On this edition of Indicators of the Week, the numbers you need to know about falling producer prices, ...
11.17.2023 How do cheap cell phone plans make money? And other questions You ask, we answer! Today we answer listener questions on whether certain jobs are becoming "feminized" since COVID started and how that affects what these jobs pay. We also examine labor unions' economic impact and why Ryan Reynolds keeps sending ...
11.16.2023 The evidence on school vouchers that'll please nobody School vouchers, or school choice as it's known among advocates, is public funding for children to attend private schools. It's a controversial policy — some say it undermines the public school system, others say it gives parents the ability to ...
11.15.2023 Xi and him President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping have not sat down for a face-to-face discussion in a year. In that time, Chinese-American relations have become even more tense with the spy balloon incident, the US cracking down on advanced ...
11.14.2023 When a staple becomes a luxury Fish and chips have long been a staple cheap comfort food for millions of people in the U.K. However, economic headwinds are putting the squeeze on owners of fish and chip shops. Today, we explore how changes in economic conditions ...
11.11.2023 Actors back. Pandas gone. WeBankrupt. This time on Indicators of the Week: actors reached a deal with Hollywood studios after their months-long strike. The once-popular co-working company WeWork has filed for bankruptcy. Also, three pandas departed the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. as China ...
11.09.2023 A radical plan to fix Argentina's inflation In a little over a week, Argentines will head to the polls to pick a new president. Polls show a tightening race between right-wing populist Javier Milei and centrist challenger Sergio Massa. Both are pledging to address the country's out-of-control ...
11.08.2023 Bond. World's oldest living bond. Hidden deep in an archive in New Jersey is the world's oldest living bond. Originally issued to fund a dike in the Netherlands after a big flood, these days, it's gearing up for its 400th birthday and still paying interest. ...
11.07.2023 A bad economy can be good for your health When economist Chris Ruhm first got the results from his study on the possible connection between recession and health, he thought he had made a mistake. But time and time again, he got the same results, overturning a decade of ...
11.07.2023 The spectacle of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial Last week, the former crypto wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty for his role in the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The 31-year-old former billionaire fashioned himself as someone who would revolutionize the crypto industry, but now faces the ...
11.03.2023 Why everyone in the labor market is being picky The American economy is still running hot and the labor market is showing astounding resilience despite elevated interest rates. Things are so good that there's some pickiness being displayed by both employers and employees. Today, we look at what's turning ...
11.02.2023 How the South is trying to win the EV race A new Hyundai plant in Georgia. A Ford mega campus in Tennessee. The Southeast is quickly becoming a hub for electric vehicles and the manufacturing of its components. Today on the show, we explore the South's formula for landing EV ...
11.01.2023 Trying to solve the mystery of big bond yields If you're wincing at high interest rates on a potential loan right now, it's not just you. And the Federal Reserve's rate hikes actually isn't (entirely) to blame either. There's another culprit: the rate of a return, or yield, on ...
11.01.2023 Are real estate agent fees a racket? In the typical home sale, the home seller pays a commission, not just to their agent, but also to the buyer's agent. This fee-sharing arrangement is part of a decades-old practice involving what real estate agents call an "offer of ...
10.30.2023 A finance fright fest Halloween is just around the corner and our hosts are scrambling to find the perfect costume. Today on the show, we scare up fresh costume ideas based on Wall Street's scariest financial jargon. If you know where to look, you ...
10.27.2023 Europe vs. US economies... and a dime heist This time on Indicators of the Week: the U.S. is seeing massive economic growth, but there are a couple of asterisks. The European Central Bank is holding off on additional rate hikes, citing a weak economy in the eurozone. Also, ...
10.26.2023 What happened to the internet without net neutrality? The fiery debate over how the government should regulate the internet came to a head in 2017. That's when the Trump-led Federal Communications Commission repealed so-called net neutrality rules put in place during the Obama administration. The rules were meant ...
10.25.2023 The Beigie Awards: Why banks are going on a "loan diet" Every time a new Beige Book report rolls around, we honor the regional Federal Reserve bank with the best anecdote with our prestigious Beigie Award. The winner of the October 2023 Beigie highlighted an interesting shift in the behavior of ...
10.24.2023 Why offshore wind is facing headwinds The Gulf of Mexico saw its first-ever auction of leases for offshore wind this summer. It was another sign of the Biden administration's desire to get more renewable energy online as fast as possible. Expectations were high for the sale ...
10.23.2023 How IBM's gamble ushered in the computer age In the book of corporate folklore, former IBM CEO Thomas Watson Jr. deserves a special spot. Specifically, the massive gamble he took in 1964 to introduce the System/360, which had the potential to undermine his own company's entire business model. ...
10.20.2023 More fraud, higher bond yields, and faster airline boarding On this edition of Indicators of the Week: older Americans recorded higher losses to certain scams, the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond is up to the highest it's been in more than a decade and United Airlines has a ...
10.19.2023 What could convince Egypt to take in Gaza's refugees? One of the most crucial players in the war unfolding in the Middle East is Egypt, which neighbors Gaza and is facing pressure from the United States and its allies to open up its borders to refugees. Today, we explain ...
10.19.2023 There's one business like show business There's no business like show business. Or is there? It turns out the business of producing a Broadway hit shares a few things in common with the business of investing in tech start-ups. Today on the show, the producer of ...
10.17.2023 How a consumer watchdog's power became a liability The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in 2010 as the legislative response to the Great Recession. It's an aggressive regulator that challenges financial institutions on behalf of consumers. However, the unique power it wields may turn out to be ...
10.16.2023 The Indicator Quiz: Climate Edition What's spicier than a pumpkin spice latte in the fall? The Indicator Quiz! The show where we bring a lucky listener on to test their econ knowledge. Today's quiz focuses on questions related to climate change. Play along with us ...
10.13.2023 Junk fees, unfilled jobs, jackpot On this edition of Indicators of the Week: the FTC wants to ban hidden fees on what feels like every transaction. Down with junk fees! Germany has a possible fix for its struggling economy and unfilled jobs: immigrants. And we ...
10.12.2023 Taking the temperature of the US consumer Economic indicators like the Consumer Price Index can tell us a lot about the past, but what about the future? For close to 80 years, policymakers have relied on the Surveys of Consumers to give them an idea of what ...
10.11.2023 A treacherous descent? What will the Fed do next? In the world of summiting mountains, more accidents happen on the way down than on the climb up. Today on the show, why that could be a bad omen for interest rates. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet ...
10.10.2023 A conversation with Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin (Update) This episode was originally published on November 30, 2021 Earlier this week, Harvard economist Claudia Goldin won the economics Nobel for her research into the gender pay gap. Today, our 2021 interview with Claudia about her work, with an update ...
10.06.2023 Wanted: Social workers U.S. job growth just surged way past expectations. But one area of employment continues to need more hands on deck: social workers. The evolving occupation is getting new attention from schools all the way up to corporations. Today, we try ...
10.05.2023 Body Electric: What digital jobs are doing to our bodies TED Radio Hour's Manoush Zamorodi joins us today to talk about her new series Body Electric. It's looking at how the information age is affecting our bodies in negative ways. Manoush spoke to researchers who say they've found simple solutions ...
10.04.2023 You tell us how to fix mortgages, and more We love getting listener mail! Especially when it makes us think about a topic differently. Today on the show, we hear from listeners about host-free Airbnbs, a Danish solution to mortgage lock-in and a laughable policy for industrial policy. Have ...
10.03.2023 EVs killed the AM radio star When some automakers confirmed this year that they were phasing out AM radio in their electric vehicles, the political backlash was immediate and remarkably bipartisan. Today on the show, what's all the fuss about AM radio? And why does the ...
10.02.2023 When Uncle Sam stops paying the childcare bill During the Covid-19 pandemic, the United States took dramatic action to invest in child care. Now in 2023, the majority of those investments are coming to an end. Today, we talk to childcare providers about what those funds meant—and where ...
09.29.2023 Twerking, tote bags, and the top of the charts On this musical edition of Indicators of the Week: Live Nation stops taking a cut of small artists' merchandise sales. Meanwhile, some fans are using the Billboard charts formula to boost their favorite artists to the top. And a Jamaican ...
09.28.2023 The walking dead NFTs The NFT mania may have finally run its course. Not too long ago, these pieces of digital art exploded in value with the help of celebrities like Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton. But even the most successful digital artists knew ...
09.27.2023 How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update) This episode was originally published on November 14, 2022 This week, Ford announced it was pausing work on a new $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan. President of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain, viewed this as a "thinly veiled ...
09.27.2023 Chasing the American Dream at Outback Steakhouse How often do you hang out with people in a different socioeconomic bracket than you? And where do you meet and congregate? Economist Maxim Massenkoff, and his co-author Nathan Wilmers, looked at cell phone location data to figure out where ...
09.25.2023 Is the Canada, Meta news standoff coming to the US? Canadians are in a bit of a pickle when it comes to getting timely news updates through Facebook. The Canadian government passed a law requiring Meta and Google pay media outlets when news content is posted on social media platforms. ...
09.22.2023 A million-dollar fossil, and other indicators Today on the show, we cover this week's top indicators in new work permits for Venezuelan migrants, behind-the-scenes climate meetings and a million-dollar dinosaur skeleton sale. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via ...
09.21.2023 Selling safety in the fight against wildfires Wildfires are becoming more frequent and serious due to human-caused climate change. This is prompting a new industry focused on residential wildfire preparedness. Today, we consider the new technology addressing wildfire risk and the cost of protecting yourself. Related Episodes: ...
09.20.2023 The rat under the Fed's hat The Federal Reserve said today it wasn't raising interest rates, but left the door open to keep hiking later. But there's more to this decision than meets the eye. Today on the show, we use Disney's Ratatouille to explain the ...
09.19.2023 The Beigie Awards: Manufacturing takes center stage The Beigies roll around once again to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This edition's winner put a spotlight on a company increasing their efforts to recruit young people for an important piece of ...

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