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)
Is AI underrated? (Apple / Spotify)

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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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 perspective (Apple / Spotify)
What keeps a Fed president up at night (Apple / Spotify)

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

Fact-checking by Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric.
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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 deficit? (Apple / Spotify)
Why there's no referee for the trade war (Apple / Spotify)
Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)

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

Fact-checking by Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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)

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

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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? Email us your name and phone number at [email protected] and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject line.

Related episodes:
WWE, a very expensive banana, and a quiz contestant (Apple / Spotify)

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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)
Why tariffs are SO back (Apple / Spotify)

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

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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 trader tells all

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

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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 referee for the trade war (Apple / Spotify)

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

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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

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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 (Apple / Spotify)
Should we invest more in weather forecasting?
After a year of deadly weather, cities look to private forecasters to save lives

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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 by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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

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