Episodes

  • SALT-n-pessimism

    SALT-n-pessimism
    Jun 20 2025
    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 Senate passes the GENIUS Act, the SALT cap might be DOA in the OBBB, and a gender split on the state of the economy.

    Related episodes:
    How stable is Stablecoin? (Apple / Spotify)
    Feeling inflation in the grocery store

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

    Fact-checking by Tyler Jones. Music by     Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Why the 30-year bond matters

    Why the 30-year bond matters
    Jun 18 2025
    Last week, the U.S. Treasury held an auction for 30-year bonds. Some were worried no one would show up to buy these things! That didn't happen, but the 'long bond' isn't exactly thriving at the moment. Today on the show, we look back at why we have such a long maturity bond and why it might be a good idea to start paying attention to it going forward.

    Related episodes:
    Bond market nightmares (Apple / Spotify)
    Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming (Apple / Spotify)
    Trying to solve the mystery of big bond yields (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Mixing family business with US trade policy in Vietnam

    Mixing family business with US trade policy in Vietnam
    Jun 17 2025
    Last month, Eric Trump, executive vice president at The Trump Organization, attended a ceremony in Vietnam to break ground on a $1.5 billion residential development and golf course. This comes as Vietnam's government is in trade talks with the administration of Eric's father, President Donald Trump.

    Today on the show, we look at how the Trump family's business projects in Vietnam are raising red flags when it comes to government ethics.

    Related episodes:
    How Trump is making coin from $TRUMP coin

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • The secret to Nintendo's success

    The secret to Nintendo's success
    Jun 16 2025
    Nintendo has been a titan in the video game industry for decades, but that wasn't always the case. At its very core, Nintendo sees itself as a toy company which is evident in its products from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the Nintendo Switch 2.

    Today on the show, we explore Nintendo's history and examine how a small playing card company in Japan became a multimedia giant.

    Related episodes:
    Forever games: the economics of the live service model
    Designing for disability: how video games become more accessible
    The boom and bust of esports
    Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees
    Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level

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

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    9 mins
  • Trump's parade, FEMA phase out, and Warner Bros. Discovery divorces ... itself?

    Trump's parade, FEMA phase out, and Warner Bros. Discovery divorces ... itself?
    Jun 13 2025
    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 monetary cost of Trump's military parade, looks like FEMA could be phased out, and another change to Warner Bros. Discovery.

    Related episodes:
    Coyote vs. Warner Bros. Discovery (Apple / Spotify)
    Gilded Age 2.0? (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • The hidden costs of healthcare churn

    The hidden costs of healthcare churn
    Jun 12 2025
    Healthcare churn—when people switch insurance plans—is particularly bad in the US.

    In today's episode, why Americans switch healthcare plans so much, and how that can cost a lot in money ... and in health.

    Related episode:
    How doctors helped tank universal health care (Apple / Spotify)
    Healthcare And Economic Despair

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • The secret tariff-free zone

    The secret tariff-free zone
    Jun 11 2025
    There's something interesting happening at the Port of Baltimore. On today's show, we explore the hidden world of bonded warehouses, where you can stash your imported Latvian vodka or Dutch beer tariff free (for a while).

    Related episodes:
    Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • What's a revenge tax?

    What's a revenge tax?
    Jun 10 2025
    For four decades, the US has maintained a consistent policy position: money should be fairly free to come and go in and out of the country. That's changing.

    Two sections in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would add friction. First is a 3.5% tax on immigrants sending money home, commonly known as remittances. Second is what's known as Section 899 or, colloquially, the 'revenge tax'. This one is making Wall Street wary. It would slap extra taxes on people and businesses investing in the U.S. if their home countries were deemed to tax Americans unfairly.

    We explain these two taxes that could mark a shift in our free-flowing money era.

    Related episodes:
    The long view of economics and immigration (Two Indicators) (Apple / Spotify)
    The "chilling effect" of deportations (Apple / Spotify)

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

    Fact-checking by     Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins