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The Indicator from Planet Money

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy. It's a quick hit of insight into money, work, and business. Monday through Friday, in 10 minutes or less.
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  • 8 minutes 33 seconds
    Let's play ... Who Wants To Be a Bank!
    Why do so many fintech companies — like Square and Mercury — want to be banks? And what does it take to get there? Find out today when we play our fake game show … Who Wants To Be A Bank!

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    —Is this a bank?

    Connect with The Indicator 
    — Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter! 
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    — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    9 September 2026, 5:43 am
  • 9 minutes 16 seconds
    Canada fights tariffs with tariffs
    The era of friendly diplomacy has fallen to the wayside once again as the U.S. - Canada trade war enters a new phase. This time, Canada is countering the latest round of tariffs with their own, targeting American dairy, steel and electronics. Today on the show, we hear from the host of CBC’s Cost of Living podcast Paul Haavardsrud on Canada’s trade war strategy.

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — Why there's no referee for the trade war
    — Why a trade war makes wigs (and bones) cost more + LeBond James

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

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


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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    8 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 8 minutes 42 seconds
    Which jobs are future-proofed?
    With AI disrupting the workplace, is your job going to exist in ten years? The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just the handbook for that. 

    Today on the show, we flip through the Occupational Outlook Handbook and answer your questions about the future of work.

    This episode originally aired on May 8th, 2026

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — How AI is shrinking the job market for teens

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

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


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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    7 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 9 minutes 28 seconds
    Are job hoppers better at their jobs?
    People with jobs are not always eager to leave them … but there are exceptions. Call them job hoppers. While many employers look down on this sort of professional promiscuity, new research suggests there are benefits to switching jobs frequently.  

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — I'm just here for the health benefits

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

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    4 September 2026, 2:30 pm
  • 9 minutes 52 seconds
    Does Planet Money’s game pass the shelf test? We go undercover to find out
    We go undercover at a big box store for an inside look at the secret shelf test the makers of Exploding Kittens use for their hit games.

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    3 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 8 minutes 35 seconds
    For a lot of Gen Z, gambling is investing
    Why are more than half of Gen Zers using investment dollars for sports gambling? It’s been eight years since sports betting became widely legal. Today we look at its impact on a new generation of sports bettors and efforts to curb gambling’s more harmful effects. 

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who's gonna fix it?

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

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


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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    2 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 9 minutes 29 seconds
    A Treasury showdown with the bond market
    Why is the U.S. Treasury planning to buyback at least double the number of long-dated government bonds it usually does? And will Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s buyback plan pit him against both the bond markets and the Federal Reserve? Today we explain what the Treasury’s up to and what it means for you. 

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    —Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming

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

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    1 September 2026, 7:00 am
  • 7 minutes 43 seconds
    How ICE arrests are creating 'economies of fear'
    Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, marking the biggest month for ICE arrests of President Trump’s second term. We talk to a researcher who thinks this increased ICE activity is creating an “economy of fear” in cities around the country — and has the data to prove it.

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — How ending TPS is squeezing workers, businesses and (soon) consumers

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

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    31 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 9 minutes 19 seconds
    The teacher pay penalty, Meta's major settlement, and a footwear flop
    This week’s indicators: The teacher pay penalty; Meta’s massive settlement; Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods are struggling.  

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that comparable college graduates in other professions make around 25% more than teachers. Those workers make about 33% more.

    Your Next Listen 
    — Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation

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

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    28 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 9 minutes 29 seconds
    Coyote vs. Acme finally gets its big break
    Coyote vs. Acme will finally get its theatrical release on Friday after a years-long saga involving supposed tax write-downs, negotiations and multibillion-dollar studio deals. It's a drama almost straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. Today we have the story from the inside. This episode is an update of an episode from December 2023.

    Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

    Your Next Listen 
    — Why Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.

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

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

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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    27 August 2026, 7:00 am
  • 9 minutes 16 seconds
    What Mark Cuban REALLY thinks of Medicare for All
    Medicare for All could save the U.S. trillions… or maybe way less than that? In our second episode on Medicare for All, we look at the convoluted figures behind the hot political topic. We hear directly from billionaire and healthcare voice Mark Cuban on what works about Medicare for All, and why its actual cost is so complicated. 

    Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.

    Your Next Listen 
    — Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?

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

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


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

    NPR Privacy Policy
    26 August 2026, 7:00 am
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