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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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What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update)

04 Aug 2025
9m
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The Indicator from Planet Money discusses the importance and potential controversy surrounding jobs growth as an economic indicator. The podcast addresses President Trump's recent statements about the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and accusations of rigged jobs numbers. It revisits a 2022 episode that goes behind th...

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How you're using AI at work

01 Aug 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode discusses the latest jobs report, noting a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.2% and lower-than-expected job growth. The report also includes a significant downward revision of previously reported job numbers. The hosts then transition to a discussion on the impact of AI...

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Why the Fed could lose $1.5 trillion

31 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR podcast episode from Planet Money's "The Indicator" discusses the Federal Reserve's significant financial losses, estimated at $1.5 trillion, resulting from its quantitative easing program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode contrasts this massive loss with the relatively smaller controversy surrounding...

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The risk of private equity in your 401(k)

30 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode discusses a potential executive order from President Trump that would allow 401(k) plans to invest in private equity. The episode explores the potential risks and benefits of such investments, highlighting the higher returns but also the increased risk, illiquidity, and ...

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The hottest multilateral club doesn't include the US

29 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode discusses the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, plus newer members), exploring its origins and evolution. The episode features an interview with Jim O'Neill, the economist who coined the BRICS acronym. It contrasts BRICS with the G7, highlight...

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A baby bonds bonanza

28 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode discusses "baby bonds," government-funded investment accounts for newborns. The episode compares and contrasts two programs: Connecticut's state-funded program, which aims to close the state's wealth gap by providing $3,200 per child at birth, projected to grow to $11,00...

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Nigeria notches new highs, Magic gathers millions, and crypto climbs

25 Jul 2025
9m
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This Planet Money Indicator podcast episode features three co-hosts discussing three economic indicators: a 30% upward revision of Nigeria's GDP due to a change in calculation methodology; Bitcoin's price reaching record levels, partly driven by the GENIUS Act regulating stablecoins and related potential conflicts of i...

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How to beach on a budget

24 Jul 2025
9m
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This episode of the Beige Awards, a segment of the Planet Money podcast, is a humorous awards show reviewing the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, a summary of economic conditions across the US. Hosts Adrian Ma and Robert Smith award the "Beige Book" to the Philadelphia Fed for their entry highlighting consumers' cost-cut...

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When Uncle Sam owned banks and factories

23 Jul 2025
9m
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This episode of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money explores the history of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), a government-run entity active from 1932 to 1953. Through an interview with economist Chris Hughes, the podcast details the RFC's three phases: initial emergency lending to banks during the Great...

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Lunch with the man who coined TACO

22 Jul 2025
8m
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The Indicator podcast interviews Robert Armstrong, a Financial Times writer and host of the Unhedged podcast, to discuss the seemingly paradoxical strength of the stock market despite President Trump's chaotic economic policies, including tariff threats. Several hypotheses are explored: the stock market isn't a perfec...

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Your tinned fish obsession is helping resurrect a lost industry

21 Jul 2025
8m
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This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money explores the resurgence of the American tinned fish market. The hosts interview Marissa Fellows, founder of Great Lakes Tinned Fish, and Christopher Sherman, president of Island Creek Oysters, discussing the challenges and opportunities in reviving this industry. The c...

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Bonus episode: The Indicator plays... movie business trivia!

20 Jul 2025
14m
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The Indicator from Planet Money presents a special Sunday episode, a game show focused on movie businesses, hosted by Ella Feldman with Darian Woods, Adrian Ma, and Wailin Wong as contestants. The game involves Ella describing a business featured in a movie, with the first to guess the movie earning a point, followed b...

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Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

18 Jul 2025
2m
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Catherine Marr, CEO of NPR, announces that Congress has eliminated all federal funding for public media at the White House's request. She highlights the impact this will have on local news coverage, community engagement, and access to information, particularly in rural areas. Marr emphasizes NPR's continued commitmen...

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Are you not entertained ... by our movie-related indicators?

18 Jul 2025
9m
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This episode of The Indicator features Darian Woods, Wailin Wong, and Angel Carreras discussing various economic indicators related to the film industry and entertainment. They cover the recent decrease in movie ticket prices and other discretionary spending, the potential impact of tariffs on consumer goods, and effor...

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When is cosplay a crime?

17 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode explores the relationship between corporations (like Lucasfilm and Disney) and cosplayers. It uses the example of Star Wars cosplayers, specifically the 501st Legion, to illustrate how a tacit agreement developed, allowing fans to create and wear costumes without legal r...

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The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance

16 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode details the complex and evolving relationship between Hollywood and the Chinese film industry. The episode traces this relationship through three acts: the initial emulation of Hollywood's studio model in early Chinese cinema, followed by a period of significant collabo...

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Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA?

15 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode discusses the shift in film and television production away from Hollywood. The decline of filming in Los Angeles is attributed to other states and countries offering significant film production tax incentives, which often outweigh the advantages of Hollywood's establishe...

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Before La La Land, there was Fort Lee, New Jersey

14 Jul 2025
9m
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This Planet Money Indicator podcast episode explores the history of American filmmaking, tracing its origins from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to Hollywood, California. The co-hosts discuss the factors contributing to Fort Lee's initial dominance, including its proximity to Broadway and Thomas Edison's early film innovations...

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Red tape indicators: sports betting, R&D and click-to-cancel

11 Jul 2025
9m
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In this episode of "Indicators of the Week," the hosts discuss three economic indicators related to government influence. The first indicator is the reduction in the tax deduction for gambling losses from 100% to 90%, impacting professional gamblers. The second is Section 174 of the U.S. tax code, which initially allow...

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Could Meta do more to protect us from cyber scams?

10 Jul 2025
9m
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This NPR Planet Money Indicator podcast episode discusses the disproportionate impact of cybercrime on small businesses. The episode features an interview with Hilary Hanning, owner of a New Orleans bar, who was victimized by a sophisticated Facebook scam. The interview explores the challenges small businesses face i...

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