503 episodes

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

The Indicator from Planet Money Planet Money

    • Business
    • 4.6 • 57 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

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

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    What a cabinet maker can teach us about interest rates

    What a cabinet maker can teach us about interest rates

    The Beigie Awards are back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This time, we shine a spotlight on one entry that explains how some businesses are feeling the impacts of higher for longer interest rates.

    Related episodes:The interest-ing world of interest rates (Apple / Spotify) The Beigie Awards: Why banks are going on a "loan diet" (Apple / Spotify) Where are interest rates going?

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    • 9 min
    Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?

    Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?

    Sandwiched between a burger joint and an oyster bar in New York City hangs a daunting image: The National Debt Clock. And that debt number? It just keeps ticking up. How deep in the hole are we? Nearly a hundred percent of gross domestic product. And counting. Today on the show, the federal debt. Is it time to freak out? Or is there nothing to see here?

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    • 9 min
    Taxing the final frontier

    Taxing the final frontier

    Launches by commercial space companies are becoming more frequent. Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration licensed 117, an all-time high. But these spaceflight companies aren't paying for all of the FAA's services that they use.

    Today, we explore why the government is looking to change that and dig into the larger debate over whether human activity in space is a public or private project.

    Related episodes:Economics in space Planet Money goes to space Space economics

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    • 8 min
    Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level

    Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level

    We wrap up our series on the economics of the video game industry with a triple roundup. Today, how the new ban on noncompete contracts could affect the gaming industry, whether young men are slacking off work to play games and the ever-controversial world of loot boxes.

    Related episodes: Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify) Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible (Apple / Spotify) The boom and bust of esports (Apple / Spotify) Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    • 9 min
    Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees

    Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees

    Employees at video game companies are known for working long hours to meet product launch deadlines. This pressure, known in the industry as crunch, has only gotten more intense as games have grown more complex. Mounting layoffs in the growing industry have only made things worse on the labor front, inspiring some workers to take matters into their own hands.

    Today, in the next installment of our series on the business of video games, we speak to several workers in the industry about their experiences with crunch and why they feel unionization is the key to preserving their careers.

    Related episodes:Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify) Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible (Apple / Spotify)The boom and bust of esports (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy

    • 9 min
    The boom and bust of esports

    The boom and bust of esports

    The origins of competitive gaming are rooted in college campuses going back to the early 1970s. Now a globally popular industry, esports is at the center of many questions about long-term financial viability.

    Today, we dive deep into the hype surrounding esports and why the luster seems to be rubbing off the industry that was once seen by some as the next NBA.

    Related episodes:Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify) Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy

    • 9 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
57 Ratings

57 Ratings

Szatan ,

Grat concise bits

...and car talk is good too:)

ListenerNPR ,

Content good, voice not great

I hate to even put this out there but here it goes….I really want to like this podcast. The content is quick, concise, and digestible. But many times I can’t get through even 10 minutes because of the voice of the female host. High pitched, fast talking, and sometimes too much. Sometimes she just talks a lot but isn’t really saying much. I really hate critiquing this, but the tone of the show is everything (it’s a podcast), so I gotta pass on this one.

Monica Barbara ,

Friday... with Mary... Volume3

Unfortunately Mary speaks much to fast

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