The Indicator from Planet Money

Stablecoins are the latest digital asset to grab headlines. Congress is considering legislation around the cryptocurrency, and a Trump family-affiliated company is preparing to launch its own Stablecoin. But does this digital currency live up to its own name?

Related episodes:
What's this about a crypto reserve? (Apple / Spotify)
Is 'government crypto' a good idea? (Apple / Spotify)
WTF is a Bitcoin ETF? (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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As the U.S. goes head-to-head with the rest of the world on tariffs, those countries are trying to figure out their best diplomatic strategy. One dilemma countries have is how close they get with another global superpower: China. On today's show, we hear from Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb about how the country is balancing trade relations with both countries.

Related episodes:
China's trade war perspective (Apple / Spotify)
Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump (Apple / Spotify)
Who's advising Trump on trade? (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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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For weeks, Target has been the subject of a boycott after its decision to pull back on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. And early data shows it's taken a toll on the company. But in other instances, boycotts haven't made much of a splash. Today on the show, when does a boycott actually make a difference?

Related episodes:
SPAM strikes 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 Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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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)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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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.
Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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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:
What can we learn from the year's most popular econ terms?
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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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