510 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

    A new gold rush and other indicators

    A new gold rush and other indicators

    Indicators of the Week is back! This time, we dig into why gold prices are spiking, why the Biden administration has only spent a small portion of money pledged to infrastructure projects, and what the spurt of streaming consolidations means for you.

    Related episodes:Gold Rush 2.0 The semiconductor shortage (still) (Apple Podcasts / Spotify) The secret entrance that sidesteps Hollywood picket lines (Apple Podcasts / 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.

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    • 9 min
    Iceberg ahead for Social Security

    Iceberg ahead for Social Security

    According to a government report released this week, Congress has until 2033 to fix Social Security before retirees receive an automatic benefit cut of about 21%. This is a more optimistic estimate from a previous report that stated the Social Security Trust Fund would run dry sooner, but it still paints a grim picture for a program that millions of retirees rely on.

    Today, NPR's Chief Economics Correspondent joins the show to explain what exactly lawmakers can do to fix Social Security and why proposed solutions might be easier said than done.

    Related episodes:What would it take to fix retirement? (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
    Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall

    Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall

    Back in 2019, The Indicator started checking in on with a Venezuelan economist Gabriela Saade. The economy was in freefall. The country was suffering from hyperinflation and a huge jump in poverty. Today, the U.S. faces a spike in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, many from Venezuela. So we check back in with Gabriela. Venezuela is due to go to the polls in July. We ask Gabriela and two other Venezuelans: what are economic conditions like at the moment? How has life changed since the pandemic? Some of the answers surprised us.

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    • 8 min
    Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge

    Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge

    What happens when small town politics collide with the climate crisis? And how do hazard maps—maps that show which homes in your neighborhood are at risk of getting destroyed or damaged by a natural disaster—come into play? On today's episode, how some people—from Indiana to Oregon to Alaska—are facing some very real concerns about insurance and the ability to sell their houses.

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    • 8 min
    How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

    How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

    In Western Colorado, towns and farms are banding together to pay a hundred million dollars for water they don't intend to use. Today on the show, how scarcity, climate change and a first-dibs system of water management is forcing towns, farms and rural residents to get spendy.

    Related episodes:A watershed moment in the West? (Apple / Spotify) The Amazon, the Colorado River and a price on nature Water in the West: Bankrupt?

    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
    Not too hot, not too cold: a 'Goldilocks' jobs report

    Not too hot, not too cold: a 'Goldilocks' jobs report

    It's Jobs Friday and the jobs report is in! There's more jobs! ... but not as many as expected. And there's a teensy bit more unemployment and slower wage growth. But there's an upside ... Plus, healthcare is growing like gangbusters and how immigrants affect American-born workers.

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    • 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!

crackpotfan ,

Used to be great

This podcast used to be great. Once Cardiff and Stacy left, the podcast continuously went downhill. Now listening to the hosts’ biases makes it unlistenable.

mwpman ,

So disappointing

I’ll give 2stars for at least bringing up the issue of our public debt. The simple (balanced appearing) story features a debt “hawk” and a debt “dove” discussing whether the public debt is really a bad thing or not. In this somewhat academic discussion, nobody considers how this debt will ever be paid! A pretty important detail just ignored. That sure makes debt seem better. As I said, so disappointing. I hope for, and expect more, from NPR.

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