Episodes

  • Target, Klarna and Sesame Street's new addy

    Target, Klarna and Sesame Street's new addy
    May 23 2025
    Can you tell me how to get... how to get to Indicators of the Week? This week's econ roundup looks at Target's sagging sales, Klarna's pay-later problem, and Sesame Street's new streaming address.

    Related:
    When do boycotts work? (Apple / Spotify)
    Buy now, pay dearly?

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • How Trump is making coin from $TRUMP coin

    How Trump is making coin from $TRUMP coin
    May 22 2025
    Just before Trump began his second administration in January, he and his business partners launched the $TRUMP coin. It's a meme coin that quickly raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. And there's a lot of earning potential still left on the table. Is any of this legal?

    Today on the show, we examine how the $TRUMP coin works and talk to an expert about how the president's meme coin gambit interacts with the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.

    Related episodes:
    How the memecoin game is played
    Did Trump enable insider trading?

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • The old trade war that brought foreign carmakers to the U.S.

    The old trade war that brought foreign carmakers to the U.S.
    May 21 2025
    President Donald Trump wants more products made in America, and he's not afraid of a few trade wars to make it happen. Back in the 80s, a different trade dispute brought new manufacturing to the U.S. Today on the show, how former President Ronald Reagan used the threat of trade protectionism to bring car-making stateside, and why the same strategy might not work today.

    Related episodes:
    The tensions behind the sale of U.S. Steel (Apple / Spotify)
    Tariffs: What are they good for? (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • The rise of the credit card airport lounge

    The rise of the credit card airport lounge
    May 20 2025
    We are back to answer your questions, listeners. Today on the show, we tackle three big questions: Are airport lounges worth it for credit card companies? How effective have carbon taxes been for Canada? Why is gasoline getting more expensive over the last few months as the price of crude oil has sunk?

    If you want to submit your OWN question to be considered in a future episode, send us a message at indicator@npr.org.

    Related episodes:
    Can cap and trade work in the US? (Apple / Spotify)
    A Quick History Of Slow Credit Cards
    Breaking down the price of gasoline (Apple / Spotify)

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

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    9 mins
  • The Art of the Deal ft. Beyoncé

    The Art of the Deal ft. Beyoncé
    May 19 2025
    All of us negotiate — whether it's accepting a job offer, buying a house or working out who does the dishes. Economist Daryl Fairweather has a new book out: Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work. It's all about the negotiation lessons she's learned through the research, her own career and Destiny's Child.

    Related episodes:
    What women want (to invest in)
    A conversation with Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin (Update)
    Summer School 7: Negotiating and the empathetic nibble

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    8 mins
  • Brain-controlled iPhones, a Japanese asset buy-a-thon, and Trump tax cut debt

    Brain-controlled iPhones, a Japanese asset buy-a-thon, and Trump tax cut debt
    May 16 2025
    It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

    On today's episode: Japanese asset buyers make it rain, an iPhone ... powered by the brain?! And, how are we going to pay for these Trump tax cuts? We explain!

    Related episodes:
    What's going to happen to the Trump tax cuts? (Apple / Spotify)
    Slender Starbucks, Medicaid at risk, and the gold card visa (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Bond market nightmares

    Bond market nightmares
    May 15 2025
    In early April, the bond market gave people a scare. Investors began selling off their historically secure U.S. Treasuries in large quantities. It reportedly encouraged President Trump to pause his flurry of liberation day tariffs. These jitters offered a glimpse into what could go wrong for U.S. Treasuries if economic uncertainty gets worse. On today's show, we take a peek at some nightmare scenarios for the bond market.

    Related episodes:
    Who's advising Trump on trade (Apple / Spotify)
    IRS information sharing, bonds bust, and a chorebot future (Apple / Spotify)
    Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming (Apple / Spotify)
    Is the reign of the dollar over? (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • What we misunderstand about gun violence

    What we misunderstand about gun violence
    May 14 2025
    The U.S. is known around the world for its problem with gun violence. The vast majority of murders in the U.S. are committed using guns. But what leads one person to shoot another? The "conventional wisdom" says gun violence is usually the act of calculated criminals or people acting out of desperate economic circumstances. But economist Jens Ludwig believes the conventional wisdom is wrong. Today on the show, he explains why he believes many of us fundamentally misunderstand the problem of gun violence and how behavioral economics reveals some potential solutions.

    Jens's new book detailing his research into gun violence is called "Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence".

    Related episodes:
    Can credit card codes help address gun violence?
    The money going into and out of gun stocks
    Guns and The Trump Slump

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
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