Episodes

  • Is the 'border crisis' actually a 'labor market crisis?'

    Is the 'border crisis' actually a 'labor market crisis?'
    Jun 11 2024
    Politicians on both sides of the aisle call the surge at the US Southern Border a "border crisis."

    One camp says we need to focus on addressing the conditions in other countries that cause people to leave. The other says we have to focus on deterrence and enforcement.

    But...what if both camps are actually ignoring a major piece of the picture? Today on the show, an overlooked cause and potential solution to the situation at our southern border that has nothing to do with the border at all.

    Related episodes:
    Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall
    Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.

    ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch.

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    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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    9 mins
  • Is chicken getting cheap? And other questions

    Is chicken getting cheap? And other questions
    Jun 10 2024
    We are back to answer your questions that you, our listeners, have been sending. On today's show, is chicken actually getting cheaper? Why doesn't the Federal Reserve use different interest rates around the country? And: is election spending an indicator of economic health?

    If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.

    Related episodes:
    Can an old law bring down grocery prices? (Apple / Spotify)
    How political campaigns raise millions through unwitting donors
    How mortgage rates get made
    The rat under the Feds hat (Apple / Spotify)
    The interest-ing world of interest rates (Apple / Spotify)

    ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch!

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Ghost jobs

    Ghost jobs
    Jun 7 2024
    Today's jobs report shows a slight rise in unemployment to 4%. And some frustrated job seekers are growing tired of applying for job after job with no replies, sometimes asking whether the listings are even real. And this isn't just vexing for applicants. It's also haunting economists when trying to figure out how much slack there is in the labor market, and whether interest rates should be raised or lowered. Today on the show: the rise of ghost jobs. Where they're happening and why.

    Related episodes:
    Not too hot, not too cold: a 'Goldilocks' jobs report
    The Beigie Awards: From Ghosting to Coasting

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

    Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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    9 mins
  • Why California's high speed rail was always going to blow out

    Why California's high speed rail was always going to blow out
    Jun 6 2024
    99.5 percent of megaprojects are either over time, over budget or have lower benefits than expected. What's going wrong? Today, we look at case studies from California's high speed rail project to the Sydney Opera House to consider the do's and don'ts of ambitious projects.

    Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner's book on megaprojects is How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors that Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between.

    Related episodes:
    Why building public transit in the US costs so much (Apple / Spotify)
    Planes, trains and bad bridges (Apple / Spotify)

    ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch!

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    9 mins
  • Why the U.S. helps pay for Israel's military

    Why the U.S. helps pay for Israel's military
    Jun 5 2024
    The United States has been a supporter of Israel since the nation's establishment in 1948. With the civilian death toll rising in the Israel-Hamas war, growing scrutiny is mounting over just how much the U.S. should support Israel's military. Today, a historical explanation for why the United States tied itself so closely to support for Israel.

    Related episodes:
    Protesters want schools to divest from Israel. How would that work? (Apple / Spotify)

    ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch!

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Common economic myths, debunked

    Common economic myths, debunked
    Jun 4 2024
    Maybe you've heard these things on social media, in the news, and take them as fact: More than half of the adults in the US live paycheck to paycheck, the trade deficit is always bad, and making the super wealthy pay their fair share will fix everything.
    Well, the truth isn't so simple. Today on the show: economic mythbusting. We take three factoids about the American economy and run them through the fact checkers.
    Related episodes:
    Is the federal debt REALLY that bad? (Apple/Spotify)
    Is the financial media making us miserable about the economy? (Apple/Spotify)
    ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch!
    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at     plus.npr.org.
    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Unveiling our mascot's new name and merch!

    Unveiling our mascot's new name and merch!
    Jun 3 2024
    MERCH! You asked for it. We got it. After rebranding our podcast earlier this year, we decided it was time to create our own merch. On today's show, a brief oral history of early merch, how to score an Indicator t-shirt, and the winning name of our new mascot.

    • Preorder the t-shirt now at shopnpr.org/indicator
    • Sign up for Planet Money+ to access more Indicator merch

    Related episodes:
    Name our mascot. No, really (Apple / Spotify)
    Planet Money Makes a T-shirt

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    9 mins
  • The cutest indicator in the world

    The cutest indicator in the world
    May 31 2024
    Indicators of the Week is back, where we dig into three economic snapshots from the global economy. This week, we are exploring consumers' ever so slightly improved perception of the economy, what's going on with carbon offsets, and why China is sending some pandas to U.S. zoos.

    Related Episodes:
    Actors back. Pandas gone. WeBankrupt. (Apple / Spotify)
    How Red Lobster got cooked and other indicators (Apple / Spotify)
    Emission Impossible (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins