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. 

Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  


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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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Tariffs are bringing in some serious cash into the US Treasury?s pocket. The problem with that money is that it may need to be refunded. A case in front of the Supreme Court could declare several of Trump?s tariffs illegal, which would prompt a return of billions of dollars. Today on the show, we look at how that would work and why the process will likely not be easy. 

Related episodes: 
Three ways companies are getting around tariffs
Days of our 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 Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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Why can't the US be like Europe, Japan or India?countries that all have extensive passenger train systems? On today's show, why the US chose not to. We learn why, despite this, US railroads could still be worth bragging about.

Related episodes: 
What happens when railroads get hitched
How three letters reinvented the railroad business

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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Public sector economics is a fundamental piece of the discipline. So we wanted to give our hosts an opportunity to put their knowledge to the test in a game we?re calling Indicator Quizbowl. Today on the show, Wailin and Darian go head to head to see who the bigger public policy nerd is.

Related episodes: 
Could cash payments ease recessions?
A trap-loving DJ takes on economics
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 a rural pocket of northeastern Louisiana, Meta is building a $30 billion data center called Hyperion. But it?s not being completely financed with Meta?s own money. Today on the show, the opaque system of AI data center financing and why it?s fueling fears of a bubble. 

Related episodes: 
OpenAI?s deals are looking a little frothy 
No AI data centers in my backyard! 
What $10B in data centers actually gets you 

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 said he?d try to get more Argentine beef into the U.S. So who would actually do the buying? That?s a general theme with a lot of these trade deals ? big numbers but vague details. When China says it?ll buy more soybeans, is it the government or companies that does the buying? When South Korea promises to invest in American shipyards, who?s actually doing that?  Today on the show, we dig into two questions from listeners and hear directly from an Argentine butcher. 

Related episodes: 
Why beef prices are so high
How the South is trying to win the EV race 

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: the effects of pay transparency, Meta?s big win, and freaky flies and beef. 

Related episodes: 

Are we entering a new dawn for antitrust enforcement? 

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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When people lose their homes to wildfire, hurricanes or flooding, they're eager to rebuild. But scammers are also ready to take advantage. On today?s show, the lucrative business of contractor fraud and advice on how to avoid them. 

Related episodes:
An indicator lost: Big disaster costs 
When insurers can?t get insurance 
Selling safety in the fight against wildfires 

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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Foreign automakers already have huge assembly plants in the U.S., but lots of parts and materials come from overseas. 

To avoid costly tariffs, they gotta buy American. But ? How does one meet those suppliers? How do you build a new relationship with them?

The answer: Speed dating. 

Related episodes:

 The old trade war that brought foreign carmakers to the U.S.

Tariffs: What are they good for?


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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The U.S. labor market is stagnant right now, with little hiring and lots of people holding onto their jobs for dear life. In Denmark, there?s a different kind of labor system where it?s easy for employers to hire and fire, but at the same time people have a strong safety net in-between jobs. Today on the show, we learn how ?flexicurity? works through the story of a Danish woman who left her job, and we ask how the model could work in the U.S. 

Related episodes:
Why do we live in unusually innovative times?
How Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel
Ozempic's biggest side effect: Turning Denmark into a 'pharmastate'? 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. Translation from Jasmine Lolila. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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Ever put in the winning bid for something on an auction site only to realize you significantly overpaid? Yeah, there?s a phrase for that. On today?s show: the winner?s curse.

Richard Thaler?s new book with Alex O. Imas is The Winner?s Curse: Behavioral Economics Anomalies, Then and Now.

Read Planet Money?s newsletter on the winner?s 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 Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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It?s ? Indicators of the Week! We look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news and bring them to you.

On today?s episode: The cost of living is outstripping wage growth for most of us, the math behind the Trump administration?s proposed 50-year mortgages, and how we?re just giving Uber and Lyft free money. 

Related episodes: 

Trump's plans for the housing market 

The Money Illusion: Have Americans really gotten a raise? 


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 U.S. is committed to bailing out Argentina to the tune of $20 billion using a little known mechanism called the Exchange Stabilization Fund. On today?s show, what is this fund, why was it created and does Argentina have any hope of paying it back? 

Related episodes: 
Dollarizing Argentina  

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 U.S. Supreme Court may soon rule on President Trump?s favorite tariff law.  It could render them moot, but that doesn?t mean the end of tariffs. On today?s show, we explain the president?s back-up options for imposing tariffs.

Related episodes: 
Are Trump?s tariffs legal? 
Worst. Tariffs. Ever.  
Three ways companies are getting around 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 Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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