The prices of gold and silver are on rollercoaster rides; Gold has been rising over the last few years, silver shot up like a skyrocket in January ? but then both plunged in price and sputtered around the end of the month. 

It raises the question: What is going on? 

Today on the show, we talk with some traders about what this volatility of gold and silver is saying about the state of the world. 

Related episodes: 

Why is everyone buying gold? 

A new-ish gold rush and other indicators 

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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Food keeps getting more expensive, so how do shoppers respond? They change what they buy, right? It?s not just that cheaper foods get more popular. Shoppers are more nuanced than that. So, today on the show, we choose one classic meal that is tailor-made for this anxious economic moment. Why Hamburger Helper is poised to win 2026.

Related episodes: 
How niche brands got into your local supermarket
Can you trust you're getting the same grocery prices as someone else?
Hits of the Dips: Songs of recessions past

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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Trade wars. Financial panics. Inflation. How come it feels like it?s all bad news in the global economy these days? Economist Eswar Prasad?s answer: something he calls the ?doom loop.? That?s where massive geopolitical and economic forces feed off each other and send us careening into disorder. Sounds dire. But it?s not hopeless.

On today?s show, are we in a doom loop? And if we are ? how do we get out of one?

Eswar Prasad?s new book is called ?The Doom Loop: Why the World Economic Order Is Spiraling into Disorder?.

Related episodes: 
Is the financial media making us miserable about the economy?
Why are some nations richer?

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 a weird time for jobs numbers. Another month, another jobs report pushed back by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Averaging two private sources, ADP and Revelio Labs: an estimated 4,500 jobs were added in January. Sounds like ? not many. 

And, yet, the unemployment rate hasn?t seemed to have risen. This might be, in part, due to the Trump administration?s immigration crackdown. We?ll explain through the story of one Angeleno.

On today?s show, how bad are these job numbers? Or are they not bad at all? And what does immigration have to do with it? 

Related episodes: 
Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update) 
What you need to know about the jobs report revisions 
What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update) 

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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How did the U.S. become the Olympic powerhouse it is today? Cold War competition. The Soviet Union sponsored their athletes. But America wanted its athletes to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It birthed an unexpected accelerator of Olympic development: College football. Stay with us now.

On today?s show, how college football became an Olympic development engine. And how that engine might not be running as smoothly as it once did.

Related episodes: 
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You can't spell Olympics without IP
A huge EU-India deal, Heated Rivalry, and a hefty $200k to Olympians
Why Host The Olympics?
The monetization of college sports

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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People wanting to purchase heat pumps might soon face sticker shock. Many consumers have sought out energy credits to find a greener and more affordable alternative to heating oil, but the tax credit to help make them cheaper has expired. Today on the show: how homeowners, the renewables industry, and its critics all feel about it.

Related episodes:
Metals, government debt, and a climate lawsuit
All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill ? right?
Cold-o-nomics

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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Data centers are getting a lot of heat right now. There?s neighborhood pushback against them for water usage and environmental concerns, and some politicians on both sides of the aisle aren?t fans for the same reasons. There?s also fear that they could drive up the cost of electricity bills. 

But that last bit isn?t set in stone. 

Data center electric bill upcharge is not a guarantee. In fact, it is even possible for data centers to cause power bills to go down. Today on the show: the future of your power bill.

Related episodes: 
No AI data centers in my backyard! 
What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill

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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Kevin Warsh has been tapped as the next chair of the Federal Reserve. We?re sure that he?ll have a lot of questions about how to run the Fed if confirmed. So we put together this briefing.

On today?s show, three Fed watchers give their advice for the next chair. On politics, interest rate cuts and dealing with the Fed?s repeated trading scandals. Oh, and can someone please forward this episode to Kevin Warsh?

Related episodes: 
One Fed battle after another
Lisa Cook and the fight for the Fed
A primer on the Federal Reserve's independence
It's hard out there for a Fed chair

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 ? Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today?s episode: a HUGE trade deal between India and the European Union, all the hot hockey romance New Yorkers could ever want, and a heavy earnings purse for Olympic competitors, win or lose.  

Related episodes: 

Why the Olympics cost so much

The surprising economics of digital lending 

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 Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

Preorder Planet Money's new book here!

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Macadamia nuts. Labor shortages. Volcanoes. All that might sound like econ Mad Libs, but they?re all connected to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco?s entry into the Beige Book this month: labor shortages are hurting macadamia nut harvests in Hawaii. 

On today?s show, we take a vacation and talk to someone on the Big Island who runs a macadamia nut farm. He calls them ?mac nuts.? 

Related episodes: 
Why beef prices are so high 

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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President Trump has been storming through corporate America ? taking a stake in Intel, demanding a cut of Nvidia?s sales, restricting skilled workers, among other big footed policies.

Meanwhile, corporate leaders have mostly just ? rolled over.

Today on the show: As Trump rewrites the rules of doing business, why aren?t business leaders doing more to speak up?

Related episodes: 

How close is the US to crony capitalism? 

Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths 

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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?Sell America.? There?s new talk of how Europe could turn the economic screws on the U.S. after President Trump?s play for Greenland. Selling U.S. Treasury bonds is one way. Another is a legal tool. It?s been called the EU?s bazooka.

On today?s show, taking stock of Europe?s financial arsenal. How could America?s largest foreign lender lighten Americans? wallets?

Planet Money wrote a book and is going on tour, come see us: tickets and tour dates here. 

Related episodes: 
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
Lunch with the man who coined TACO

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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Pakistan has had some major economic bumps as of late, including a near default in 2023. At the root: seriously low tax collection. Millions of Pakistan residents opt out of paying income taxes entirely. This is a problem a lot of lower- and middle-income countries face. On today's show, we talk about why there are so many tax dodgers in Pakistan and what the government is trying to do about it. 

Related episodes: 

Is the US pushing countries towards China?

A brief history of income taxes 


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 ? Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today?s episode: Why does Davos feel interesting this year? What if we did cap credit card interest rates? And we?re paying most of those tariffs, aren?t we?  

Also, big news! Planet Money wrote a book and we?re going on tour this spring. Find tickets and info at planetmoneybook.com. 

Related episodes: 

Trump's backup options for tariffs 

Globalization At Davos: What Happened? 

The carbon coin: A novel idea


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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Beef is back on top. Well, at least on top of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?s new food pyramid, unveiled alongside updated national dietary guidelines. Red meat really never left the great American menu. But how?d it climb all the way up there?

On today?s show, America?s storied love affair with beef. And how big business and government have long influenced what winds up on our plates.

Related episodes: 
Why beef prices are so high
Who?s buying all the beef?

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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President Donald Trump is dead set on acquiring Greenland, and while national security is the stated reason, the country?s untapped mineral wealth could offer another explanation. 

Today on the show: is Greenland really an untapped land of riches? We talk to one Australian geologist who discovered the great costs and potential rewards of extracting these minerals himself. 

Related episodes: 
Add to cart: Greenland 
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine 

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

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In early January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening bans on defense contractors paying dividends or buying their stock back.

Today on the show, we learn about the Trump Administration?s frustrations with the weapons supply chain, find out what a defense industry investor makes of the move, and ask whether this reflects the state tightening its grip on the industry that arms the U.S. military.

Related episodes: 
Are we overpaying for military equipment?
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war?
How to transform a war economy for peacetime

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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Welcome back to Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today?s episode: Influencers for ICE, China?s tremendous trade surplus, and America heads back to the moon. 

Related episodes: 

We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators 

China's trade war perspective 

Who owns the moon?


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

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203 years ago, President James Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to powerful countries in Europe. Fast forward, and President Trump is reviving the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervening in places like Venezuela, and threatening further action in other parts of Latin America and Greenland. On today?s show, how is Trump redefining the Monroe Doctrine and what does it mean for the world?


Related episodes:
Add to cart: Greenland
Is the Panama Canal a rip-off?
Venezuela didn?t steal U.S. oil. Here?s what happened  
Can Europe stand without the U.S. 

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

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Economic decisions aren?t only driven by hard data. A compelling story can change economic behavior and outcomes. In today?s episode, we explore real-world examples of ?narrative economics? like how the Suez Canal ended up getting built. And we ask: why do narratives sometimes matter more than truth or data? 

Related episodes: 
This indicator hasn?t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble 
Tariffs. Consumer sentiment. Cape Ratio. Pick The Indicator of The Year! 
The Beigie Awards: Manufacturing takes center stage 

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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Over the weekend, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Department of Justice served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas. Powell says it?s all a sham. But the stakes are unprecedented: A potential criminal indictment. Central bank independence. Today on the show, the administration?s case against the Fed. How did we get here? And what comes next?

Related episodes: 
Lisa Cook and the fight for the Fed
Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed  
A primer on the Federal Reserve's independence
Why Is The Fed So Boring?

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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While Americans are known for their generosity, the U.S. government, increasingly, is not. The Trump administration?s cuts to SNAP benefits among other aid programs have forced states, foundations and donors to fill the gaps. But can they? On today?s show, the limits of philanthropic efforts to supplant federal aid. 

Related episodes: 
Why tech bros are trying to give away all their money (kind of) 

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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Karissa Tang is a 17-year-old in California who got curious about the impact of AI on typical teen jobs like cashiers and fast food counter workers. She embarked on an ambitious economic research project and shares her findings with us.

Related episodes: 
How much is AI actually affecting the workforce?
AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs
When does youth employment become child labor?

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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President Trump claims Venezuela stole American oil. Is that true? We trace Venezuela's oil industry from its 1920s birth through nationalization and then collapse. Today on the show, how did the Venezuelan oil industry get to a point where it?s barely pulling from its reserves? And will anything change now? 

Related episodes: 
Venezuela?s economic descent (Update) 
Venezuela?s recent economic history (Update) 
Why oil in Guyana could be a curse 

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

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When you're in a grocery store nowadays, chances are your data is being collected. From a swipe of the loyalty card to the purchase of an ice cream pint, your data tells stores what you like, how much they should stock, and more. 

But what if that data meant a grocer could charge you a different price than another shopper?

On today's show, the evolving price tag.  

Related episodes:


Should 'surveillance pricing' be banned? 

How Grocery Shelves Get Stacked 


How niche brands got into your local supermarket

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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Former Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, appeared in a New York court yesterday. He?s facing drug-trafficking and weapons charges after the U.S. abducted him and his wife in an explosive operation over the weekend. But is there any credibility to the drug-trafficking accusations? And what does the cocaine supply chain look like in 2026?

Today on the show, tracing cocaine?s journey from the Andes to the streets of U.S. cities.

Further reading: 
Ioan Grillo ? El Narco

Related episodes: 
Venezuela?s economic descent (Updated)
Why Are Venezuelans Starving?
Lessons from a former drug dealer

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 Cooper Katz McKim and Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Japan?s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi made waves last fall after saying her country might intervene if China invaded Taiwan. In response, China launched state-organized boycotts against Japan ? canceling concerts, restricting seafood imports, and even recalling pandas. Today on the show, what does it look like for a state to organize a boycott, and does it work? 

Related episodes:
How Japan?s new prime minister is jolting markets
When do boycotts work? 
Forging Taiwan's Silicon Shield 

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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At The Indicator, we?ve been following the conditions in Venezuela over the years. In 2024 we covered how Venezuela?s economy went into freefall, and have been checking in with an economist there frequently ? including after the U.S. attacked over the weekend, deposing its leader Nicolás Maduro.

On today?s show, we?re revisiting our episode about Venezuela?s economy, and hear from our contact in Caracas. 

Send us questions you?d like The Indicator to answer on future episodes about Venezuela: [email protected].

Related episodes: The Measure of a Tragedy Why are Venezuelans starving? An Economist in Caracas: Day In The Life 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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2025 is finally over. 

We had bad consumer sentiment vibes, tariffs, and a seemingly ascendant stock market. And those are just a few indicators from last year!  

As we enter 2026, what indicators should we keep an eye on ? in the future? On today?s episode, our top indicator predictions for the new year.

Related:

What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill

Tariffs. Consumer sentiment. Cape ratio. Pick the Indicator of the Year!

What indicators will 2025 bring? 

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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Americans are moving at record lows for work. What?s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today?s episode, we explore the rising homebody economy. 

This episode originally aired Oct. 3, 2025. 

Related episodes: 
Why moms are leaving their paid jobs 
How the end of Roe is reshaping the medical workforce 

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

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To hear President Trump tell it, the late 1800s, i.e. the Gilded Age, were a period of unparalleled wealth and prosperity in the U.S. But this era was also marked by corruption and wealth inequality. Sound familiar? On today's show, is history repeating itself?

This episode originally aired June 5, 2025. 

Related: Trump's tariff role model 

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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Seasons greetings from the The Indicator! On today's show, the story of a man who started buying and selling stocks as a hobby ? and got seriously addicted. We also speak with a neuroeconomist about the human brain on day trading. 

This piece originally aired Jan. 25, 2025. 

Related episodes: 
The young trolls of Wall Street are growing up 
Invest like a Congress member 

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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Many men in the U.S. feel like they're not doing as well as their fathers. But what does the data say? This episode, we're sharing an extended conversation between Darian Woods and Richard Reeves, the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men. They discuss what's really going on with men's wages. Richard also argues economic and cultural changes are needed to address the struggles unique to working-class men.

This interview was included in one of our bonus episodes for NPR+ supporters. Today we're sharing it with everyone. Learn more about NPR+ and sign up at plus.npr.org. 

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For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, a brief history of Nintendo and how a small playing card company in Japan became a gaming juggernaut. 

This piece originally aired June 16, 2025.

Related episodes:  
Inside video game economics  
Forever games: the economics of the live service model 
The boom and bust of esports 

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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Happy Holidays from The Indicator! For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, why celebrities are increasingly investing in their own brands.

This piece originally aired August 14, 2025.Related episodes:
The celebrity crypto nexus
The Olympian to influencer pipeline (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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As Warren Buffett aged, he became a different sort of figure. He transformed from short-term investor into long-term builder. He used Berkshire Hathaway to start buying companies and build an empire. Today on the show, how did Buffett?s fame become an investment tool and how did he handle the biggest crisis of his career? 

Related episodes: 
Planet Money Summer School 2: Index Funds & The Bet
Brilliant vs. Boring 

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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With an unprecedented decades-long run of success, Warren Buffett is retiring on December 31, 2025. Buffett?s turning point began with the acquisition of a failing textile mill called Berkshire Hathaway. What began as a ?terrible mistake? became the foundation for his empire. Today on the show, how did Buffett become this legendary figure? 

Related episodes: 
Planet Money Summer School 2: Index Funds & The Bet
Brilliant vs. Boring 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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2025 was a wild year for the U.S. economy. Tariffs transformed the global economy, consumer sentiment hit near-historic lows, and the stock market hit scary, spooky, blood-curdling new heights! So ? which of these economic stories defined the year? 

Our hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator duke it out during our annual ? Family Feud!

Tell us who you think has THE indicator of the year by emailing us at [email protected]. Put ?Family Feud? in the subject line. 

Related episodes:


The Indicators of this year and next 

This indicator hasn?t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble 

What would it mean to actually refund the tariffs?

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

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After a firehose of economic news in 2025, we wanted to check back on some of the people we?ve heard from on our show. Today, we check in with a former federal employee caught in the Trump administration's wood chipper, a Louisiana shrimper on Trump?s tariffs and an update on a financial aid scam.

Related episodes: 
Why do shrimpers like tariffs? 
What?s the long-term cost of federal layoffs? 
A big bank?s mistake, explained 

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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Absent a holiday miracle, premium subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of this year. This will greatly increase the cost of health insurance for many who rely on the marketplace for their coverage. Today on the show, we are visited by the ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future to learn what?s next for this landmark healthcare legislation.

Related episodes: 
Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?
The hidden costs of healthcare churn
How doctors helped tank universal healthcare

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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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made a lot of changes to the federal student loan system. One of those changes put a new cap on the amount of loans students in graduate school can take on. Today on the show, we explain the theory behind this change and how it could impact the broader labor market going forward.

Related episodes: 
The Market For Student Loans
Here's why Black students are defaulting
Student loans are back, U.S. travel is whack, and AI ? please, step back

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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Cities like Austin and Atlanta used to top lists of places people moved to looking for relatively affordable places to live. Until, one day, they weren?t that affordable. On today?s show, how a low cost of living is threatened by growth, and how one sunbelt city in Alabama is planning ahead. 

Related episodes: 
Why Americans don?t want to move for jobs anymore 
How to build abundantly 
How big is the US housing shortage? 
The highs and lows of US rents 

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 ? Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today?s episode: Nvidia chips OK?d for China, a sticky frozen Russian asset situation, and a lot of you seem to be stealing from self-checkout. 

Related episodes: The tower of NVIDIA How to get Russia to pay Ukraine Why the U.S. cut China off from advanced chips

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

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You may be familiar with the AI-fueled stock market boom. Well, former International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Gita Gopinath warns it could mirror the dot-com boom of the late 1990s. But worse. She calculates a similar crash could erase $35 trillion in global wealth. Today on the show, what would that mean for the US and global economies? 

Related episodes: 
This indicator hasn?t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble 
Open AI?s deals are looking a little frothy

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 want to make Bitcoin, you need powerful computers and a lot of energy. Well, it turns out the same infrastructure needed for Bitcoin mining is pretty valuable in the era of AI. Today on the show, why some miners are starting to throw in the towel on crypto in favor of supporting AI infrastructure. 

Related episodes: 
Whose financing Meta?s massive AI Data Center?
This indicator hasn?t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble
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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Federal Reserve is meeting to make its interest rate decision after the government shutdown delayed key economic data. Today on the show, we talk to the former Vice Chair of the Fed, Lael Brainard, about what she would do with interest rates in this critical yet foggy economic moment.

Related episodes: 
A little doomsday feeling is weighing on the economy
Can ... we still trust the monthly jobs report?

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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In November, the U.S. stopped production of the humble penny after 232 years in circulation. On today?s show, a former U.S. Mint director shares the fiscal math that doomed the penny, and an artist pay tribute to this American icon. 

View more of Robert Wechsler?s artwork here.

Related episodes: 
What?s the deal with the platinum coin?  

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

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It?s ? Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today?s episode: A big goshDRAM memory problem, a holiday spending mystery, and apartment rental prices ? decline?! 

Related episodes: 
The highs and lows of US rents 
Taking the temperature of the US consumer 
We Buy A Lot Of Christmas Trees

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 Corey Bridges and Julia Ritchey. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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It is a special edition of the Beigies Awards where one regional Federal Reserve Bank will receive lifetime achievement recognition. Today on the show, we speak to its President about the value of economic anecdotes.

Related episodes: 
What keeps a Fed president up at night
Using anecdotes to predict recessions

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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Sanae Takaichi was sworn in as Japan?s first female prime minister a little over a month ago, and she?s already making waves in the East and West. The first priority for the people of Japan is if her government can fix the country?s cost-of-living problem. Today on the show, we break down what Sanaeonomics could mean for the Land of the Rising Sun.

Related episodes
How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages
Japan had a vibrant economy. Then it fell into a slump for 30 years

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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