Episodios

  • Argentina's bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season

    Argentina's bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season
    Sep 26 2025
    It’s Indicators of the Week! It is that show where we parse the most fascinating financial numbers in the news and bring them to you.

    On today's show: Argentina needs a bailout, Microsoft’s new way to cool data centers, and retail hiring is not looking like it’s in the holiday spirit.

    Related episodes:

    A radical plan to fix Argentina's inflation

    What $10 billion in data centers actually gets you

    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
  • No, your doctor isn't getting rich off of vaccines

    No, your doctor isn't getting rich off of vaccines
    Sep 25 2025
    Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Junior says doctors are pushing vaccines onto their patients in order to make profits.

    Healthcare in the US is a business … but does that mean that doctors actually make money on vaccines?

    Today on the show, we talk with doctors who explain the financial reality behind vaccines and how RFK Jr’s words and actions could harm public health.

    Related episodes:


    More for Palantir, less for mRNA, and a disaster database redemption arc

    What is a 'freedom economy'?


    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 m
  • Why are so many public schools closing?

    Why are so many public schools closing?
    Sep 24 2025
    Faced with declining enrollment, public school districts across the country are rethinking how many schools they can run. Fewer students often means less government funding, forcing schools to cut services. Yet school closures can disrupt communities and have negative effects on learning. On today’s show, the tough calculus parents and schools confront.

    Related episodes:

    Why ‘free’ public education doesn’t always include school supplies

    A food fight over free school lunch

    The evidence of school vouchers that’ll please nobody

    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
  • Should 'surveillance pricing' be banned?

    Should 'surveillance pricing' be banned?
    Sep 23 2025
    When you walk into a store, you're probably used to seeing price tags on things, saying what they cost.

    But when you shop online, there is no price tag. There's just the price you see on screen. What if companies use your online data — like your location and browsing history — to charge you more than somebody else … or maybe less?

    Today on the show: Surveillance pricing vs. personalized pricing.

    Related episodes:

    Is dynamic pricing coming to a supermarket near you?

    Wendy's pricing mind trick and other indicators of the week

    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
  • Can LA host a 'car-free' Olympics?

    Can LA host a 'car-free' Olympics?
    Sep 22 2025
    Los Angeles is synonymous with car culture. But now that it's hosting the 2028 Olympics, could that be changing? On today's show, LA's public transit building bonanza, and why some worry the new infrastructure will benefit tourists more than locals.

    Related episodes:
    Why the Olympics cost so much
    Why building public transit in the US costs 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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    9 m
  • The Fed cuts rates, America's FICO dips, and forever ends for sweepstakes winners

    The Fed cuts rates, America's FICO dips, and forever ends for sweepstakes winners
    Sep 19 2025
    It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

    On today’s show: A rate cut and drama at the Federal Reserve, the average American gets a little less creditworthy, and those giant check sweepstakes winners? Well, they might have to get a job soon.

    Related episodes:
    Why an aggressive rate cut could backfire on Trump
    Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed
    What goes into a credit score?

    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
  • Why "free" public education doesn't always include school supplies

    Why "free" public education doesn't always include school supplies
    Sep 18 2025
    Back-to-school supplies are getting more expensive … so why are parents and teachers at public schools expected to foot the bill? Today on the show: An economist explains how the cost of school supplies fits into the larger history of public school funding, and what one school district is doing differently.

    Related episodes:

    A food fight over free school lunch

    Mailbag: Children Edition


    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 crypto market is hot. But is it an illusion?

    The crypto market is hot. But is it an illusion?
    Sep 17 2025

    There has been an inordinate amount of trading activity recently in the crypto markets. But what if much of that activity was an illusion? A smokescreen? A fraud? Today on the show, we look at the practice of wash trading, and how it’s evolved in the crypto world.

    Related episodes:
    The fake market in crypto

    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