Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Indicator from Planet Money

Norway has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, but it’s facing a self-imposed dilemma. Should the fund's investments include companies that directly or indirectly contribute to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war? On today’s show, the ethical tightrope Norway is walking to invest its oil riches responsibly. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
—How would a US sovereign wealth fund even work? 

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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.

Your Next Listen 
— Is this a bank?

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Most workers can’t start collecting full Social Security benefits until age 67. But a new proposal from Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens would allow workers in “physically demanding jobs” to receive full retirement benefits at 60. Today, two social security experts tell us the pros and cons. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Iceberg ahead for Social Security

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What do influencing, AI and health sciences have in common? They’re all degree programs colleges have launched in the last few years to attract students looking for a new career path. On today's show, how colleges are rethinking degrees for a changing job market.

Fact checking by Leyla Doss. 

Your Next Listen 
— Community colleges are kind of underrated 

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Universities spend millions of dollars every year on their athletics programs. But does that investment pay off? Today, we interrogate the “Doug Flutie Effect.” 

Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim.

Your Next Listen 
— How college sports juiced Olympic development

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What rhymes with "snakes" and helps the government classify economic activity? NAICS — or the North American Industry Classification System. These codes categorize every industry from artificial turf installation to zucchini farming. But they’re not exactly easy to get. Today we look at one business’ quest for a NAICS code and what makes them so valuable. 

Fact checking by Leyla Doss. 

Your Next Listen 
— How to take the temperature of the US consumer 

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Decades ago, rich Americans used to pay taxes as high as 40% on their investments. Nowadays, an obscure investment strategy is helping them slash that figure toward … 0%. Today on the show, Bloomberg reporter Loukia Gyftopoulou, tells us about this generation’s “great American tax dodge,” and the “mad genius” behind it.

A Tax Strategy for the Rich Built the World’s Largest Hedge Fund - Bloomberg

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— What’s a revenge tax?

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This week’s indicators: Rent is squeezing middle-income earners, the Trump admin is squeezing ACA enrollees, and GLP-1s are squeezing employers.

Fact checking by Julia Ritchey.

Your Next Listen 
—Why GLP-1s aren't lowering employers' costs

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President Trump and his money managers made more stock trades since his second term started than all members of Congress combined. The White House says there is no conflict of interest. Today on the show, we look at three companies he’s traded in that raise ethical flags because of their relationship with the federal government. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Did Trump enable insider trading?

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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 affordable car is so difficult.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Prepping for a rainy day and higher used car prices

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Whether it’s oil from Venezuela or somewhere else, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve needs to be refilled. The SPR is widely considered critical for energy security.  On today’s show, the challenges to refilling the reserves at a time of high federal debt and climbing gas prices. 

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. 
Your Next Listen 
— So… how long before these oil prices get REALLY bad? 
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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 THC-derived hemp products. Will Congress step in to save this $28 billion industry? 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How would-be weed merchants hit a ‘grass ceiling’ 

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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 making fertilizer—and potentially your groceries—a whole lot more expensive.

Fact checking by Schuyler Swenson.

Your Next Listen 
— What Iran teaches us about why wars start

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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 Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane connected to the Red Sea, why it’s important, and why the global oil crisis is poised to get even worse. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Fixing the oil crisis might not fix the Persian Gulf   

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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 that. Today on the show, what AI hyperscalers are doing to the bond market.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Who's financing Meta's massive AI data center?

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Flock cameras promise to reduce crimes like car theft. But these automated license plate readers come with a trade-off: a wide-reaching surveillance network. Today on the show, does Flock actually make communities safer?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Stuck In China’s Panopticon

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It’s time for another Indicator Quiz! For today’s quiz, we’re testing the Indicator knowledge of a brilliant mathematician. Will we stump his theoretician brain? Tune in and find out! 

Interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number to indicator@npr.org and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— An urban planner, infinite scroll, and … what is a public good?


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This week’s indicators: Is The U.S. Treasury Department futzing with financial markets?; Is Patagonia’s pretty picturesque setting … for data centers?; Was the summer box office actually swell? 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— A Treasury showdown with the bond market

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Our favorite entry on the regional economy from the latest Beige Book reveals a troubling development in higher education. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Community colleges are kind of underrated

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Why do so many fintech companies — like Square and Mercury — want to be banks? And what does it take to get there? Find out today when we play our fake game show … Who Wants To Be A Bank!

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
—Is this a bank?

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The era of friendly diplomacy has fallen to the wayside once again as the U.S. - Canada trade war enters a new phase. This time, Canada is countering the latest round of tariffs with their own, targeting American dairy, steel and electronics. Today on the show, we hear from the host of CBC’s Cost of Living podcast Paul Haavardsrud on Canada’s trade war strategy.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Why there's no referee for the trade war
— Why a trade war makes wigs (and bones) cost more + LeBond James

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With AI disrupting the workplace, is your job going to exist in ten years? The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just the handbook for that. 

Today on the show, we flip through the Occupational Outlook Handbook and answer your questions about the future of work.

This episode originally aired on May 8th, 2026

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How AI is shrinking the job market for teens

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People with jobs are not always eager to leave them … but there are exceptions. Call them job hoppers. While many employers look down on this sort of professional promiscuity, new research suggests there are benefits to switching jobs frequently.  

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— I'm just here for the health benefits

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We go undercover at a big box store for an inside look at the secret shelf test the makers of Exploding Kittens use for their hit games.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers

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Why are more than half of Gen Zers using investment dollars for sports gambling? It’s been eight years since sports betting became widely legal. Today we look at its impact on a new generation of sports bettors and efforts to curb gambling’s more harmful effects. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who's gonna fix it?

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Why is the U.S. Treasury planning to buyback at least double the number of long-dated government bonds it usually does? And will Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s buyback plan pit him against both the bond markets and the Federal Reserve? Today we explain what the Treasury’s up to and what it means for you. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
—Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, marking the biggest month for ICE arrests of President Trump’s second term. We talk to a researcher who thinks this increased ICE activity is creating an “economy of fear” in cities around the country — and has the data to prove it.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How ending TPS is squeezing workers, businesses and (soon) consumers

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This week’s indicators: The teacher pay penalty; Meta’s massive settlement; Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods are struggling.  

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that comparable college graduates in other professions make around 25% more than teachers. Those workers make about 33% more.

Your Next Listen 
— Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation

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Coyote vs. Acme will finally get its theatrical release on Friday after a years-long saga involving supposed tax write-downs, negotiations and multibillion-dollar studio deals. It's a drama almost straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. Today we have the story from the inside. This episode is an update of an episode from December 2023.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Why Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.

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Medicare for All could save the U.S. trillions… or maybe way less than that? In our second episode on Medicare for All, we look at the convoluted figures behind the hot political topic. We hear directly from billionaire and healthcare voice Mark Cuban on what works about Medicare for All, and why its actual cost is so complicated. 

Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.

Your Next Listen 
— Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?

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As midterms near, Medicare for All is back in the spotlight and Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has become the newest face for it. Today, we dig into what Medicare for All would actually do and hear directly from El-Sayed on why he thinks it’s critical to figure out.

Tomorrow, billionaire Mark Cuban joins the show as we continue our discussion on Medicare for All.

Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.

Your Next Listen 
— I’m just here for the health benefits
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The Trump administration recently admitted to pulling grants over politics. This practice could become more common. How do cities use grant money, and how will they adapt?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?

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This week’s indicators: EV sales sputter in North America but flutter internationally; U.S. Treasury Yields … RISE!; a low-budget movie so terrible, it became a box office hit in China. 

Fact checking by Julia Ritchey

Your Next Listen 
— The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance

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Bankruptcy has a negative stigma surrounding it. But what if we told you it’s not as bad as you may think? In fact, economists think we should actually see more of it! 

Based on the radio story: More Americans are going bankrupt. What does that mean?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— We're in a renter's market (believe it or not)

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The best manager isn’t necessarily the best employee. Turns out it isn't so easy to predict what DOES make a good manager. Today on the show, we turn to science to help answer that very question.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Productivity and workforce whiplash

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The Trump Organization has sued Capital One for closing its bank accounts. The organization says it did so out of political reasons. But banks can close accounts for a zillion reasons. They don’t have to say why. Capital One cited money laundering as a concern. 

On today’s show, how banks decide to close accounts, how much politics plays a role and what the bank might have seen in its crime-stopping crystal ball.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— What is a 'freedom economy'?

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Fenwick Island, Del. has only around 900 people on its voting rolls, but some of those registered voters are not human. Many are family trusts and a few are companies. The town says its system works for its tiny beach community. So why are some lawmakers trying to stop it?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Who’s behind that shell company? 

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It’s Indicators of the Week!

On today’s episode: Retirees get a bump in benefits; credit card debt delinquency at a historically high level; and the dating app Bumble on a serious decline — Men first! IRL events! What will work! 

Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim and Vito Emanuel.

Your Next Listen 
— Trying to fix the dating app backlash

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Which letter best describes how the U.S. economy is shaped: C or K? We examine the arguments for both and why there’s so much disagreement over who’s faring best in today’s economy. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators  

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Rage. That’s what consumers are feeling right now. A new survey found consumer complaints hit a record high this year. Another from last year found a huge share of consumers felt ‘rage’ with a product or service problem. Just think about the modern consumer experience: hidden fees, ballooning customer support wait times (perpetually experiencing higher call volumes than usual) … shrinkflation! Argh!! What’s going on? 

On today’s show, unpacking consumer rage. And Heather Timmons, who covers consumer rights for The Guardian, talks about what we might do about it.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Petty! Econ! Grievances!
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The total amount of investors using margin aka borrowing money to help pay for a trade  is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. Is this something we should worry about? We spoke to Jurrien Tinner at Fidelity Investments. 

Note: Jurrien Timmer's views are his own and not representative of Fidelity. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How AI might mess with financial markets


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President Trump is no fan of wind farms. And his administration is putting taxpayer money where his mouth is, paying companies billions of dollars to NOT build them. 

On today’s show, Trump’s plan to squelch wind farms with the public purse. 

Fact checking by Tyler Jones. 

Your Next Listen 
— Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)

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Dependable health insurance is keeping more people in their jobs. Rising health costs don't help. Today we look at the repercussions this kind of job lock has on the wider economy. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— The ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future 

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Taco Bell and Taylor Farms are taking hits to their reputation due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country. They could learn a thing or two from Chipotle, which went through its own public relations battle during a similar outbreak about a decade ago.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Big Lettuce meets Small Intestine

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What happens when roughly a million people working legally in the U.S. suddenly lose that right to stay here? We’re starting to find out in places like Miami, Florida, home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the country. There, we talk to people on what the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) means for their businesses and the wider economy.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Your American Dream is pending review

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Shortages are in the news again! Here’s why the supply of blood, water and helium are at concerningly low levels.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

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Musicians from the Rolling Stones to up-and-coming pop star Bella Kay have one thing in common: Influencers are being paid to promote their songs. 

On today's show: Who is an industry plant and why does it matter?

Fact checking by Tyler Jones. 

Your Next Listen 
— Two Indicators: the influencer industry

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It’s Indicators of the Week! 

On today’s episode: The inner workings of Mamdani’s marts; how much Americans gamble; and Gen-Z aren’t the sober generation we’ve been led to believe! 

Fact checking by Corey Bridges. 

Your Next Listen 
— Is gambling the reason we have pro sports?

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Fact checking by Corey Bridges

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President Trump’s social media company, Truth Social, wants to sell investors early access to its posts. When Trump announces tariffs or new strikes on Iran, those milliseconds matter in the market. Is this corruption? Is this legal? And what does corruption mean for the U.S. economy? 

Ray Fisman’s book with Miriam A. Golden is Corruption: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Fact checking by Tyler Jones.

Your Next Listen 
— Did Trump enable insider trading?
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For decades, consumer tech like laptops and gaming systems got better AND cheaper. Memory shortages caused by the AI boom are making those lower prices a thing of the past.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— SK Hynix to the moon, Gen-Z to their rooms, and Connecticut tax reform looms

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