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A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.
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- 2039 - The story behind Cuba's economic dysfunction
This week, a powerful hurricane hit Cuba, causing nationwide electricity outages — right after a string of power failures that have plagued the country in recent months. These power outages are a low point for a country that has struggled economically for years and is experiencing mass emigration.
Today on the show, we explain why Cuba is struggling to keep the lights on and investigate the root causes of the Caribbean nation's dramatic fall.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 07 Nov 2024 - 2038 - America's economy is the envy of the world. Will it stay that way?
Donald Trump's victory in this year's election had a lot to do with how many Americans feel about the US economy (surprise: not good). But Simon Rabinovitch, US Economics Editor for The Economist, argues that, despite the turmoil of the past few years, America's economy remains the envy of the world. Today on the show, Simon explains why that is, but also why he believes a Trump presidency puts America's 'economic exceptionalism' at risk.
The envy of the World - The Economist
Related episodes:
How much do Presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy? (Apple / Spotify)
Why are some nations richer? (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 06 Nov 2024 - 2037 - Why Midwest crop farmers are having a logistics problem
It's the most important day of the year for the country ... The Beigie Awards! The Beigie Awards are back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This time, we shine a spotlight on one entry that speaks to a logistics problem affecting farms in the midwest.
Related episodes:
Using anecdotes to predict recessions (Apple / Spotify)
The Beigie Awards: Why banks are going on a "loan diet" (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 05 Nov 2024 - 2036 - Why the US government is buying more apples than ever before
For the second year in a row, the U.S. government is buying the largest quantity of apples in its history because there are not enough consumers and processors who want to buy them. Today on the show, an abundance of apples and why some apple growers are getting out of the game altogether.
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 04 Nov 2024 - 2035 - Cool, cool, cooling jobs
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1% and 12,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy during October. It's a lower-than-expected jobs number, from a period that saw two significant hurricanes in the southeast and a strike from workers at Boeing. Today on the show, we explain the complexities of calculating the monthly job numbers, and why the Bureau of Labor Statistics can be trusted.
Related episodes:
Behind the scenes of Jobs Friday (Apple / Spotify / NPR)
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 01 Nov 2024 - 2034 - The U.S. once banned Chinese immigrants — and it paid an economic price
In 1880, the Chinese were the biggest group of immigrants in the western U.S. But Sinophobic sentiments crystallized into racist policies and eventually the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The rationale was that banning Chinese laborers would boost job opportunities for U.S.-born workers. Today, an economist explains how the Chinese exclusion laws affected the economies of western states and what it says about our current debate over immigration and jobs.
Read the working paper co-authored by Nancy Qian.
A digital scan of the photo album in the California Historical Society's collections is available here.
For more on this period of history, check out At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943 by Erika Lee.
Related episodes:
What's missing in the immigration debate (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 31 Oct 2024 - 2033 - What's missing in the immigration debate
Immigration is a top concern among U.S. voters this election cycle. But Zeke Hernandez, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies immigration,thinks politicians and the media aren't giving the public the full story. Too often, he argues, they paint immigrants as objects of pity or fear, when the reality is much more complex — and positive. Today on the show, we look beyond the binary and explore the less talked about ways documented and undocumented immigrants shape the U.S. economy.
Zeke's book is called The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers.
Related listening:
Is the border crisis really a labor market crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages? (Apple / Spotify)
Welcome to the USA! Now get to work (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 30 Oct 2024 - 2032 - What happens when Social Security runs out of money?
Social Security has thus far been self-sustaining—payroll taxes go into this big fund, which then pays out monthly checks. But the problem we have now is the money coming into that fund is not keeping up with the money going out.
The election hasn't been great for people concerned about the government's finances. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Donald Trump's election proposals will speed up the rundown in the Social Security fund by a few years.
So, when Social Security runs out of money as it's projected to do ... could we just borrow more money? And if so, what would that mean for the already rising government's debt?
Today on the show, how worried should we be about Social Security and the federal debt? We explain a fresh indicator to assess whether or not America's getting too far in the red.
Related Episodes:
What does the next era of Social Security look like?
Iceberg ahead for Social Security
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 29 Oct 2024 - 2031 - What looks like a bond and acts like a bond but isn't a bond?
The Maldives is a small island nation struggling with a heavy debt load. Its borrowing includes $500 million worth of something called sukuk. These are bond-like investments that don't pay interest, to be in line with Islamic law. Today on the show, we explain how sukuk works, how it fits into the larger world of Islamic finance and what might happen if the Maldives can't pay back its debt.
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 28 Oct 2024 - 2030 - An economist answers your questions on love
We ask economists for their expertise all the time on The Indicator, so why not their tips on love? On our final installment of Love Week, we ask economist Tim Harford to answer listeners' relationship quandaries, from paying for a first date to alternatives to saying, 'I love you.'
Thanks toGrant-Lee Phillpsfor composing our Love Week theme song andKaitlin Britofor artwork.
Related episodes:
Trying to fix the dating app backlash (Apple / Spotify)
How American heiresses became Dollar Princesses (Apple / Spotify)
Why the publishing industry is hot (and bothered) for romance (Apple / Spotify)
It's Love Week! How the TV holiday rom-com got so successful (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 25 Oct 2024 - 2029 - Trying to fix the dating app backlash
Unanswered messages. Endless swiping. An opaque algorithm. The backlash to online dating feels like it's reached a fever pitch recently. For today's Love Week episode, why people are unhappy with online dating and what Hinge's CEO is trying to do about it. Also, a Nobel Prize economist delivers a little tough love.
Related listening:
How American heiresses became Dollar Princesses (Apple / Spotify)
Why the publishing industry is hot (and bothered) for romance (Apple / Spotify)
It's Love Week! How the TV holiday rom-com got so successful (Apple / Spotify)
Hinge: Justin McLeod (How I Built This)
The dating app paradox
The economics behind sorority rush
Special thanks toGrant-Lee Phillipsfor our Love Week theme song andKaitlin Britofor episode artwork.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 24 Oct 2024 - 2028 - How American heiresses became Dollar Princesses
In the late 19th century, British aristocrats had a big problem. They were short on cash to fund their lifestyles and maintain their vast country estates. In our third installment of Love Week, we look at the economic forces that drove some British men of the time to marry American heiresses, dubbed "Dollar Princesses," forming a union of money, status and, sometimes, love.
For more on Dollar Princesses, Mark Taylor's research paper is published here. Kristen Richardson's book is called The Season: A Social History of the Debutante.
Related episodes:
Why the publishing industry is hot (and bothered) for romance (Apple / Spotify)
It's Love Week! How the TV holiday rom-com got so successful (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 23 Oct 2024 - 2027 - Why the publishing industry is hot (and bothered) for romance
Once relegated to supermarket aisles, romance books are now mainstream. And authors, an often-maligned group within publishing, have found greater commercial success than many writers in other genres. On today's episode of Love Week, our series on the business of romance, we find out how romance novelists rode the e-book wave and networked with each other to achieve their happily-for-now status in the industry.
Read more by Christine Larson, Priscilla Oliveras and Natalie Caña.
Thanks toGrant-Lee Phillipsfor our theme song andKaitlin Britofor artwork.
Related listening:
It's Love Week! How the TV holiday rom-com got so successful (Apple / Spotify)
Rufaro Faith's 'Let the Games Begin' is a rom-com set in the Olympic village
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 22 Oct 2024 - 2026 - It's Love Week! How the TV holiday rom-com got so successful
Welcome to Love Week on the Indicator, our weeklong series exploring the business and economic side of romance. On today's show, we fire up the gas logs and pour a mug of cocoa to discuss the made-for-TV rom-com machine, and how television executives learned to mass produce seasonal romance.
Special thanks toGrant-Lee Phillipsfor our Love Week theme song andKaitlin Britofor episode artwork.
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 21 Oct 2024 - 2025 - Reversing shrinkflation (via potato chips) and other indicators
It's ... Indicators of the Week! It's that time of week where we look at the most intriguing indicators from this last week of economic and business news.
On today's episode: NHPR's Nate Hegyi, host of the podcast Outside/In, joins us to talk natural disaster loans, election prediction markets and ... potato chips?
Related Episodes:
What's with all the tiny soda cans? And other grocery store mysteries, solved.
A market to bet on the future
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 18 Oct 2024 - 2024 - Rebranding 'the world's most dangerous private army'
When the leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin died in an exploding plane widely attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, it wasn't clear what would happen. Today, why the Wagner Group has been called the world's most dangerous private army, its relationship with Russia and how its business model creates a blueprint for others to follow.
Related episodes:
Not your typical army: how the Wagner Group operates (Apple / Spotify)
How the 'shadow fleet' helps Russia skirt sanctions (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 17 Oct 2024 - 2023 - Can the yield curve still predict recessions?
Two years ago, the yield curve inverted. That means short-term interest rates on Treasury bonds were unusually higher than long-term interest rates. When that's happened in the past, a recession has come. In fact, the inverted yield curve has predicted every recession since 1969 ... until now. Today, are we saying goodbye to the inverted yield curve's flawless record?
Related episodes:
The inverted yield curve is screaming RECESSION (Apple / Spotify)
Yield curve jitters
Two Yield Curve Indicators
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 16 Oct 2024 - 2022 - Why are some nations richer?
This year's Economics Nobel went to a trio of researchers whose work focuses on the importance of strong institutions for an economy. Today we hear from the newly minted Nobel laureates about how they came to their groundbreaking conclusions.
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 15 Oct 2024 - 2021 - The cost of living, lead pipe removal, and a more expensive Mega Millions
It's ... Indicators of the Week! It's that time of week when we look at the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today's episode: Inflation slowly coming down, getting the lead out of water pipes, and a more expensive Mega Millions.
Related Episodes:
Lotteries And Happiness
Indicator exploder: jobs and inflation
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 11 Oct 2024 - 2020 - The trouble with water discounts
The problem of how to price water is a perennial conundrum. Water is an essential limited resource that everyone needs, so how do you price it so everyone can afford it while making sure that utilities have enough revenue to fix their aging systems?
Today on the show, we find out why it's so hard to price water and how a city's solution led to a threat to cut off thousands of residents from a popular welfare program.
You can read more about the fight over water priceshere.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 10 Oct 2024 - 2019 - Half a billion people need reading glasses. Why can't they get them?
If you need some reading glasses in the United States, you don't have to break the bank to pick some up. That's important for older folks who need a little extra magnification. But in some parts of the world, people who need readers don't have that privilege. Today on the show, we'll find out why that is and learn the economic solution to the reading glasses shortage.
Related episodes:
Two indicators: supply chain solutions (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 09 Oct 2024 - 2018 - The year the music festival died
Is 2024 the year the music festival died? Festivals are getting canceled left and right, from Northern California to Florida to Virginia.
Big name festivals that used to sell out in minutes struggled to sell tickets this year, too, like Burning Man and Coachella.
And it's not just America. By one count, over 60 music festivals were canceled in the UK this year alone. In Australia, so many festivals were canceled that one newspaper there recently asked, are the nation's music festivals extinct?
Today on the show, the music festival recession. What's behind it and is it temporary or a permanent cultural shift?
Related Episodes:
Live Music Industry Blues
The Economics of Music Festivals
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 08 Oct 2024 - 2017 - Why the name Taft-Hartley got airplay during the dockworkers' brief strike
The U.S. economy is breathing a little easier after the International Longshoremen's Association reached a tentative agreement last week with the United States Maritime Alliance. The short-lived dockworkers strike reignited a debate over whether the president ought to intervene, invoking an old law on the books called the Taft-Hartley Act. On today's show, we explain what the Taft-Hartley Act is, why it was created and why it's still scorned by unions.
Related episodes:
What the data reveal about labor strikes (Apple / Spotify)
Why residuals are taking center stage in actors' strike (Apple / Spotify)
The never-ending strike (Apple / Spotify)
The strike that changed U.S. labor
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 07 Oct 2024 - 2016 - Does unemployment whiplash mean recession?
It's Jobs Friday! It's that time of the month where we check in on the American worker.
In September, 254,000 jobs were added to the US economy and the unemployment rate ticked down very slightly to 4.1%. It's unexpectedly strong, and relieving news for workers after a pretty lackluster summer.
But ... given how the labor market cooled over summer, is the labor market still on thin ice? And if there were to be a plummet in jobs, could anything be done to speed up the recovery?
Today on the show: How it's easier to break the economy than to fix it, and whether we can escape from the patterns of the past.
Related Episodes:
The Sahm Rule With The Eponymous Economist
How much would you do this job for? And other indicators
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 04 Oct 2024 - 2015 - Champagne. Neapolitan pizza. Now döner kebabs?
In Germany, döner kebabs are more than just an affordable, satisfying street food. They're a symbol of Turkey's culinary influence in the country. Today on the show, how an effort to give döner kebabs a protected status under a little-known EU regulation could dish out some real economic consequences, in Germany and beyond.
Special thanks to Sidney Gennies, Sönke Matschurek, and Maren Möhring.
Related episodes:
Cheese wars
Coca Cola vs. Coca Pola (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 03 Oct 2024 - 2014 - Are we about to lose TikTok? Like actually tho?
TikTok could begin shutting down in the U.S. as soon as January 19 of next year. But the app is not going down without a fight. The company is asking a panel of federal judges to block the law in a high-profile case that pits free speech versus national security. Today on the show, how TikTok got to this point and what we can expect from the app's last ditch effort to stay alive in the U.S.
Related episodes:
Tick tock for TikTok? (Apple / Spotify)
Is Project Texas enough to save TikTok? (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 02 Oct 2024 - 2013 - Is an American sovereign wealth fund such a bad idea?
Sovereign wealth funds have been around since the 1800s, but they're having a bit of a moment right now ... The financial instrument was recently name-dropped in HBOs 'Industry' (good show!) and members of both the Biden administration and the Trump campaign have floated the idea of an American sovereign wealth fund.
That idea, for the most part, has been derided by economists. But... is an American sovereign wealth fund such a bad idea?
On today's show: What IS a sovereign wealth fund? Is a US national sovereign wealth fund a good or even viable idea?
Related Episodes:
Why oil in Guyana could be a curse
The boom and bust of esports
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 01 Oct 2024 - 2012 - Mail bag! Grad jobs, simplified branding and central bank independence
Penny for your thoughts? Today we open our mail bag to hear from Indicator listeners. A college graduate tells us about their job search, a researcher discusses why products advertised as 'simple' may not be so straightforward, and another listener thinks the debate over Fed independence is a little more nuanced than we let on.
Heard something on the show you liked (or didn't)? Have an insight to share about the economy? Send us an email: indicator@npr.org!
Related episodes:
Should presidents have more say in interest rates? (Apple / Spotify)
We grade Fed Chair Jerome Powell (Apple / Spotify)
Trade wars and talent shortages (Apple / Spotify)
If the world had no accountants (Apple/ Spotify)
The case for inflation
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 30 Sep 2024 - 2011 - America's small GDP bump, China's big stimulus dispersal, and a Monkey King
It's time for ... Indicators of the Week! It is our show where we talk about fascinating numbers from the news. On today's episode, America's small GDP increase, a big assist from China's government to its lower income residents, and a high-grossing, centuries-old Monkey King.
Related Episodes:
How Red Lobster got cooked and other indicators
China's luxury liquor indicator
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 27 Sep 2024 - 2010 - What does the next era of Social Security look like?
Peak 65 is here. More than 4 million Americans will turn 65 each year between 2024 and 2027, representing the largest retirement surge in history. Years ago, older Americans could count on Social Security. But today there is some uncertainty on the program's solvency in the next decade plus. Now, many are entering their golden years with financial insecurity. Today on the show, how did Social Security become a thing? And what could the safety net for the Peak 65 generation and beyond look like?
James Chappel's book: Golden Years: How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old AgeGolden Years: How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old Age
Related episodes:
Iceberg ahead for Social Security (Apple / Spotify)
What would it take to fix retirement? (Apple / Spotify)
Social Insecurity
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 26 Sep 2024 - 2009 - Are pharmacy benefit managers driving up drug prices? (Update)
A group of obscure yet powerful players in the prescription drug industry are under the microscope. On Tuesday, at a Senate hearing in D.C., the head of pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk blamed the health insurance industry and pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, for allegedly making products like the weight loss drug Ozempic way more expensive in the U.S. than it is in other countries. A few days before that,the Federal Trade Commission sued three of the country's largest PBMs for allegedly using unfair tactics to artificially inflate the price of insulin.
So what exactly are PBMs and how do they work? In an episode that aired two years ago, we explain how the answer involves secret deals and double agents.
Related episodes:
Who can and cannot get weight loss drugs (Apple / Spotify)
New drugs. Cheaper drugs. Why not both? (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 25 Sep 2024 - 2008 - How to pass on a global media empire
Rupert Murdoch took an Australia paper in Adelaide and turned it into one of the most influential media empires in the world. The question of who will run it after he's gone though is the subject of speculation both in reality and on the HBO fictional series "Succession." Now, a small probate court in Nevada will weigh in on that very question.
Today, how did the drama come to be? And what will the decision mean for the future of Fox, one of the most influential networks, on the planet and our political discourse?
Related episodes:
Dollar v. world / Taylor Swift v. FTX / Fox v. Dominion (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 24 Sep 2024 - 2007 - Could you live without GPS? It's OK, the economy can't, eitherA recent survey found that nearly half of all Americans say they could not live without GPS in their car. The American economy couldn't live without GPS, either! Clocks on Wall Street, commercial fishermen, and of course, your Lyft driver, all rely on satellite navigation services.
An outage in those services, however, would cripple the U.S. economy. A study found that an outage could cost at least $1 billion a day ... and we don't have a backup.
Today on the show, we explain who owns GPS and why we don't have a Plan B if it fails.
Related Episodes:
The Military Industry ... It's Complex
Why the FTC is cracking down on location data brokers
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 23 Sep 2024 - 2006 - The Fed cut rates ... now what? (featuring: Sasquatch)
It's ... Indicators of the Week! We roundup the economic indicators that caught our eyes and ears. This week, all our attention was on the Federal Reserve, which cut interest rates by half a percentage point. (Egad!)
On today's episode, we've got dot plots, why the Fed rate cut may not bring immediate relief, and ... Sasquatch?!
Related Episodes:
Has the Fed lost the dot plot?
Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?
When mortgage rates are too low to give up
Related Reading:
Mortgage Rates Puzzle Is a Worry for Housing and the Fed
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 20 Sep 2024 - 2005 - What are Harris' economic plans?
Yesterday we looked at Donald Trump's key economic proposals for a second term. On today's show, we do the same for Kamala Harris, examining the Democratic nominee's plans for taxes, housing and grocery store prices.
Related episodes:
What are Trump's economic plans? (Apple / Spotify)
Three Kamala Harris indicators (Apple / Spotify)
Bad economics, smart politics (Apple / Spotify)
How much do presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy? (Apple / Spotify)
When Uncle Sam stops paying the childcare bill (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 19 Sep 2024 - 2004 - What are Trump's economic plans?
With less than two months before election day in the U.S., there's still a lot to learn about both major candidates' economic platforms. Today we look at some key proposals from Donald Trump for a second term, including tariffs and immigration. Tomorrow: Kamala Harris' plans.
Related listening:
Bad economics, smart politics (Apple / Spotify)
How much do presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy? (Apple / Spotify)
Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages? (Apple / Spotify)
Why tariffs are SO back (Apple / Spotify)
What is Trumponomics?
Trump vs. Red Tape
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 18 Sep 2024 - 2003 - Behind the Tiny Desk and other listener questions
The co-hosts return with answers to YOUR questions. In this episode of listener questions, we dive into why storefronts don't just fill up, how Tiny Desk found its secret sauce, and whether there's an ideal level of staff turnover.
Tiny Desk Donation Page
Related episodes:
Anatomy of a Layoff (Apple / Spotify)
Pay Cuts Vs. Layoffs
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 17 Sep 2024 - 2002 - Bad economics, smart politics
Nippon Steel says it wants to keep jobs in America as it looks to buy out US Steel. And economists say: that makes sense. But U.S. presidential candidates are pushing back. Today, we'll look at the role politics plays in distorting economics and find out whether that's what's happening in Pennsylvania and some other battleground states.
Related episodes:
The tensions behind the sale of U.S. Steel (Apple / Spotify)
How much do presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 16 Sep 2024 - 2001 - The return of Fyre Festival and other indicators
It's ... Indicators of the Week! We roundup the economic indicators that caught our attention. On this (kinda) spoOoOooky Friday the 13th, we were morbidly curious about higher household incomes, a Keurig K-Cup kerfuffle and, believe it or not, the return of Fyre Festival.
Related Episodes:
Wake up and smell the fraud
How much would you do this job for? And other indicators
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 13 Sep 2024 - 2000 - The DOJ's case against Apple
The Department of Justice thinks Apple has violated an antitrust law, pointing to its ecosystem of apps and products. Apple, for its part, thinks the DOJ is wrong on both the facts and the law. Today on the show, why the DOJ brought this lawsuit against one of the largest companies in the world and why it matters for all you smartphone owners out there.
Related episodes:
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees (Apple / Spotify)
Can an old law bring down grocery prices? (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 12 Sep 2024 - 1999 - Overtourism ho! The Barcelona cruise dilemma
Barcelona has always attracted crowds, but now it's attracting protests from locals angered at the negative consequences of being one of Europe's most popular destinations. This is especially true as large cruise ships can dock close to some of the city's most famous landmarks. On today's show, we look at how cruise ships are both driving revenues and frustrations in Barcelona, and we consider what the city's options are for regulating the flow of visitors.
Related episodes:
The return of Chinese tourism?
How Iceland's tourism bubble deflated
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 11 Sep 2024 - 1998 - I will PAY YOU to take my natural gas
A weird thing is happening in West Texas. Natural gas prices have gotten so low, energy producers are actually paying to give it away. Today, why it's happening and whether it's a big concern. Plus, who else won a Beigie award!
Related episodes:
Texas' new power grid problem (Apple / Spotify)
The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission (Apple / Spotify)
The rise of American natural gas (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 10 Sep 2024 - 1997 - How Medicare fraud became Miami's vice
In 2019, Philip Esformes went on trial for one of the biggest Medicare fraud casesin history. His longtime family rabbi said Philip Esformes was an upstanding citizen ... when he lived in Chicago.
Malcolm Gladwell was fascinated by this case and the prospect of a city changing a man. He covers this in his forthcoming book Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering.
Today on the show: How Miami became known as the capital of Medicare fraud. We learn what went wrong in South Florida and what it says about how places may change our behavior.
Related Episodes:
Book drama, NVIDIA hype, and private equity Football
How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 09 Sep 2024 - 1996 - Why aren't more people taking on the trades?
There is expected to be a lot of demand for manufacturing jobs in the coming decade, but many of those positions will be left unfilled. So Darnell Epps set out to close that gap by connecting employers with workers and showing potential workers what's appealing about these jobs. Today, we dig into Darnell Epps journey through both law school and trade school.
Related episodes:
One of the hottest jobs in AI right now: 'types-question guy' (Apple / Spotify)
Why it's so hard to mass produce houses in factories (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 06 Sep 2024 - 1995 - How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium
Recently, singer/rapper/entrepreneur Pitbull agreed to pay $6 million to Florida International University for the naming rights to its football stadium ... an unusual move for both parties: a musician paying for their name on a stadium, and for a college to name their stadium after a musician.
How does this move benefit the college? How does this move benefit Mr. Worldwide?
In today's episode, what Pitbull and FIU's deal tell us about the fast-changing economics of college sports.
Related Episodes:
The monetization of college sports
The Olympian to influencer pipeline
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 05 Sep 2024 - 1994 - How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages
The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with two-thirds of residents over age 65. On today's show, how the Japanese government is trying to address rural depopulation and attract younger residents to villages like Nanmoku.
Related listening:
Japan had a vibrant economy. Then it fell into a slump for 30 years (Apple / Spotify)
Japan's ninja shortage
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 04 Sep 2024 - 1993 - Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year.
Reclassing, when a student repeats an academic year by choice, is a popular way for kids trying to land a spot in a top college athletics program. But it can also come with some heavy costs. Today on the show, we explore the reclassing phenomenon and pressures kids and their parents face in a competitive environment for young athletes.
Related episodes:
Should schools be paying their college athletes? (Apple / Spotify)
The monetization of college sports (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 03 Sep 2024 - 1992 - Let's party like it's NVIDIA earnings report day!
On this Indicators of the Week, we take you to a Manhattan bar to watch NVIDIA's latest earnings reports. Plus, how publishers are trying to keep their books in Florida school libraries and what private equity is doing in Football.
Related episodes:
The tower of NVIDIA (Apple / Spotify)
What do private equity firms actually do?
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 30 Aug 2024 - 1991 - The Olympian to influencer pipeline
While the 2024 Paris Olympics are over for some athletes, many competitors are still seeking to capitalize on their fame back on their college campuses. Thanks to the NCAA's 2021 rule changes for Name, Image and Likeness, college athletes are now able to leverage their stardom to maximize their earning potential.
Today on the show, we talk to University of Michigan men's gymnastics star and Olympic medalist Frederick Richard about how he's playing the business game for the long term.
Related episodes:
Why the Olympics cost so much (Apple / Spotify)
You can't spell Olympics without IP (Apple / Spotify)
The monetization of college sports (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 29 Aug 2024 - 1990 - How mortgage interest rates work (and why they're currently out of whack)
Even with falling interest rates in recent weeks, mortgage rates are still higher than you'd expect.
Mortgage interest rates are usually a little less than two percentage points higher than what you would get on a 10-year Treasury bond. But for the last couple of years that difference has been noticeably higher: 2.6% at the moment. New borrowers have been paying potentially thousands of dollars extra each year on their mortgages.
Today on the show, how mortgage interest rates work and why they're currently out of whack ... with new borrowers footing the bill.
Related Episodes:
Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?
How mortgage rates get made
The rat under the Fed's hat
AP Macro gets a makeover
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 28 Aug 2024 - 1989 - How China became solar royalty
When Shi Zhengrong started making solar panels at the turn of the century, there was basically no solar industry in China. But in the decades that followed, the nation started heavily investing in renewables. Today, we dig into how China became a leader in solar power while following the story of one man: the Sun King.
Related episodes:
Rooftop solar's dark side (Apple / Spotify)
The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 27 Aug 2024 - 1988 - A food fight over free school lunch
The ascendance of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has made the topic of free school lunch a political flashpoint. Over the past several years, several states—including Walz's home state of Minnesota—have created free school lunch programs, to the dismay of some House Republicans who believe government subsidies should go only to needy students.
Today on the show, we break down the economics of school lunch and explore whether universal programs are more effective than targeted programs.
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 26 Aug 2024 - 1987 - How much would you do this job for? And other indicators
Welcome to another edition of Indicators of the Week! On today's show, the large downward revision to jobs numbers, the awkward release of that news and a survey that asks U.S. workers for the minimum salary they would accept a new job for.
Related listening:
Getting more men into so-called pink collar jobs (Apple / Spotify)
Do I need a four-year degree? (Apple / Spotify)
Indicator exploder: jobs and inflation
Our 2023 Valentines
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 23 Aug 2024 - 1986 - Biden's beef with bad customer service
Earlier this month, the White House unveiled a new initiative aimed at trying to serve and protect American consumers: Time is Money.
It's an array of actions the Biden Harris administration is taking to stomp out business processes that waste consumers time and money, like, for example, making it unnecessarily difficult to cancel a subscription, get an airline ticket refund, or file an insurance claim.
On today's episode: In a competitive market, companies want to treat their customers well or else they'll lose their customers to competitors ... so why does the White House want to intervene in this area of the free market?
Related Episode:
Junk fees, unfilled jobs, jackpot
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 22 Aug 2024 - 1985 - What is the deal with car rentals?
Like several aspects of the travel economy, renting a car is more expensive than it was before the pandemic. Today on the show, we explore the great reset happening in the U.S. rental car industry that's kept prices elevated, left fleets leaner, and customers frustrated.
Related episodes:
The semiconductor shortage (still)
Offloading EVs, vacating offices and reaping windfalls
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 21 Aug 2024 - 1984 - So, how's this No Tax On Tips thing gonna go?
By now, you've probably heard a lot from both presidential nominees about getting rid of taxes on tips.
The idea may sound good on first go, but it has its detractors, namely economists and tax experts. Their fears include unfairness and people gaming the system.
On today's episode, how to put in place guardrails for a policy that many economists believe is likely to go off the rails.
Related episode:
Why Americans Can't Quit Tipping
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 20 Aug 2024 - 1983 - Is endless vacation a scam?
Unlimited paid time off may sound like a nice perk, but it's not always what it appears. Employers aren't typically obligated to pay out unused vacation balances when a worker leaves, and it can be hard for workers to understand just how much time they can actually take off.
And yet ... endless leave?? It doesn't sound so bad.
Today on the show, is unlimited paid time off really a benefit? We try to figure out whether it works.
Related episodes:
Vacation, and why the U.S. takes so little of it (Apple / Spotify)
The 28-Hour Work Week
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 19 Aug 2024 - 1982 - Mortgage applications, China's housing and ... Carrie Bradshaw?
It's ... Indicators of the Week! We cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover mortgage applications increasing, China's home prices decreasing, and Carrie Bradshaw ... Indices-ing?
Related Episodes:
When mortgage rates are too low to give up
Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?
The highs and lows of US rents
The mess at the heart of China's economy
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 16 Aug 2024 - 1981 - Why big banks aren't interested in your savings account
Some bank customers are jumping to high-yield savings accounts to escape the shockingly low interest rates of personal savings accounts at big banks. So why aren't these banks raising their rates to attract more customers? Today on the show, we explore why big banks may not care about your savings account anymore.
Related episodes:
The dangers of money market funds (Apple / Spotify)
Interest rates up, but not on your savings account (Apple / Spotify)
Bad Form, Wells Fargo
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 15 Aug 2024 - 1980 - Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates?
Former President Donald Trump recently suggested that if elected in this year's presidential election he would want more say on decisions made by the Federal Reserve. Presidents taking a more active role in monetary policy would mark an extraordinary shift in U.S. economic institutions, and mark the end of central bank independence.
Today on the show, why the Federal Reserve insulates itself from day-to-day politics, and what it looks like when central banks are influenced by politicians.
Related Episodes:
Happy Fed Independence Day (Update)
Arthur Burns: shorthand for Fed failure?
How the Fed got so powerful
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 14 Aug 2024 - 1979 - The Denver basic income experiment
Homelessness is a pervasive issue that cities across the country struggle to address. This led an entrepreneur to team up with researchers and local foundations for an experiment called the Denver Basic Income Project. The goal was to see how different variations of a basic income program would impact the local homeless population. What the researchers found could become a guide for how localities in the United States could address the problem of homelessness.
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 13 Aug 2024 - 1978 - Beach reads with a side of economics
It's that time of year when we want to lie on a beach and lose ourselves in a good book. Today on the show, three summer reading recs that got our hosts thinking about economics. Remember, anything read on the beach is, in fact, a "beach read."
Books recommended in this episode:
• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (B&N, Bookshop)
• Everything Is Predictable: How Bayesian Statistics Explain Our World by Tom Chivers (B&N, Bookshop)
• Range: Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein (B&N, Bookshop)
Related episodes:
How Asimov's 'Foundation' has inspired economists (Apple / Spotify)
The carbon coin: A novel idea
Beach reads for econ nerds
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 12 Aug 2024 - 1977 - Google's monopoly, gold medals and gasping markets
Indicators of the Week is a show dedicated to highlighting some of the most interesting numbers in the news. Today, we break down our favorite indicators in Google's antitrust defeat, the currency trade in Japan that jolted global markets and another way of creating an Olympic medal tally.
Related episodes:
Is Google search getting worse? (Apple / Spotify)
Why the Olympics cost so much (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 09 Aug 2024 - 1976 - You can't spell Olympics without IP
The International Olympic Committee has developed a reputation over the years for stringently enforcing its trademarks during the summer games. It has good reason to, with brands like Coca-Cola and Visa paying top dollar for exclusive sponsorship rights. Today on the show, the lengths the IOC will go to protect its trademarks and how smaller brands try to avoid their dragnet.
Related episodes:
Why the Olympics cost so much (Apple / Spotify)
Peacock, potassium and other Paris Olympics Indicators (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 08 Aug 2024 - 1975 - Is the UK open for business?
Globalization, as we once knew it, is dead ... well, that's according to the UK's new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves.
Chancellor Reeves has run the UK Treasury since July 2024. She's facing an economic backdrop familiar to many countries: hollowed-out industrial towns; climate change; global wars and conflicts.
Today on the show: Our conversation with Chancellor Reeves on her visit this week to the US. What she thinks went wrong with globalization, and the new economic map she's coursing.
Related Episodes:
From Brexit to Regrexit
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 07 Aug 2024 - 1974 - The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission
The U.S. wants to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. That will mean a lot of new generation from renewable energy. It also means more transmission networks are needed to bring it onto the grid.
But there's a debate over how that new transmission should be built — between a competitive or monopoly approach. Today, we look at why competition is so divisive and why each side thinks they should build the next generation of transmission infrastructure.
Related Listening:
Texas' new power grid problem (Apple / Spotify)
Green energy gridlock (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 06 Aug 2024 - 1973 - Markets have a bad case of the Mondays
It's been a turbulent couple of days for financial markets around the world. Japan's biggest stock market saw its worst day in decades. Corporate earnings disappointed investors. And last week's jobs report here in the US showed disappointing numbers. Is this a sign of a recession or just some temporary turbulence? Today, we speak with two economic analysts to make sense of what's really going on.
Related:
Matt Klein's newsletter"The Overshoot"
Why are we so bummed about the economy? (Apple / Spotify)
The Sahm Rule With The Eponymous Economist
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 06 Aug 2024 - 1972 - Getting more men into so-called pink-collar jobs
Jobs numbers came out today and they weren't great: Unemployment hit 4.3% and only 114,000 jobs were added to the economy in July. The U.S. economy's downshifting gears ... but there are bright spots.
Care jobs grew. Like social assistance: 9,000 new jobs in July.
Social work organizations have been calling out for more men in particular ... and with unemployment rising for men, a lot of them want jobs. So why aren't they meeting?
Today on the show: Getting more men into so-called pink-collar jobs. We learn about an experiment that showed a surprising way to encourage men into industries traditionally represented by women.
Related Episodes:
Wanted: Social workers
Ghost jobs
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 02 Aug 2024 - 1971 - Why the Olympics cost so much
The modern Olympic Games are notorious for saddling host cities with burdensome cost overruns into the billions. Organizers for the Paris 2024 Olympics were aware of this and planned to put on one of the most cost-effective Olympics in recent memory. They still went over budget.
Today on the show, why the Olympics almost always costs host cities much more than they anticipate and what we can learn from the Olympic Games' original economic sin.
Related episodes:
Peacock, potassium and other Paris Olympics Indicators (Apple / Spotify)
Why California's high speed rail was always going to blow out (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 01 Aug 2024 - 1970 - Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?
The Federal Reserve has once again opted to leave interest rates unchanged. That appears to be creating a big challenge to one part of the economy: housing prices. Today, we look at how elevated interest rates may actually be keeping home prices and rent high. Plus, we see how one community is taking the issue of housing affordability into its own hands.
Read the research paper co-authored by Julia Fonseca, Lu Liu, and Pierre Mabille.
Related episodes:
When mortgage rates are too low to give up (Apple / Spotify)
The housing shakeup (Apple / Spotify)
The highs and lows of US rent (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 31 Jul 2024 - 1969 - Test your knowledge of NVIDIA, ChatGPT and...Peppa Pig?
It's time for The Indicator Quiz!
We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we've covered on The Indicator!
Today's quiz focuses on our June episodes, in which we covered a lot of... well, a little bit of everything! NVIDIA, ChatGPT, and...Peppa Pig?
Play along with us and see how you do!
Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at indicator@npr.org and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject line.
Related Episodes:
Spud Spat
The tower of NVIDIA
Indicators of the Week: Debate Edition
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 30 Jul 2024 - 1968 - How insurance is affecting the cost of childcare
The childcare industry has been having a tough go of it. It's already expensive; pandemic-era programs have ended; plus there are too few providers. Enter a new challenge: increasing liability insurance premiums. Today, we look at why these premiums are rising for childcare providers, and how they're impacting both businesses and consumers.
Related episodes:
Baby's first market failure (Apple / Spotify)
When Uncle Sam stops paying the childcare bill (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 29 Jul 2024 - 1967 - Peacock, potassium and other Paris Olympics Indicators
Indicators of the Week is BACK, and this time, we're going for the gold! (...In educating our listeners on the economics and business stories behind the Olympics.)
In this Olympics-themed episode, we'll learn what economic factors help countries win more medals, how NBCUniversal is betting on these games to support its streaming service, and what it takes to feed 15,000 hungry athletes. (Hint: A LOT of potassium. And pain au chocolat. And baguettes.)
Related Episode:
Why Host The Olympics?
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 26 Jul 2024 - 1966 - Is AI overrated?
Are the promises made by AI boosters mostly hype, or are we actually underappreciating the transformative potential of AI?
This week, The Indicator hosts a two-part debate on the hype around generative AI. Today, the second episode: Despite the tech world's love affair with the technology, is AI overrated?
Related episodes:
Is AI underrated? (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 25 Jul 2024 - 1965 - Is AI underrated?
Are the promises made by AI boosters all hype, or are we actually underappreciating the transformative potential of AI?
This week, The Indicator hosts a two-part debate on the hype around generative AI. Today, the first episode: Despite all the news coverage and money, is AI underrated?
Guest Tyler Cowen's book that he published as an AI chatbot is GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? and his interview with an AI Jonathan Swift is on his podcast, Conversations With Tyler.
Related episodes:
Is AI overrated? (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 24 Jul 2024 - 1964 - The curious rise of novelty popcorn buckets
Even before the Dune: Part 2 popcorn bucket went viral this year, movie theaters have been trying all types of ways to lure customers back. There's reclining seats, expanded menu options and even more merchandise. Today on the show, we track the rise of the popcorn bucket and its afterlife on eBay.
Related episodes:
Coyote vs. Warner Brothers Discovery (Apple / Spotify)
Why platforms like HBO Max are removing streaming TV shows (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 23 Jul 2024 - 1963 - Three Kamala Harris Indicators
You may have heard some big news this past weekend: Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election. This leaves Kamala Harris as the favorite to be the Democratic nominee.
On today's show, We imagine what can be, and we're unburdened by what has been: Kamala Harris' economics, delegate math in deciding the nominee and ... can Kamala Harris use Joe Biden's campaign money?
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 23 Jul 2024 - 1962 - Bankruptcy, basketball, and bringing the dollar down
It's Indicators of the Week! We cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover climbing corporate bankruptcies, J.D. Vance's potential to bring the dollar down, and the NBA's new super serious salary cap.
Related episodes:
The Science of Hoops
Why Ecuador Uses The Dollar?
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 19 Jul 2024 - 1961 - Goodbye, Chevron. Hello, lawsuits!
The Supreme Court's decision to quash Chevron deference means countless agency regulations are now more vulnerable to being challenged and struck down. Think the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to boost electric vehicle sales, discrimination protections against transgender people, and rules that expand eligibility for overtime.
Yesterday, we explained the history that led to this moment. Today, we look at the how the decision will play into a wave of regulatory lawsuits.
Related episodes:
The conservative roots behind the Chevron doctrine (Apple / Spotify)
Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 18 Jul 2024 - 1960 - The conservative roots behind the Chevron doctrine
When the Supreme Court decided Chevron U.S.A., Inc v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. 40 years ago, it didn't turn many heads. But eventually, it became the most widely cited case in all of administrative law. It set a legal precedent to give federal agencies the benefit of the doubt when the law is ambiguous, known as Chevron deference.
Now, a recent Supreme Court decision has set in motion another tectonic shift, effectively ending that precedent. Today, we dig into what Chevron deference is and how it actually came about. Then tomorrow we'll continue our focus on this significant change by looking at the potential fallout.
Related episodes:
A Supreme Court case that could reshape social media (Apple / Spotify)
Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 17 Jul 2024 - 1959 - Why the EU can regulate big tech faster
The Digital Markets Act is a new piece of European legislation aimed at making markets in the digital sector "fairer and more contestable." It's essentially antitrust regulation—rules to ensure that no one company or group of companies makes an area of business uncompetitive. And these rules are making some big companies sweat, not because they're afraid of monetary penalties, but because they could have an effect on antitrust regulations around the world.
Today on the show, we examine the differences between how the EU and the United States handle antitrust and what the Digital Markets Act could mean for big tech's regulatory future.
Related episodes:
EU leads the way on controlling big tech
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 17 Jul 2024 - 1958 - China's luxury liquor indicator
If you regularly listen to The Indicator, you know China's economy is not doing great. Over the last few years, indicators like unemployment and local debt are up, and consumption and property sales are down.
There is one big indicator that's been a bellwether for China's economy ... booze. One specific kind: Baijiu.
In today's episode, a quick history on baijiu and how the liquor is a potent symbol for consumer confidence in China.
Related Episodes:
China's weakening economy in two Indicators
The Beigie Awards: China Edition
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 15 Jul 2024 - 1957 - Greece allows a 6-day work week and other indicators
On Indicators of the Week, we cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover an encouraging trend for global wealth, closing Mexico's tariff loophole and the European nation bucking the trend of shorter work weeks.
Related episodes:
Why tariffs are SO back (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 12 Jul 2024 - 1956 - An asylum seeker's long road to a work permit
There are currently just under 65,000 migrants in New York City's shelter system, stretching the city's outworn social service systems. Today on the show, we follow one asylum seeker's journey from Venezuela to New York and explore why the process is lengthy and complicated.
Related episodes:
Is the 'border crisis' actually a labor market crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
'Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.' (Apple / Spotify)
The migrant match game (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 11 Jul 2024 - 1955 - How much do presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy?
Voters have a bleak outlook on the economy right now, and many are pointing the finger at President Biden. At the same time, many voters have a rosy view of the economy when Donald Trump was president. But how much credit or blame should a president get for the economy? And how do partisan politics play into our perception of the economy's performance?
Related episodes:
Common economic myths, debunked (Apple / Spotify)
Not too hot, not too cold: A 'Goldilocks' jobs report (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 10 Jul 2024 - 1954 - What military brats tell us about social mobility
Children of U.S. military families, a.k.a. brats, are known for their adaptability when relocating to new neighborhoods and schools every few years. This migratory population became the basis for brand new research on how the neighborhood you grew up in affects your economic success later in life. Today on the show, how a place influences your financial destiny.
Related episodes:
Chasing the American Dream at Outback Steakhouse (Apple / Spotify)
The secret to upward mobility: Friends
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 09 Jul 2024 - 1953 - The young trolls of Wall Street are growing up
Back in 2021, the meme stock frenzy was at its peak: Roaring Kitty AKA Keith Gill, and young day traders gleefully upended financial markets. Roaring Kitty disappeared for a bit before returning just a couple months ago.
His disciples that followed him into the markets, however, never left. That's according to Nathaniel Popper in his new book, The Trolls of Wall Street: How the Outcasts and Insurgents are Hacking the Markets.
Today on the show, why Nathaniel believes these day traders are here to stay and where they're putting their money now.
Related Episodes:
GameStop and the Short Squeeze
The tower of Nvidia
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 08 Jul 2024 - 1952 - One of the hottest jobs in AI right now: 'types-question guy'
U.S. job growth cooled this month. But one job is hot to the touch: AI prompt engineer. The role can command a six figure salary, but ... what is it? Today, we speak to an AI prompt engineer to figure out what they actually do and how long the job could remain hot.
Related:
AI creates, transforms and destroys ... jobs (Apple / Spotify)
If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators?
Applying for a job? Make sure your resume is AI-Friendly (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 05 Jul 2024 - 1951 - The game theory that led to nuclear standoffs
Last week, Vladimir Putin vowed to make new nuclear weapons and consider placing them close to NATO countries. Meanwhile, here in the US, the government boosted its nuclear weapon spending by 18% between 2022 and 2023.
The world is closer to nuclear war than it's been in at least forty years.
Today on the show: The game theory of nuclear war. When can mathematical models help us, and when can they lead us astray ... even to the brink of destruction?
Guest Kelly Clancy's book is Playing With Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World.
Related Episodes:
How to get Russia to pay Ukraine
Congressional game theory
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 03 Jul 2024 - 1950 - The economic implications of Europe's jolt right
Europe is expecting a wave of victories from far-right candidates in upcoming national elections. Voters are showing they're worried about income inequality, immigration and the effects of participating in a global economy. Today, we take a look at what the swing to the right means for Europe's economy and the European stance on globalization.
Related Episodes:
Can Europe fund its defense ambitions (Apple / Spotify)
Why the EU is investigating China's wind turbines (Apple / Spotify)
How vikings launched globalization 1.0
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 02 Jul 2024 - 1949 - How the end of Roe is reshaping the medical workforce
It's been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion, triggering a parade of restrictions and bans in conservative-led states. Today on the show, how the medical labor force is changing post-Roe and why graduating medical students, from OB-GYNs to pediatricians, are avoiding training in states with abortion bans.
Related listening:
What's the cure for America's doctor shortage?
KFF: Medical Residents Are Increasingly Avoiding Abortion Ban States
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 01 Jul 2024 - 1948 - Indicators of the Week: Debate Edition
Indicators of the Week is BACK! This week we're doing something just a little bit different. You see, it's the same 'ol Indicators of the Week you're used to, but as a nod to last night's presidential debate, this time, it's debate style.
On today's episode, your candidates argue over who has the best Indicator of the Week: the links discovered between health care prices and layoffs, stress-tested banks, and ... cow burps?
Related Episodes:
Time to make banks more stressed?
The Cows Are Taking All The Land
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 28 Jun 2024 - 1947 - Do polluters pay, or do they get paid?
For years, rich nations have sent money to lower-income countries to help deal with the impacts of climate change. But it turns out, these wealthy nations are finding creative ways to funnel some of that financing back into their own economies. Today, we look at how the climate crisis is reviving a debate over how money should flow from rich to less-rich nations.
Related:
A program meant to help developing nations fight climate change is funneling billions of dollars back to rich countries
A countdown to climate action (Apple / Spotify)
Gambling, literally, on climate change (Apple / Spotify)
Blue bonds: A market solution to the climate crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
Why a debt tsunami is coming for the global economy (Apple / Spotify)
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 27 Jun 2024 - 1946 - What's going to happen to the Trump tax cuts?
The last major overhaul of the tax code was in 2017, when Republicans passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Much of that is set to expire next year, and that means a big debate over tax policy is looming.
Voters this fall won't just be voting for a president—they'll essentially decide who pays for the government and how much for years to come.
Today on the show, we explain the battle lines forming in this tax code throwdown.
Related Episodes:
The Good, The Bad and The Tax Cuts
Happy Birthday, Tax Cuts!
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NPR Privacy PolicyWed, 26 Jun 2024 - 1945 - Tracking the underground bike theft economy
A few years ago, bike enthusiast Bryan Hance got a tip. A whole bunch of expensive bikes that were stolen in the Bay Area had suddenly turned up ... for sale on a Facebook page in Mexico. The revelation started Bryan down a years-long investigation where he would uncover an intricate, large-scale criminal operation out of Jalisco, Mexico.
In today's episode, we talk to freelance reporter Christopher Solomon who wrote about Hance's journey in WIRED Magazine.
Related episodes:
Is retail theft getting worse? (Apple / Spotify)
The economics of stealing bikes
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 25 Jun 2024 - 1944 - The tower of NVIDIA
For a moment last week, semiconductor chip designer NVIDIA eclipsed Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company. How did it get there?
Today on the show, David Rosenthal, one half of the tech podcast Acquired, explains how NVIDIA's founder Jensen Huang laid the groundwork for the company's meteoric rise, and why there may be obstacles ahead.
Related episodes:
The life and death spirals of social media networks (Apple / Spotify)
The semiconductor founding father
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 24 Jun 2024 - 1943 - Boeing's woes, Bilt jilts, and the Indicator's stock rally
Indicators of the Week are back! We are here, as always, to bring you the most fascinating snapshots from the week of economic news.
On today's show, we're digging into the embattled aerospace company, Boeing. We look at how paying your rent with a Wells Fargo credit card is costing the bank millions of dollars a month. And we learn how much richer the Planet Money coffers are after we invested in the funds that track stock trading by congresspeople and their families on both sides of the aisle.
Related Episodes:
Invest like a Congress member
Help Wanted at Boeing
ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at theNPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up forPlanet Money+where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch.
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NPR Privacy PolicyFri, 21 Jun 2024 - 1942 - A captive market: The high price of prison phone calls
When Diane Lewis' son, Jovaan, was sentenced to prison, she told him to call her every day. What he didn't know at the time is that those collect calls often meant Diane was unable to pay her other bills. Today on the show, how prison phone calls got so expensive, and the movement to make them free.
Related listening:
The Uncounted Workforce
From Prison to the Workforce
The Prisoner's Solution
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NPR Privacy PolicyThu, 20 Jun 2024 - 1941 - Invest like a Congress member
There are some new funds that track stock trading by members of Congress and their family. So we thought, why don't we get in on that? Today on the show, we crack open the Planet Money Investment Jar to learn more about how our political leaders play the market, investing in funds tracking Democratic and Republican stock trades.
Whether Congressional stock trading should be limited is a hotly debated matter. So to test whether lawmakers are beating the market, Dartmouth College economist Bruce Sacerdote and his co-authors pitted lawmakers' stock picks against reindeer at a Christmas-styled theme park.
Trust us for this ride! It'll all make sense with some intriguing results.
Related listening:
Stock traders are trying to beat the market — by copying lawmakers
WTF is a Bitcoin ETF? (Apple / Spotify)
Planet Money's Toxic Asset
Planet Money Summer School: Investing
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NPR Privacy PolicyTue, 18 Jun 2024 - 1940 - Spud spat
The federal government classifies potatoes (whether they be baked, waffled, curly, fried) as a vegetable.
Recently some nutritional scientists were questioning that logic as the feds updated their dietary guidelines for 2025.
On today's episode, why potatoes have such sway on Capitol Hill and the real financial stakes spuds have in staying a veggie.
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NPR Privacy PolicyMon, 17 Jun 2024
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