One economist's answer to data center anxiety
Rising electricity prices are one of the primary reasons why data centers are a public enemy this election cycle. But is it realistic to exp...
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The Indicator from Planet Money
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 econo...
Episodes
20 of 411 episodes
Inside Norway's sovereign wealth fund dilemma to divest from Israel
Norway has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, but it’s facing a self-imposed dilemma. Should the fund's investments include companie...
The proper etiquette of the Venmo nudge
How do you ask your friends to pay you back in a timely way? We’ve got an etiquette coach to help with that. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez...
Can we make Social Security better for blue-collar workers?
Most workers can’t start collecting full Social Security benefits until age 67. But a new proposal from Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens...
New college degrees designed to job-proof graduates
What do influencing, AI and health sciences have in common? They’re all degree programs colleges have launched in the last few years to attr...
Is investing in sports worth it for universities?
Universities spend millions of dollars every year on their athletics programs. But does that investment pay off? Today, we interrogate the “...
What does every business need but not every industry has?
What rhymes with "snakes" and helps the government classify economic activity? NAICS — or the North American Industry Classification System....
How the rich make money by losing money
Decades ago, rich Americans used to pay taxes as high as 40% on their investments. Nowadays, an obscure investment strategy is helping them...
Unaffordability index: Rent, GLP-1s, Obamacare
This week’s indicators: Rent is squeezing middle-income earners, the Trump admin is squeezing ACA enrollees, and GLP-1s are squeezing employ...
What Doordash, Dell and Palantir all have in common
President Trump and his money managers made more stock trades since his second term started than all members of Congress combined . The Whit...
Why are used cars priced like new cars?
The used car market is out of control and there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix for high prices. Today, three reasons why finding an affordab...
How will the US refill its dwindling oil reserves?
Whether it’s oil from Venezuela or somewhere else, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve needs to be refilled. The SPR is widely considered c...
How Hemp-THC businesses are bracing for a near total ban
Follow us to Tennessee where hemp farmers are already pivoting in the face of a state ban and soon, a looming federal ban on basically all T...
OpenAI's waiting game, gas pump pain, and severe sulfur strain!
This week’s indicators: Tracking your pain at the gas pump in real-time; OpenAI’s IPO hard-launch tug-of-war; one unexpected ingredient is m...
Strait talk: Why the oil crisis is getting worse
A vital artery for Saudi oil exports is under siege and it’s not the Strait of Hormuz. Today on the show, we explain what’s going on in the...
How the bond market is handling AI risks
Big tech companies are borrowing billions of dollars to finance the build-out of AI data centers, and your 401(k) might be helping to fuel t...
How much safer do Flock cameras make us?
Flock cameras promise to reduce crimes like car theft. But these automated license plate readers come with a trade-off: a wide-reaching surv...
A Beautiful Bill, Mamdani's Market, and Stock Subscriptions
It’s time for another Indicator Quiz! For today’s quiz, we’re testing the Indicator knowledge of a brilliant mathematician. Will we stump hi...
Bessent's yen bet, cold Argentine data centers set, and the summer box office net
This week’s indicators: Is The U.S. Treasury Department futzing with financial markets?; Is Patagonia’s pretty picturesque setting … for dat...
Are small town colleges going extinct?
Our favorite entry on the regional economy from the latest Beige Book reveals a troubling development in higher education. Fact checking by...