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The Indicator from Planet Money A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy. It's a quick hit of insight into money, work, and business. Monday through Friday, in 10 minutes or less.
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The Indicator from Planet Money

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The Indicator from Planet Money

From NPR

A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy. It's a quick hit of insight into money, work, and business. Monday through Friday, in 10 minutes or less.
Sign up for our newsletter.

Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes for Planet Money and sponsor-free listening for The Indicator.

NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.
Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.

Most Recent Episodes

The original dolls that inspired Winnie the Pooh stories, presented at New York Public Library.
N100a via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0

Supercore inflation, Bumble valuation and Pooh's repatriation

This week’s indicators: Why is inflation so super (derogatory)? How did Bumble go from dating app doldrums to a stock market sweetheart?; And oh, bother! Could Winnie the Pooh be moving home to England from New York City?

Supercore inflation, Bumble valuation and Pooh's repatriation

Listen · 9:13
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"I Voted" stickers.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

How did political campaigns get so expensive?

The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching, and it’s gearing up to be the most expensive election in American history. So how did we get here, where every election feels more expensive than the last? 

How did political campaigns get so expensive?

Listen · 8:12
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A laptop computer's keyboard shattering into pieces after an impact.
LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

A rebate runaround, a car rental rip-off and … roaches?!

A labyrinthine rebate process. Shrinking cereal boxes. Mystery rental car charges. Cockroaches?! We share listener tales of Consumer Rage and unpack the economic forces driving that ANGER.

A rebate runaround, a car rental rip-off and … roaches?!

Listen · 9:27
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Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Ellen Moons (C), Chair of the Prize Committee John Hassler (L) and Member of the Prize Committee and expert Timo Boppart announce the winners of the 2026 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

How did we get a Nobel Prize in economics?

This year's Nobel Prize for Economics went to American economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford! Their research focused on macroeconomic models and economic shocks.

How did we get a Nobel Prize in economics?

Listen · 9:28
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An American bison, also called a buffalo.
Eric Baradat/Getty Images

The echo of the bison (Encore)

Nearly 30 million bison once roamed North America, from modern Canada to Mexico. In the late 1800s, white settlers and the U.S. military annihilated the population of bison, bringing these creatures to the brink of extinction. The consequences for the people who relied on the bison were dire — and still being felt today. In an episode that first aired in August 2023, we spoke to one economist who reveals the shocking numbers about the destruction of the bison, and one member of the Blackfeet Nation who is trying to bring them back.

The echo of the bison (Encore)

Listen · 9:30
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Little League baseball players
Doug Benc/Getty Images

SNAP strains, youth baseball's class divide, and Meta's bug bounty

This week our top indicators include changes to the funding model for SNAP, private equity’s influence on youth baseball and Meta’s attempt to find flaws in its brand new AI assistant. 

SNAP strains, youth baseball's class divide, and Meta's bug bounty

Listen · 9:03
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Healthcare workers protest in San Francisco
National Nurses United

The chilling effect of ICE in hospitals

Federal immigration enforcement arrests reached record highs this past summer, and under the second Trump administration, immigration agents can now more easily access so-called sensitive areas, including hospitals. Today on the show: how both patients and healthcare workers are bearing the physical and economic costs of these deportation campaigns. 

The chilling effect of ICE in hospitals

Listen · 9:13
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AI data center protester.
Thomas Simonetti/Getty Images

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 expect energy prices to stay high forever? 

One economist's answer to data center anxiety

Listen · 9:28
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Norway's flag mounted on a flag pole
Peter Summers/Getty Images

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 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. 

Inside Norway's sovereign wealth fund dilemma to divest from Israel

Listen · 8:04
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The proper etiquette of the Venmo nudge
Kiichiro Sato/AP Newsroom

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. 

The proper etiquette of the Venmo nudge

Listen · 9:14
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