Podcast · 541 episodes
The Indicator from Planet Money, page 4
by NPR · English
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.
All episodes, page 4
Why the $250 bill would be good … For criminals!The episode examines a proposal to create a new $250 U.S. bill featuring President Donald Trump’s likeness, and argues that higher-denomination cash would primarily benefit criminals, especially tax…23 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 5 chapters
An urban planner, infinite scroll, and … what is a public good?The Indicator Quiz episode revisits multiple Planet Money/Indicator stories from the past six months through an NPR quiz format, covering social media design, public goods, dementia risk signals,…22 Jun 2026 · 10 min · 4 chapters
How your phone keeps you scrolling ... even when you want to stopHow social media and phone apps can keep people scrolling by inducing a trance-like “machine zone/dark flow,” drawing parallels to increasingly addictive casino gambling.19 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Are we in a new era of permanently higher prices?The episode asks whether the U.S. is entering a “new era” of permanently higher inflation after the Fed kept interest rates on hold despite 4.2% inflation.18 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 6 chapters
Is gambling the reason we have pro sports?Whether gambling helped create modern American pro sports, and how today’s sports-betting boom changes fandom and raises risks.17 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 1 chapter
Your American Dream is pending reviewThe episode explains confusion and fear among temporary residents applying for U.S.16 Jun 2026 · 8 min · 4 chapters
Community colleges are kind of underratedThe episode argues community colleges are “underrated” because they’re helping workers cope with a nervous job market.15 Jun 2026 · 8 min · 4 chapters
Inflation is bad, work from home sad, FIFA World Cup tix NOT deal to be hadThe Indicator episode covers three “Indicators of the Week”: (1) Inflation rising to 4.2% year-over-year on the Consumer Price Index, the highest in three years, driven mostly by gas and fuel; the…12 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
The SpaceX IPO drama explainedSpaceX’s IPO (about 4% of shares offered) and Nasdaq rule changes that may mechanically inflate demand and price, plus broader implications for retail investors.11 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 3 chapters
Should we tax AI?Whether the U.S. should tax AI to fund an “AI dividend” and protect workers, amid fears of job loss and wealth concentration since ChatGPT.10 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 5 chapters
U OK, UK?The UK’s weak economy and political instability, framed as a long-running low-growth problem worsened by the Iran war’s energy-price shock, high borrowing costs, and youth unemployment; argues the…9 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 6 chapters
The fired labor economist who couldn't get unemploymentThe episode of NPR’s Planet Money “The fired labor economist who couldn’t get unemployment” follows Erica McIntyre, a labor economist fired by the Trump administration as commissioner of the U.S.8 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 3 chapters
Who should new grads boo more? AI or remote work?Jobs Friday episode analyzing May’s U.S. jobs report and whether AI or remote work is hurting new grads’ hiring; also examines unemployment trends for Black workers as a potential recession signal.5 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Equinomics, bag fees, and leftover campaign dollarsThe episode answers three listener questions. Topic 1: Why baggage fees stay high.4 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Can the internet be reclaimed from Big Tech?Argues the “internet as a digital town square/free speech” myth lets Big Tech avoid accountability, concentrating power through content design and data/attention monetization; proposes reforms to…3 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 3 chapters
Why boardinghouses could make a comebackWhether single-room occupancy (SRO) buildings/boarding houses could return as a “missing rung” to prevent homelessness, including their history, why they were dismantled, and what modern supported…2 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 5 chapters
How AI is clogging the courtroomHow AI tools (especially ChatGPT-style chatbots) make it easier for people to file lawsuits pro se, increasing court workload and sometimes causing penalties, while also potentially improving access…1 Jun 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Obsession, the most fun job in China, and a new green card policyThe episode of NPR’s Planet Money “The Indicator” covers three items: (1) China’s economy via a viral job posting for shepherds: about 700 people applied for two positions in rural areas south of…29 May 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Saudi’s LIV golf exit is just the startThe episode explains how Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 used professional golf as “soft power” and reputation management, but geopolitics and economics undermined it.28 May 2026 · 9 min · 5 chapters
What the movies teach us about recessions, memestocks and goldThe hosts discuss how business/economics movies explain real-world recessions, the 2008 financial crisis, meme stocks (GameStop), and gold reserves, arguing that films succeed by mixing “factual…27 May 2026 · 9 min · 3 chapters
Who’s behind that shell company? We may never knowThe episode investigates how anonymous shell companies can hide ownership and enable sanctions evasion, using a Fifth Avenue skyscraper case: in 1989, a nonprofit secretly transferred the building to…26 May 2026 · 9 min · 6 chapters
Game of 'roids, trader Trump, and searching for Shakira's tax residence“Indicators of the Week” covers (1) President Trump’s disclosed stock trades and possible timing conflicts, (2) the Enhanced Games—an Olympics-style event where doping is allowed, and (3) Shakira’s…22 May 2026 · 9 min · 3 chapters
So ... how long until these oil prices get REALLY badWhy oil prices aren’t as high as some analysts warned during the ongoing Middle East conflict, and how close the world may be to “stratospheric” costs.21 May 2026 · 7 min · 4 chapters
It's come to this: Human certification in the age of AI slopHow novelist Ned Hayes created “Human Intelligence,” a standardized certification (the “H” logo) to prove artworks are human-made and distinguish them from AI “slop,” using draft/document…20 May 2026 · 10 min · 8 chapters