493 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
    • 4.7 • 8.9K 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

    Profiting off greater risk: the reinsurance game

    Profiting off greater risk: the reinsurance game

    When an insurance company can't cover all of its claims, it actually has its own insurance. This is called "reinsurance." How does that work and why do reinsurers look at their risk pool differently than say home or auto insurers?

    Related episodes: Why is insurance so expensive right now? And more listener questions (Apple / Spotify) When insurers can't get insurance (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
    What is a 'freedom economy'?

    What is a 'freedom economy'?

    Anti-vaccine activists, far-right groups and some religious conservatives convened in Las Vegas this spring to discuss the creation of a parallel economy. These are groups who believe their speech is threatened by big banks and big tech. On today's show, what is a "freedom economy," and how would it work?

    Related episodes: A Supreme Court case that could reshape social media (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
    Why is insurance so expensive right now? And more listener questions

    Why is insurance so expensive right now? And more listener questions

    We are back to answer your listener questions. On today's show, we explain reverse mortgages and their risks, why insurance has gotten so expensive, and whether there's a catch to charitable donations at the store.

    If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.

    Related episodes:When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotify)

    Are we counting jobs right? We answer your listener questions (Apple / Spotify)

    When mortgage rates are too low to give up (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
    What Subway's foot-long cookie says about inflation

    What Subway's foot-long cookie says about inflation

    In this edition of Indicators of the Week: the new incentive for speed in cash prizes for Olympic track and field, growing iPhone assembly in India and the curious inflation puzzle of the foot-long cookies at Subway.

    Related episodes: Can India become the next high-tech hub? (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

    • 8 min
    The IRS wants to do your taxes for free. Will it last?

    The IRS wants to do your taxes for free. Will it last?

    With tax season upon us, many people are paying someone or a software to get their tax returns done. A small group of people, however, are filing online directly with ... the IRS. For free. Today on the show: how the IRS's tax filing experiment came to be, how it's been working so far, and who doesn't like it.

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

    NPR Privacy Policy

    • 9 min
    Why the EU is investigating China's wind turbines

    Why the EU is investigating China's wind turbines

    Europe wants clean energy, but it's struggling to compete with the low cost of China's green technology. The E.U. just announced it's investigating the subsidies received by Chinese wind turbine suppliers, which play a part in those low costs.

    On today's episode, we speak with Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, about how the E.U. is trying to build and maintain a competitive green tech industry in the face of low-price Chinese imports. And we ask how the U.S.'s climate industrial policy fits into all this action.

    Related Episodes:The surprising leader in EVs (Apple / Spotify) Industrial policy, the debate! (Apple / Spotify) Why offshore wind is facing headwinds (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

4.7 out of 5
8.9K Ratings

8.9K Ratings

Unbias, valuable show ,

Unbiased

what I really like about planet money, specifically the indicator is they focus on the hot issues affecting the economy and provide valuable insight with opinions from both sides. The Rhino Horn story really exemplifies this, they had both people who thought synthetic rhino horns would be a really great thing, and others including from both economists and environmentalists who argued that it would harm wild rhinos. Fantastic reporting, fantastic show!

All the haters should actually try listening to an episode; the best part is they are usually super short! Some of these reviews are wild!

zmoney221 ,

Pure propaganda

Next time you feel the need to put out another episode, ask yourselves if it’s a public good or if you just like hearing yourselves talk.

Rumboogy33 ,

Darian Woods’ voice is off-putting

Darian Woods’ voice is off-putting

Top Podcasts In Business

Money Stuff: The Podcast
Bloomberg
REAL AF with Andy Frisella
Andy Frisella #100to0
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Money News Network
The Ramsey Show
Ramsey Network
In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen
Norges Bank Investment Management
Habits and Hustle
Jen Cohen and Habit Nest

You Might Also Like

Planet Money
NPR
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
Marketplace
Marketplace
Short Wave
NPR
The Economics of Everyday Things
Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett
Up First
NPR

More by NPR

Up First
NPR
Fresh Air
NPR
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
NPR
Throughline
NPR
Planet Money
NPR
Consider This from NPR
NPR