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NPR · Business

The Indicator from Planet Money

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. Sign up for our newsletter . Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes for Planet Money and sponsor-free listening for The Indicator.

Episodes

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Who's financing Meta's massive AI data center?

25 Nov 2025
9m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money discusses Meta's Hyperion project, a $30 billion AI data center in Louisiana, and the unusual financing methods used for its construction. Meta partnered with private credit firm Blue Owl Capital, which borrowed $27 billion through bonds to fund the project, keeping the d...

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Who’s buying all the beef?

24 Nov 2025
9m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money addresses listener questions about how government announcements regarding international trade deals, such as increased beef imports from Argentina or investment pledges from Japan and South Korea, actually translate into action. The hosts explain that for Argentine beef, ...

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Pay transparency. The WhatsApp and Instagram decision. Our beef with screwworms.

21 Nov 2025
9m
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In this episode of The Indicator from Planet Money, Darian Woods, Wailin Wong, and Nick Fountain discuss three indicators of the week. The first indicator is 2.5%, the average amount wages have changed following pay transparency laws. The second indicator is $4 an hour, which is what some participants in a study were p...

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How to avoid scammers after a natural disaster

19 Nov 2025
9m
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This podcast episode of "The Indicator from Planet Money" features an interview with Navina Sadasavam from Grist, a nonprofit newsroom, discussing the issue of contractor scams that emerge after natural disasters. The episode highlights the "disaster economy" where desperate homeowners become targets for fraudulent con...

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Looking for love in the auto supply chain

19 Nov 2025
8m
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This podcast episode discusses the impact of tariffs on the automotive industry, particularly how they are prompting carmakers to consider sourcing parts from American suppliers. It highlights a "speed dating" event for auto manufacturers and suppliers in Huntsville, Alabama, where companies like Honda, Mercedes, and H...

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How to make switching jobs not terrifying

18 Nov 2025
9m
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The podcast discusses "flexicurity," a Danish labor market model combining flexible hiring/firing with strong social safety nets like unemployment benefits, retraining, and job counseling. The hosts, Stephen Massaha and Darian Woods, introduce the concept, noting its relevance to current labor market anxieties and the ...

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The winner's curse

17 Nov 2025
8m
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50-year mortgages, falling real wages, and doing your rideshare due diligence

14 Nov 2025
9m
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In this episode of The Indicator from Planet Money, Wailin Wong, Darian Woods, and Keith Roemer discuss three economic indicators of the week. Darian leads with the concerning statistic of wages for low-income households falling by 2% after accounting for inflation, highlighting a K-shaped economy where high-income ear...

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Where the US got $20B to bail out Argentina

13 Nov 2025
9m
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This episode of "The Indicator from Planet Money" discusses the U.S. government's decision to extend a $20 billion swap line to Argentina, using the Exchange Stabilization Fund. The hosts explain that this 90-year-old emergency fund, established in 1934 to stabilize the U.S. dollar, has since been used for various purp...

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Trump's backup options for tariffs

12 Nov 2025
8m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money discusses the legal challenges facing President Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPA) for tariffs, as the Supreme Court reviews its legality. The hosts, Stephen Basaja and Wailin Wong, along with guests Phil Magnus and Inu Manik, explore al...

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Who is the World Cup for anymore?

11 Nov 2025
9m
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The Indicator from Planet Money discusses the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, highlighting concerns about high ticket prices and the challenges for average fans to attend. The conversation explores FIFA's dynamic pricing strategy, the lottery system for ticket sales, and the introduction of hospi...

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How the French pensions débâcle is a warning to us all

10 Nov 2025
9m
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The podcast episode, "The Indicator from Planet Money," discusses France's "omnishambles" in politics, specifically its struggle to balance the budget due to high public debt from generous pension payments. The French retirement system, while providing high benefits (an A grade for adequacy), receives a D for sustainab...

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Can air traffic controllers keep calm and carry on — without pay?

07 Nov 2025
9m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money, co-hosted by Wailin Wong and Steven Basaja, discusses the impact of a government shutdown on the U.S. economy and federal workers. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report unavailable due to the shutdown, the hosts cite data from ADP and Revelio Labs, which show d...

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This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble

06 Nov 2025
9m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money discusses the Shiller PE Ratio, also known as CAPE (Cyclically Adjusted Price-to-Earnings), a stock market indicator currently at its highest level since November 1999, just before the dot-com bubble burst. Co-hosts Darian Woods and Paddy Hirsch, along with guests Liz Ann...

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Who's propping up Russian oil?

05 Nov 2025
8m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money discusses the impact and complexities of sanctions imposed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. While over 5,000 sanctions have been implemented by the U.S. and its allies, causing some economic strain on Russia, they have not halted the war. The hosts, Darian Woods a...

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How Apple's market power blocked ICEBlock

04 Nov 2025
9m
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The podcast discusses the increasing use of mobile apps and social media groups by residents in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland to report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The federal government has responded by asking tech platforms like Facebook and Apple to remove the...

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When AI is your job interviewer

03 Nov 2025
9m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money explores the increasing use of AI in job interviews and the surprising results of a new study on its effectiveness. Hosts Adrian Ma and Wailin Wong discuss how companies like PSG Global Solutions are using AI recruiters, such as "Anna," to streamline the hiring process an...

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A school cellphone ban study, white collar jobs wither, and spooky candy prices

31 Oct 2025
9m
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This Halloween-themed episode of "The Indicator from Planet Money" features co-hosts Adrian Ma, Wailin Wong, and Darian Woods discussing three economic indicators of the week. Adrian Ma reports on Amazon's decision to cut 14,000 corporate jobs, partly attributing it to AI, and notes a broader trend of companies like Sa...

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Are China and India BFFs now?

30 Oct 2025
8m
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This podcast episode from "The Indicator from Planet Money" explores the complex relationship between India and China, particularly in the context of recent border skirmishes, trade tensions with the U.S., and potential economic collaboration. It details a violent border clash in June 2020, subsequent retaliatory measu...

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Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?

29 Oct 2025
8m
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The podcast discusses the potential expiration of Obamacare health insurance subsidies and the concept of an "adverse selection death spiral." It explains how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to prevent such a spiral through mandates and subsidies, and how enhanced subsidies in recent years have strengthened ...

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