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

  • 9 minutes 26 seconds
    Overtourism ho! The Barcelona cruise dilemma
    Barcelona has always attracted crowds, but now it's attracting protests from locals angered at the negative consequences of being one of Europe's most popular destinations. This is especially true as large cruise ships can dock close to some of the city's most famous landmarks. On today's show, we look at how cruise ships are both driving revenues and frustrations in Barcelona, and we consider what the city's options are for regulating the flow of visitors.

    Related episodes:
    The return of Chinese tourism?
    How Iceland's tourism bubble deflated

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    11 September 2024, 9:47 pm
  • 9 minutes 28 seconds
    I will PAY YOU to take my natural gas
    A weird thing is happening in West Texas. Natural gas prices have gotten so low, energy producers are actually paying to give it away. Today, why it's happening and whether it's a big concern. Plus, who else won a Beigie award!

    Related episodes:
    Texas' new power grid problem (Apple / Spotify)
    The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission (Apple / Spotify)
    The rise of American natural gas (Apple / Spotify)

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    10 September 2024, 9:48 pm
  • 8 minutes 52 seconds
    How Medicare fraud became Miami's vice
    In 2019, Philip Esformes went on trial for one of the biggest Medicare fraud cases in history. His longtime family rabbi said Philip Esformes was an upstanding citizen ... when he lived in Chicago.

    Malcolm Gladwell was fascinated by this case and the prospect of a city changing a man. He covers this in his forthcoming book Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering.

    Today on the show: How Miami became known as the capital of Medicare fraud. We learn what went wrong in South Florida and what it says about how places may change our behavior.

    Related Episodes:
    Book drama, NVIDIA hype, and private equity Football
    How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium

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    9 September 2024, 8:47 pm
  • 9 minutes 2 seconds
    Why aren't more people taking on the trades?
    There is expected to be a lot of demand for manufacturing jobs in the coming decade, but many of those positions will be left unfilled. So Darnell Epps set out to close that gap by connecting employers with workers and showing potential workers what's appealing about these jobs. Today, we dig into Darnell Epps journey through both law school and trade school.

    Related episodes:
    One of the hottest jobs in AI right now: 'types-question guy' (Apple / Spotify)
    Why it's so hard to mass produce houses in factories (Apple / Spotify)

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    6 September 2024, 7:37 pm
  • 9 minutes 16 seconds
    How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium
    Recently, singer/rapper/entrepreneur Pitbull agreed to pay $6 million to Florida International University for the naming rights to its football stadium ... an unusual move for both parties: a musician paying for their name on a stadium, and for a college to name their stadium after a musician.

    How does this move benefit the college? How does this move benefit Mr. Worldwide?

    In today's episode, what Pitbull and FIU's deal tell us about the fast-changing economics of college sports.

    Related Episodes:
    The monetization of college sports
    The Olympian to influencer pipeline

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    5 September 2024, 8:35 pm
  • 9 minutes
    How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages
    The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with two-thirds of residents over age 65. On today's show, how the Japanese government is trying to address rural depopulation and attract younger residents to villages like Nanmoku.

    Related listening:
    Japan had a vibrant economy. Then it fell into a slump for 30 years (Apple / Spotify)
    Japan's ninja shortage

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    4 September 2024, 7:26 pm
  • 9 minutes 24 seconds
    Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year.
    Reclassing, when a student repeats an academic year by choice, is a popular way for kids trying to land a spot in a top college athletics program. But it can also come with some heavy costs. Today on the show, we explore the reclassing phenomenon and pressures kids and their parents face in a competitive environment for young athletes.

    Related episodes:
    Should schools be paying their college athletes? (Apple / Spotify)
    The monetization of college sports (Apple / Spotify)

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    3 September 2024, 7:40 pm
  • 9 minutes 29 seconds
    Let's party like it's NVIDIA earnings report day!
    On this Indicators of the Week, we take you to a Manhattan bar to watch NVIDIA's latest earnings reports. Plus, how publishers are trying to keep their books in Florida school libraries and what private equity is doing in Football.

    Related episodes:
    The tower of NVIDIA (Apple / Spotify)
    What do private equity firms actually do?

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    30 August 2024, 8:57 pm
  • 9 minutes 14 seconds
    The Olympian to influencer pipeline
    While the 2024 Paris Olympics are over for some athletes, many competitors are still seeking to capitalize on their fame back on their college campuses. Thanks to the NCAA's 2021 rule changes for Name, Image and Likeness, college athletes are now able to leverage their stardom to maximize their earning potential.

    Today on the show, we talk to University of Michigan men's gymnastics star and Olympic medalist Frederick Richard about how he's playing the business game for the long term.

    Related episodes:
    Why the Olympics cost so much (Apple / Spotify)
    You can't spell Olympics without IP (Apple / Spotify)
    The monetization of college sports (Apple / Spotify)

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    29 August 2024, 10:33 pm
  • 9 minutes 20 seconds
    How mortgage interest rates work (and why they're currently out of whack)
    Even with falling interest rates in recent weeks, mortgage rates are still higher than you'd expect.

    Mortgage interest rates are usually a little less than two percentage points higher than what you would get on a 10-year Treasury bond. But for the last couple of years that difference has been noticeably higher: 2.6% at the moment. New borrowers have been paying potentially thousands of dollars extra each year on their mortgages.

    Today on the show, how mortgage interest rates work and why they're currently out of whack ... with new borrowers footing the bill.

    Related Episodes:
    Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?
    How mortgage rates get made
    The rat under the Fed's hat
    AP Macro gets a makeover

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    28 August 2024, 9:10 pm
  • 9 minutes 25 seconds
    How China became solar royalty
    When Shi Zhengrong started making solar panels at the turn of the century, there was basically no solar industry in China. But in the decades that followed, the nation started heavily investing in renewables. Today, we dig into how China became a leader in solar power while following the story of one man: the Sun King.

    Related episodes:
    Rooftop solar's dark side (Apple / Spotify)
    The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission (Apple / Spotify)

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    27 August 2024, 7:32 pm
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