The Indicator from Planet Money

With the Iran War underway, the United Arab Emirates is looking for some economic certainty. The rich Arab nation is home to a lot of foreign-held deposits, and they’re worried investors will pull those funds. So, they’re looking for an economic backstop. Enter: currency swap lines. Today, we explain why the UAE is looking to its close ally, the U.S., for a currency swap line and how it would work...

Iran’s weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz is the perfect example of how modern warfare is increasingly waged, not only with drones and bombs, but also through the weaponization of economic choke points.  Today on the show, we talk to author Edward Fishman, who says the U.S. innovated a new kind of economic warfare a couple of decades ago, and that has sparked a new economic arms race.  Edward F...

In 2025, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of the Jan.6 rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In addition to being convicted of crimes, many of the Jan. 6ers paid fines, the bulk of which went toward repairing the damage to the Capitol. After being pardoned, some of them want their money back. Today on the show, are they entitled...

It’s the Beigie awards! Our less than ten times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy. Today on the show, Kevin Dancy, vice president and regional executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, lays out a worrying consumer trend that’s affecting how retailers do business. Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.co...

It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news! And unlike florals for spring, these numbers ARE groundbreaking. On today’s episode: A dramatic SNAP decrease, fuel costs ground flights, and the Devil Wears Wages Increasing Slightly Faster Than A Small Sample Of Luxury Items! The Indicator has a weekly newsletter! Be among the first and sign-up no...

Businesses might finally see some tariff money refunded to them. That’s because this week, the federal government officially rolled out a process that allows businesses to apply for a refund. Today on the show, we speak with three business owners about the unexpected simplicity and frustration of the Trump tariff refund process.  Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here...

The global oil market has supported the U.S. dollar for more than 50 years. But the system has shown signs of cracking. Amidst the Iran war, Iran has reportedly been collecting some tolls in yuan. Today on the show, how the petrodollar regime came to be and what losing it would mean for the U.S. Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com/#tour The Ind...

So you want to buy a house. You MIGHT notice that the owner isn’t a neighbor in your town, but a large corporation. A recent housing bill that passed the Senate wants to change that. This bill would restrict large institutional investors from owning too many single family homes. The hope is to improve affordability. But what’s the real connection between housing affordability and corporate landlor...

Traders have made millions betting on the Iran War. They are also suspiciously timed. No public information, then boom: a Truth Social post from President Trump. Cue fat windfalls for the traders. It’s starting to look a lot like insider trading.  On today’s show, suspicious bets on the Iran War. And are federal regulators or prosecutors looking into these trades … is anyone? Come see Planet Money...

It’s Indicators of the Week. Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.  On today’s episode: the drama behind the Fed Chair nominee’s wealth; the shoe company Allbirds is becoming an AI firm; and a drop in how many people are paying for their Affordable Care Act plans. The Indicator is launching a newsletter! Be among the first and sign-up now: npr.org/indicato...

If the Strait of Hormuz completely reopens, it still might not be enough to restart the economies in the Persian Gulf. Many countries there have been hammered by the oil crisis. And although allowing ships through would stanch the immediate bloodletting in the energy sector, other sectors might not spring back so quickly. Tourists are visiting less. Property markets are at risk.  On today’s show,...

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is pretty slow right now. A once steady stream of global oil has been severed, and oil prices have shot into the stratosphere. Countries across the world are trying to stop the bleeding. One is counting down the days until it runs out of oil. Another is … just fine. On today’s show, we take stock of how three countries, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, and China, are na...

With the 50th season of Survivor underway, three former Survivor winners tell us how some of the skills they learned in their careers helped them win the show.  There’s game theory, social engineering, and learning how to get along with a group of castaways who have a $1 million incentive to vote you off the island.  Come see Planet Money live on stage! Twelve cities. Details and tix here: planetm...

They say do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. But c’mon. Is that possible in this day and age? On today’s show, we speak to a tech investor who tells us the ingredients he believes are needed to make passion pay. And we hear from an economist who’s run the numbers on luck.  Bill Gurley’s book is Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love .   Come see Pl...

It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news. (Now on YouTube !)  On today’s episode: Is the middle class actually hollowing out ? Are more e-ships powered by batteries on the horizon? And how much are the first batch of L.A. Olympics tickets going for???  Related episodes:  Why the Olympics cost so much   The Indicator Takes On Batteries   Are...

Over the last half decade, wholesale electricity prices have increased 267% in places close to data centers. That’s contributed to a backlash against new ones.  But some experts believe data centers are a scapegoat for long-term issues with an aging U.S. grid. Today on the show, we ask who is responsible for rising electricity prices and whether the U.S. can handle a new era of grid growth.  Come...

Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com   If you’re a commuter, gas prices may not be your friend right now. The average cost of a gallon is more than $4 across the country. California’s average is close to $6. So how are drivers around the country responding? Today on the show, we hear how they’re adapting to higher prices and how much this gas pr...

We practically live on our phones these days. Scrolling and scrolling, endlessly. Entrepreneur Aza Raskin is responsible for creating this infinite scroll. He also testified against Meta, who have been under fire — and in court — charged with making their apps addictive to children.   On today’s show: Raskin tells us about the changes he thinks platforms should make to help people take their atten...

Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com   It’s not often you get to talk to a regional Fed president, let alone two at the same time! Today on the show, we take the temperature of the economy with regional Fed presidents Austan Goolsbee and Beth Hammack. Related episodes:  One Fed battle after another America's next top Fed Chair For sponsor-free e...

Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com Economists have described the state of the jobs market as “low hire, low fire.” That means employers are not cutting many jobs, but they're also not adding much either, a dismal prospect for many new college grads. On this edition of Jobs Friday, we go to Howard University in Washington, D.C. to see how gradu...

Freedom of the Seas. GPS. The Large Hadron Collider. These are all public goods that make our world more prosperous, accurate, and knowledgeable. But we don’t always give them the attention they deserve.  Today on the show, the Planet Money book’s main author Alex Mayyasi joins us to take an audio world tour of spectacular public goods, one whimsical postcard at a time.  These postcards are gorgeo...

Pokémon cards are scorching hot right now. An index tracking the thousands of rare cards shows that valuations have increased 170% in the last year alone. Growth like that really makes you wish you hadn’t given away all your childhood cards years ago. Today on the show, we cover three things that are contributing to the rapid growth of shiny cards produced by the world’s highest-grossing media fra...

There is a $3 trillion dollar black box at the center of the economy. It’s called private credit. These are direct loans from private investors to private companies. They’re often riskier, less regulated than traditional bank loans – and far less transparent. Spooked investors are scrambling to cash out, and some funds aren’t letting them. It’s all fueling fears of another financial crisis. On tod...

School lunch has been revamped a ton over the last two decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to rejigger the menu once more to align with its Make America Healthy Again agenda. That means more meat. More dairy. But do schools really need another menu overhaul? And could they even afford it? On today’s show, we join a school lunch line in South Carolina to find out what kids are actually eat...

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: The US ain’t doing too hot in attracting European tech workers ; OpenAI takes its video generator Sora behind the barn; and a rapper, pound cake, and the police.  Related episodes:  OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy   We're about to lose...