The Indicator from Planet Money
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A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney
- 8 minutes 56 secondsHow many times can you say uncertainty in one economic report?Uncertainty. That's the word-of-the-moment with tariffs, market swings and lots of economic volatility. It's also showing up in the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book, featuring anecdotes across the U.S. economy. On our latest edition of the Beigies, what can a farmer from the Mississippi Delta tell us about uncertainty?
Related episodes:
How USAID cuts hurt farmers (Apple / Spotify)
Why Trump's potential tariffs are making business owners anxious (Apple / Spotify)
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Fact-checking by Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy13 March 2025, 7:00 am - 8 minutes 12 secondsThe stock market is down, but you don't need to beGovernment cuts. Tariff uncertainty. Sticky interest rates. These are not helping the tumbling stock market. There's a sinking feeling among some Americans that a crash is imminent.
But ... should we all be so worried? Today, we brush away the cobwebs of stock market fear and confusion, and bring some long-held facts to the surface.
Related episodes:
Why to look twice when your portfolio is doing well (Apple / Spotify)
The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict (Apple / Spotify)
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Fact-checking by Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy12 March 2025, 7:00 am - 8 minutes 29 secondsCan you take government spending out of GDP?The Trump administration has some nits to pick with government spending: They don't think it should be counted as part of the country's GDP, that it should be counted separately.
In today's episode, we look at why government spending is part of the U.S.'s GDP and we speculate why Trump's administration might want to take it out ... and what that could mean.
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NPR Privacy Policy11 March 2025, 7:00 am - 9 minutes 29 secondsWhat Bad Bunny teaches us about Puerto Rican tax lawBad Bunny's new album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS laments how Puerto Rico is changing. We look at whether tax breaks to newcomers contributed.
Related episodes:
The battle for Puerto Rico's beaches
We Set Up An Offshore Company In A Tax Haven
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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy10 March 2025, 7:00 am - 8 minutes 45 secondsCan ... we still trust the monthly jobs report?Between the Trump administration wanting to change how GDP is calculated and DOGE accessing sensitive government information, statistical agencies are under the microscope. Can we still trust official numbers like the monthly jobs report? A former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner shares her worries about the future integrity of government data.
Related episodes:
Behind the scenes of Jobs Friday
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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NPR Privacy Policy7 March 2025, 3:33 pm - 9 minutes 21 secondsWhat to make of the Ukraine minerals dealEven after Monday's pause on military aid to Ukraine following the Oval Office blow-up, it looks like a minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine is back on the table. We dive into what this potential deal would actually look like and whether Ukraine's minerals really live up to the hype.
Related episodes:
An end to China's rare earth monopoly? (Apple / Spotify)
The cost of a dollar in Ukraine (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 Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy6 March 2025, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 23 secondsIs the Panama Canal a rip-off?Who pays to use the Panama Canal and how much? These questions are part of the tensions between the U.S. and Panama after President Trump threatened to take over the canal. We look at the global shipping lane's fee structure in light of the president's claim that the U.S. is getting ripped off.
Related episodes:
A drought, a jam, a canal — Panama!
Add to cart: Greenland (Apple / Spotify)
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Fact-checking by Lilly Quiroz. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy5 March 2025, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 32 secondsCan the Federal Reserve stay independent?President Trump has been on an executive order-signing spree since returning to office, with 76 so far. Today we look at two of them. Can the Fed really split up independent and non-independent roles? And what does DOGE's cost-cutting streak add up to?
Related episodes:
Slender Starbucks, Medicaid at risk, and the gold card visa (Apple / Spotify)
What happens with billions in research funding goes away (Apple / Spotify)
Should presidents have more say over interest rates? (Apple / Spotify)
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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy4 March 2025, 8:00 am - 8 minutes 10 secondsHow tourist destinations recover after terrorismMardi Gras is in full swing. It's a crucial time for the New Orleans' economy, but the celebrations are cast behind the shadow of the recent terrorist attack. Today on the show, we talk about how terrorism impacts tourism and why some places recover faster than others.
Related episodes:
Do dollar store bans work (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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NPR Privacy Policy3 March 2025, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 17 secondsSlender Starbucks, Medicaid at risk, and the gold card visaIt's Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at interesting numbers from the news.
On today's show, we have potential cuts ahead for Medicaid, Starbucks goes back to basics and gold card immigration.
Related episodes:
How Magic Johnson's Starbucks created new neighborhood businesses (Apple / Spotify)
What's missing in the immigration debate (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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NPR Privacy Policy28 February 2025, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 27 secondsEurope's NATO members take an economic hitWhen it comes to defense, one thing looks certain: European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are going to have to pay more. Countries that are struggling economically will soon need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars. Can they do it?
Related episodes:
Can Europe fund its defense ambitions? (Apple / Spotify)
The weapons supply chain
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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