Episodios

  • What it costs to be an elite figure skater like the 'Quad God'

    What it costs to be an elite figure skater like the 'Quad God'
    Feb 12 2026

    Behind every Ilia Malinin or Alysa Liu, there is an army of elite figure skating coaches and choreographers who have been with them from the beginning. On today’s show, how much does it cost to achieve Olympic glory and why is it so expensive?

    Related episodes:
    How college sports juiced Olympic development
    Why the Olympics cost so much

    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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    10 m
  • What is going on with gold and silver?

    What is going on with gold and silver?
    Feb 11 2026
    The prices of gold and silver are on rollercoaster rides; Gold has been rising over the last few years, silver shot up like a skyrocket in January … but then both plunged in price and sputtered around the end of the month.

    It raises the question: What is going on?

    Today on the show, we talk with some traders about what this volatility of gold and silver is saying about the state of the world.

    Related episodes:

    Why is everyone buying gold?

    A new-ish gold rush and other indicators

    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 m
  • The boxed meal helping Americans stay on budget

    The boxed meal helping Americans stay on budget
    Feb 10 2026
    Food keeps getting more expensive, so how do shoppers respond? They change what they buy, right? It’s not just that cheaper foods get more popular. Shoppers are more nuanced than that. So, today on the show, we choose one classic meal that is tailor-made for this anxious economic moment. Why Hamburger Helper is poised to win 2026.

    Related episodes:
    How niche brands got into your local supermarket
    Can you trust you're getting the same grocery prices as someone else?
    Hits of the Dips: Songs of recessions past

    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 m
  • Are we in an economic 'doom loop'?

    Are we in an economic 'doom loop'?
    Feb 9 2026
    Trade wars. Financial panics. Inflation. How come it feels like it’s all bad news in the global economy these days? Economist Eswar Prasad’s answer: something he calls the ‘doom loop.’ That’s where massive geopolitical and economic forces feed off each other and send us careening into disorder. Sounds dire. But it’s not hopeless.

    On today’s show, are we in a doom loop? And if we are … how do we get out of one?

    Eswar Prasad’s new book is called “The Doom Loop: Why the World Economic Order Is Spiraling into Disorder”.

    Related episodes:
    Is the financial media making us miserable about the economy?
    Why are some nations richer?

    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 m
  • Just how bad are these job numbers?

    Just how bad are these job numbers?
    Feb 6 2026

    It’s a weird time for jobs numbers. Another month, another jobs report pushed back by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Averaging two private sources, ADP and Revelio Labs: an estimated 4,500 jobs were added in January. Sounds like … not many.

    And, yet, the unemployment rate hasn’t seemed to have risen. This might be, in part, due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. We’ll explain through the story of one Angeleno.

    On today’s show, how bad are these job numbers? Or are they not bad at all? And what does immigration have to do with it?

    Related episodes:
    Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update)
    What you need to know about the jobs report revisions
    What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update) 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 m
  • How college sports juiced Olympic development

    How college sports juiced Olympic development
    Feb 5 2026
    How did the U.S. become the Olympic powerhouse it is today? Cold War competition. The Soviet Union sponsored their athletes. But America wanted its athletes to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It birthed an unexpected accelerator of Olympic development: College football. Stay with us now.

    On today’s show, how college football became an Olympic development engine. And how that engine might not be running as smoothly as it once did.

    Related episodes:
    Why the Olympics cost so much
    You can't spell Olympics without IP
    A huge EU-India deal, Heated Rivalry, and a hefty $200k to Olympians
    Why Host The Olympics?
    The monetization of college sports

    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 m
  • Warming your house the green way just got more expensive

    Warming your house the green way just got more expensive
    Feb 4 2026

    People wanting to purchase heat pumps might soon face sticker shock. Many consumers have sought out energy credits to find a greener and more affordable alternative to heating oil, but the tax credit to help make them cheaper has expired. Today on the show: how homeowners, the renewables industry, and its critics all feel about it.

    Related episodes:
    Metals, government debt, and a climate lawsuit
    All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right?
    Cold-o-nomics

    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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    8 m
  • All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right?

    All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right?
    Feb 3 2026

    Data centers are getting a lot of heat right now. There’s neighborhood pushback against them for water usage and environmental concerns, and some politicians on both sides of the aisle aren’t fans for the same reasons. There’s also fear that they could drive up the cost of electricity bills.

    But that last bit isn’t set in stone.

    Data center electric bill upcharge is not a guarantee. In fact, it is even possible for data centers to cause power bills to go down. Today on the show: the future of your power bill.

    Related episodes:
    No AI data centers in my backyard!
    What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill

    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 m