The Indicator from Planet Money

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The Indicator from Planet Money episodes

August 21 EV sales slow, US Treasury yields grow, 'Niu Lai' has impressive box office mojo
This week’s indicators: EV sales sputter in North America but flutter internationally; U.S. Treasury Yields … RISE!; a low-budget movie so terrible, it became a box office hit in China.

Fact checking by Julia Ritchey

Your Next Listen
— The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance

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10 min
August 20 Is bankruptcy really all that bad?
Bankruptcy has a negative stigma surrounding it. But what if we told you it’s not as bad as you may think? In fact, economists think we should actually see more of it!

Based on the radio story: More Americans are going bankrupt. What does that mean?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— We're in a renter's market (believe it or not)

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— Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter!
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Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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9 min
August 19 Have a bad manager? Science explains why.
The best manager isn’t necessarily the best employee. Turns out it isn't so easy to predict what DOES make a good manager. Today on the show, we turn to science to help answer that very question.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— Productivity and workforce whiplash

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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Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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10 min
August 18 Trump versus Capital One
The Trump Organization has sued Capital One for closing its bank accounts. The organization says it did so out of political reasons. But banks can close accounts for a zillion reasons. They don’t have to say why. Capital One cited money laundering as a concern.

On today’s show, how banks decide to close accounts, how much politics plays a role and what the bank might have seen in its crime-stopping crystal ball.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— What is a 'freedom economy'?

Connect with The Indicator
— Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter!
— Buy the Planet Money book
— Find our socials, YouTube and more!
— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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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9 min
August 17 Did you know companies can vote in Delaware?
Fenwick Island, Del. has only around 900 people on its voting rolls, but some of those registered voters are not human. Many are family trusts and a few are companies. The town says its system works for its tiny beach community. So why are some lawmakers trying to stop it?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— Who’s behind that shell company?

Connect with The Indicator
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Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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10 min
August 14 Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump, and a dating app in the dumps
It’s Indicators of the Week!

On today’s episode: Retirees get a bump in benefits; credit card debt delinquency at a historically high level; and the dating app Bumble on a serious decline — Men first! IRL events! What will work!

Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim and Vito Emanuel.

Your Next Listen
— Trying to fix the dating app backlash

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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Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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NPR Privacy Policy
10 min
August 13 C is for C-shaped economy
Which letter best describes how the U.S. economy is shaped: C or K? We examine the arguments for both and why there’s so much disagreement over who’s faring best in today’s economy.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators

Connect with The Indicator
— Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter!
— Buy the Planet Money book
— Find our socials, YouTube and more!
— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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9 min
August 12 Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore
Rage. That’s what consumers are feeling right now. A new survey found consumer complaints hit a record high this year. Another from last year found a huge share of consumers felt ‘rage’ with a product or service problem. Just think about the modern consumer experience: hidden fees, ballooning customer support wait times (perpetually experiencing higher call volumes than usual) … shrinkflation! Argh!! What’s going on?

On today’s show, unpacking consumer rage. And Heather Timmons, who covers consumer rights for The Guardian, talks about what we might do about it.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— Petty! Econ! Grievances!
Connect with The Indicator
— Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter!
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For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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10 min
August 11 Borrowing money to invest! What could go wrong?
The total amount of investors using margin aka borrowing money to help pay for a trade is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. Is this something we should worry about? We spoke to Jurrien Tinner at Fidelity Investments.

Note: Jurrien Timmer's views are his own and not representative of Fidelity.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen
— How AI might mess with financial markets

Connect with The Indicator
— Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter!
— Buy the Planet Money book
— Find our socials, YouTube and more!
— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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

NPR Privacy Policy
10 min
August 10 Why is Trump paying to stop wind farms?
President Trump is no fan of wind farms. And his administration is putting taxpayer money where his mouth is, paying companies billions of dollars to NOT build them.

On today’s show, Trump’s plan to squelch wind farms with the public purse.

Fact checking by Tyler Jones.

Your Next Listen
— Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)

Connect with The Indicator
— Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter
— Find our socials, YouTube and more!
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Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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NPR Privacy Policy
10 min

About The Indicator from Planet Money

From the publisher's feed

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…