The Indicator from Planet Money

It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube !).  On today’s episode: You could’ve septupled your money if you invested in this scalding-hot South Korean memory chip stock; nearly half of all adults under 30 are moving back in with the ‘rents; and a new democracy is born … in Connecticut.   Fact checking by Julia Ritchey and Corey Bridges.  Your Next Listen  — Why Americans don't want to move for j...

When it comes to AI, Google’s Gemini does not have the same household recognition that Claude and ChatGPT do. One big explanation: the innovator’s dilemma. We explain how Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is trying to fight a lumbering company’s constraints to build AI superintelligence.  Sebastian Mallaby’s book is The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligen...

Too much news, there’s just too much news. Today on the show, we tackle three big stories we’re following: Venezuela’s ever-increasing debt problem, the real story behind high egg prices, and how gaming companies are paying the pied piper. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez .  Your Next Listen  — What the cluck is happening with egg prices? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s bran...

Depends on where you live, but renters have a lot of power right now in the United States. What’s behind this trend and how might you be able to take advantage of the renters’ market at your next lease renewal. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — Corporate landlords aren't the real villain Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter — Buy the Plan...

The US defense industry is struggling to keep up with the revolution in cheap drones vs. expensive reusable military equipment.  Today on the show, we talk with Stacie Pettyjohn, the director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security on the three big reasons the U.S. is falling behind. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — How Iran is wasting American resource...

How do residents of the South Side of Chicago feel about their new neighbor: the Obama Presidential Center? A mixture of pride and excitement, tempered with some concerns about what it could do to housing affordability. On today’s show, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at Code Switch on the new center and its relationship to the historically Black neighborhoods around it.  Connect wi...

Last month, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh presided over his first interest rate decision and press conference … but he didn't talk much about maximum employment.  How much does Kevin Warsh care about the jobs side of the Fed’s dual mandate? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — Are we in a new era of permanently higher prices? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s bra...

During President Donald Trump’s first term, he touted the USMCA as the largest and most fair trade deal ever achieved. So why is he now talking about ‘terminating’ it? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — Are Trump’s trade deals the real deal? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and mo...

If war is so costly, why do we keep fighting them? We dig into the wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza to understand the incentives that lead countries into violence. Today on the show, the five factors that lead to war.  Chris Blattman’s book is Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace . Fact checking by Sierra Juarez .  Your Next Listen  — The new economic arms race Connect with The Indi...

For many of the 43 million Americans with federal student loans, July 1 is a day to mark on the calendar . Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is introducing stricter borrowing caps and new repayment plans. Today on the show, we talk with NPR’s Education Reporter Cory Turner about the impact. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — Will new loan limits lower the cost of grad sch ool? C...

It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube !). On today’s episode: The effect of GLP-1s on women and the workplace ; NYC’s once flailing office space is BACK; your boss asking you to come back to the office miiiight be a narcissist .  Fact checking by Emma Ferrara and Corey Bridges.  Your Next Listen  — Why GLP-1s aren't lowering employers' costs Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indic...

Are all these AI books any good? And by good, we mean are people willing to buy them — not whether the prose is singing. We talk to  two researchers who’ve got some answers and a travel guide expert on why AI can’t replace first-hand experience. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez .  Your Next Listen   — Human certification in the age of AI slop Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s...

In 2019, Juan Hernandez was laid off from SpaceX. Luckily, he still had the opportunity to buy $50K - $60K of the company’s stock and, years later, it’s safe to say the risk was worth it. Today on the show, how stock options built California as a tech hub. Fact-checking by Emma Ferrara.  Your Next Listen  — Do traders who make big bets make big money? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The I...

A plan to create a new $250—with President Donald Trump’s face on it—has created a lot of pushback. Who probably won’t be pushing back, though? Criminals. On today’s show, we explain why. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — Trump crypto, Trump ballroom and Trump drones Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Money book — Find...

It’s time for The Indicator Quiz! We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we’ve covered on The Indicator. For today's quiz show, we are putting an urban planner from Nevada to the test. Play along with us and see how you do! Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at indicator@npr.org and put "Indicator Quiz" in...

You pick up your phone to do one quick task, and suddenly 20 minutes have flown by without you even noticing. How do apps do that to you? Today on the show, we bring you an episode of Short Wave that explains how your phone is designed specifically to hold your attention. Fact checking by Tyler Jones. Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Mo...

Inflation is at a three-year high. That’s a problem for the Fed. Yet, under the leadership of new chair Kevin Warsh, it opted yesterday not to hike interest rates. So today on the show, who are the winners and who are the losers amidst higher inflation?  Mark Blyth’s book, co-authored with Nicolò Fraccaroli is Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers .  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez .  Your Next L...

To hear author David Bockino tell it, gambling has always been a key ingredient of pro sports in the U.S.—it’s as American as apple pie. Bockino is the author of the new book Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting . So what gave rise to this new wave of sports gambling? And what are we risking placing so many bets on games?  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez .  Your Next Listen  — Predic...

The Trump Administration recently announced changes to how would-be immigrants get green cards. And it’s causing a lot of confusion, fear and even panic. Today on the show, we hear firsthand from people navigating green card uncertainty.  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — If economists controlled the borders Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new news...

Community college is an increasingly popular hack for those who want to change their career. Here’s what you should know about this gateway to economic mobility. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — Which jobs are future-proofed? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more ! — For spo...

It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube !). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.  On today’s episode: Inflation is back, working from home is making us sad, and World Cup ticket sales are NOT hitting their goooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!! Fact checking by Emma Ferrara and Cooper Katz McKim.  Your Next Listen  — Who is the World Cup for anymore? Connect w...

What the SpaceX IPO, the largest ever, reveals about big tech, the NASDAQ and more big IPOs to come. Sure it will make Elon Musk a trillionaire, but what does this mean for your retirement account?  Fact checking by Emma Ferrara.  Your Next Listen  — What a second Trump term could mean for SpaceX   Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter   — Buy the Planet Mo...

Should we tax AI? The AI race has made a lot of people richer … but most of those gains seem to have gone to the wealthy while everyday workers aren't seeing their incomes go up.  We speak with Democratic congressional candidate, Alex Bores, who wants to tax AI. Also, we talk to a tax expert who has her reservations.  Fact checking by Tyler Jones.  Your Next Listen  — It's come to this: Human cert...

In the United Kingdom, young people are out of work, government borrowing costs are high, and the nation is burning through PM’s like yesterday’s leftovers. A lot of countries are feeling the economic strain of the Iran war. But is the UK the country we should be worrying about? Fact checking by Leyla Doss. Your Next Listen  — What broke Britain’s economy? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for...

A top labor economist encounters the endlessly frustrating labyrinth of filing for unemployment after getting fired by President Trump. Why are unemployment benefits so hard to get, and can we do anything to fix the system?  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez . Your Next Listen  — What you need to know about the job report revisions   Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new...