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

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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

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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

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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

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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
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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 

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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 

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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?


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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? 


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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  

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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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The World Cup is coming up, and it?s going to cost a pretty penny if you are hoping to attend. Today on the show, we talk to NPR Senior Business editor and World Cup superfan about why the 2026 World Cup will likely be the most expensive in history and why even finding a ticket is more difficult. 

Related episodes: 

Peacock, potassium and other Paris Olympics Indicators

Why the Olympics cost so much

You can't spell Olympics without IP

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France has one of the most generous pension systems in the world. But several governments there have collapsed over questions about how the government will fund it. All over the world, aging populations are forcing governments to rethink their assumptions. 

Today on the show, what France?s political fiascos teach all of us about the economics of an aging population, and what a retirement expert?s ideal retirement system might look like.

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2025

Related episodes: 

What would it take to fix retirement? 

What does the next era of Social Security look like? 

When Retirement Advice Goes Viral 

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There?s one job that gets all the attention during a government shutdown: air traffic controllers. Today on the show, we spotlight why this job has taken on outsize political influence and one controller?s experience during the longest shutdown on record. 

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 ?Shiller PE Ratio? is at its highest level since November of 1999. That was at the peak of the online gold rush right before the dot com bubble burst in 2000. Today on the show, we learn what the Shiller PE Ratio is, how it works and whether we should be worried that it?s relatively high right now.


You can find John Campbell's book here: Fixed: Why Personal Finance is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone

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What?s a Bubble?
Zombie 2nd mortgages are coming to life, threatening thousands of Americans' homes

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Russia?s been subject to more than 5,000 sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine. Yet many purported allies of Ukraine are still getting Russian oil ? directly or indirectly. On today?s show, how governments are straddling the fence and skirting their own sanctions. 

Related episodes:  
How the ?shadow fleet? helps Russia skirt sanctions 

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Last month, the Trump administration asked Apple to remove an app from its App Store that crowdsourced sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Today on the show, we explain what an ongoing legal battle involving the developer of the video game Fortnite has to do with Apple?s latest move to comply with the Trump administration.

Related episodes: 
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees
The DOJ's case against Apple
Apple v Everybody

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Companies are starting to use AI to interview potential employees. Sound creepy? Well, a new study suggests it might not be all bad.. Today on the show, we look at why a job interview with AI might be preferable to one with a human. ? And Adrian gets grilled by an AI job recruiter named ?Anna.? 

Related episodes: 
AI creates, transforms and destroys ? jobs 
Fighting AI with AI 

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It?s ? Indicators of the?Eek! (Indicators of the Week.) Our regular look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today?s episode: How cell phone bans in schools affect grades, white collar workers get the axe, and AHHH! Halloween candy inflation! 

Related episodes: 

Are you afraid of inflation? 

A finance fright fest 

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

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China and India have a long, complicated history. Just a few years ago, there was a spate of armed skirmishes between the two nations. And yet, there are signs of warming relations amidst President Trump?s ongoing trade war. Today on the show, is that trade war pushing India toward China? And what could happen if two of the world?s largest economies come together? 

Related episodes: 
China?s trade war perspective 
What might save China's economy
Is the US pushing countries towards China? 

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Health insurance subsidies are at the center of the current government shutdown. Democrats want to extend some expiring Affordable Care Act/Obamacare subsidies. Obamacare has weathered several political storms since its inception, but how will it fare without those subsidies?

Today on the show, death spirals and the future of Obamacare.

Related episodes: 
The hidden costs of healthcare churn 
How doctors helped tank universal healthcare

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Republican politicians like to use the term ?Marxist? to criticize Democrats. Lately, they?ve dubbed New York City mayoral candidate a ?Marxist? despite him identifying himself as a democratic socialist. Today on the show, we dig into what ?Marxism, as an economic term,? actually means.

Related episodes: 
Socialism 101
Even the facts are polarized

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It?s hard for young tech workers to find a job, even with the AI buildout bonanza. This has spawned a curious worldview that fears AI is coming for our jobs and a drive to be at the top of the AI food chain. This, tech writer Jasmine Sun believes, is revealed in the emerging dialect of Silicon Valley tech workers.   

Today on the show, San Francisco slang. Jasmine Sun takes us on a tour of high-agency 996ers and NPCs to see what it could mean for our present and our future.

Related episodes: 

No AI data centers in my backyard!


How much is AI actually affecting the workforce?


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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 Amazon global internet outage, Americans plan to siphon their Social Security checks early, and Mann, we love some Heat 2. 

Related episodes:


 What does the next era of Social Security look like?

 Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? 

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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Ticketmaster's CEO says that concert tickets are underpriced. But from inflation to bots to unscrupulous resellers, the market for tickets feels out of control to many fans. Can anything be done?

Today on the show: Ticket resellers, a new law in Maine, and a T-shirt cannon. 

Related episodes:
Ticket scalpers: The real ticket masters 
Ticketmaster's dominance, Caitlin Clark's paycheck, and other indicators

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In the rush to power AI, data centers are popping up in small communities across the U.S. But a growing backlash against this build-out is pitting communities against developers over energy prices and water use. Today on the show, one Michigan community?s fight to stop a data center and what it means for Big Tech. 

Related episodes: 
What $10B in data centers actually gets you 
Is AI overrated or underrated? 

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Quarterly earnings reports are a long-standing requirement for public companies in the U.S. But the Trump administration wants to axe quarterly releases and just release them twice a year. And there is evidence to suggest this could be better in the long run for companies and investors. On today?s show, we look at the potential benefits and trade-offs of changing how often companies report their financial results. 

Related episodes: 
Can shareholders influence Elon Musk?s trillion dollar pay package? 

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Since 2020, the cost of veterinary care has increased about 40%?almost twice the rate of inflation. As a result, many pet owners say they've skipped necessary vet care. So, what's going on here? A veterinarian, and a lesser-known economic theory, have some answers. 

Related episodes: 
The Vet Clinic Chow Down 
What Do Private Equity Firms Actually Do?

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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: Frozen and canceled federal dollars, America?s intensifying tit-for-tat with China, and a sloppy trend infiltrating the music business. (With a pocket full of shells.)

Related episodes: 
China's trade war perspective 
Fighting AI with AI 

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There have been many headline-grabbing AI deals recently: Nvidia investing up to $100 billion in OpenAI. OpenAI promising to buy $300 billion worth of computing power from Oracle. Oracle buying tons of chips from Nvidia. 

But ? where?s the money coming from? Is all this AI overhype ? a bubble? 

On today's show, how money flows in the AI hyperscaling flood. 

Related episodes: 

Is AI overrated? 

Is AI underrated?


The messy human drama behind OpenAI 

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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From drones to body armor to bulletproof whiteboards, companies are offering schools a multitude of products to try to deter or protect against the next school shooting. But does any of this stuff work? On today?s show, a look inside the school shooting industry. What's for sale and the psychology behind the growing industry.

Related episodes:  
Why are so many public schools closing?  

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For most of human history, economic growth was, well, pretty bleak. But around the Enlightenment, things started clicking. This year's Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences went to a trio of researchers whose work focuses on how technological progress led to this sustained economic growth. Today we hear from one of them, Joel Mokyr, about his work on European economic history. 

Related episodes: 
Why are some nations richer? (2024 Economics Nobel) 
A conversation with Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin (2023 Economics Nobel)
When Luddites attack (Update) (Featuring Joel Mokyr) 

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As Vice Week wraps up here at The Indicator, we wanted to take a slightly different perspective on the evolving business of crime and take a look at TRUE crime. As in the genre. Because look, people are obsessed with it! Today on the show, our hosts favorite pieces of true crime content. 

Darian Woods: The Economist?s Scam Inc.
Wailin Wong: Wednesday Journal?s A tangled mess 
Adrian Ma: Philadelphia Inquirer?s Dime Heist story 

Related episodes:
Fighting AI with AI
What?s supercharging data breaches? 
When cartels start to diversify 

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Market manipulation is an age-old issue. People trying to make money off unsuspecting investors by artificially influencing the price of a stock, say. But what happens when the one manipulating markets isn't human? 

This week on The Indicator from Planet Money, we bring you five episodes digging into the evolving business of crime. Today on the show, we hear how AI could spell mischief for the markets, and why the law is already behind in preventing it.

Related episodes:
How much is AI actually affecting the workforce? 
Shorters Gonna Short 

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The Sinaloa Cartel made the bulk of its money on cocaine. But cartels are diversifying into new operations including things like wildlife trafficking. Think sharks, jaguars, capybaras. The result is something called ?narco-degradation.? On today?s show, we look at what?s driving cartels beyond drugs and how this is wreaking havoc on ecosystems in Central America.


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Can breaking the law be good for business? 
Waste Land 
Will Economic Growth Destroy the Planet? 

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It may seem like data breaches have gotten a heck of a lot more common. Well, there?s something to that. The bad guys are getting badder faster than the good guys are getting better. 

This week, we?re bringing you five episodes on the evolving business of crime. Today on the show, we look at why the evolution of data breaches has been supercharged and why you don?t have to be a hacker to get into the game.

Related episodes: 
Are data breaches putting patients at risk? 
So your data was stolen in a data breach

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With only several seconds of audio, someone can clone a victim?s voice, call their bank, and potentially get access to ? everything. Vocal deepfakes have gotten very good, but so has the technology to fight back. 

This week on The Indicator we're gonna bring you a special series on the evolving business of crime. In this episode, we hear from the company helping banks beat deepfakes, and we learn about the efforts to protect us all from AI voice fraud. 

Related episodes:
Can you copyright artwork made using AI? 
AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs 

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Crime doesn?t resemble the old days. A deepfake of your voice can be used to convince a relative you need money. AI bots are capable of colluding in financial markets. There are seemingly countless new strategies of making data breaches more common. This week on The Indicator from Planet Money, we bring you five episodes digging into the evolving business of crime.


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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 Jobs Friday, we explore the rising homebody economy. 

Related episodes: 
Can ? we still trust the monthly jobs report? 
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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We have seen a blurring of boundaries between government and business under President Trump. It has some political commentators ringing the alarm bell over something called ?crony capitalism" ? a corrupt system where political power meets big business. Today on the show, is the Trump administration nudging the U.S. further down the road toward crony capitalism? 

Related episodes: 
China?s trade war perspective 

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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Gold is on fire right now with some gold ETFs outperforming the major stock indexes over the past 12 months. Gold is supposed to be boring, an inflation hedge. But right now, it's responding to something else. Today on the show, we talk to a finance professor about what?s behind the current gold rush and if gold?s hot streak is built to last. 

Understanding Gold by Claud B. Erb and Campbell R. Harvey

Related episodes: 

A new-ish gold rush and other indicators

Gold Rush 2.0

A secret weapon to fight inflation

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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Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitioners. Today on the show, we talk to an economist about how much H-1B visa holders have contributed to US growth, their effects on American-born workers, and why the United States? competitors are taking advantage of this moment. 


Related episodes: 

How much international students matter to the economy 

The precarity of the H-1B work visa 

Could foreign workers unlock America's tight labor market? 

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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Jimmy Kimmel?s brief departure from the airwaves triggered a wave of debate over free speech.  Partly triggering his suspension was the government threatening to leverage its power over pending media deals. That?s in part due to a piece of decades-old legislation. 

Today on the show, we look at how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 set the stage for government meddling and corporate capitulation. 

Related episodes: 
Breaking up big business is hard to do 
Mergers, acquisitions and Elon?s ?rude? proposal 

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! It is that show where we parse the most fascinating financial numbers in the news and bring them to you. 

On today's show: Argentina needs a bailout, Microsoft?s new way to cool data centers, and retail hiring is not looking like it?s in the holiday spirit.

Related episodes:  

A radical plan to fix Argentina's inflation

What $10 billion 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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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Junior says doctors are pushing vaccines onto their patients in order to make profits. 

Healthcare in the US is a business ? but does that mean that doctors actually make money on vaccines?

Today on the show, we talk with doctors who explain the financial reality behind vaccines and how RFK Jr?s words and actions could harm public health. 

Related episodes: 


More for Palantir, less for mRNA, and a disaster database redemption arc 

What is a 'freedom economy'?


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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