The Indicator from Planet Money Plus
Episodes
Is investing in sports worth it for universities?
This episode explores how college football serves as a powerful marketing tool for universities facing a demographic decline in applicants.
How the bond market is handling AI risks
This episode explores how massive bond issuances by tech giants funding AI data centers are reshaping the bond market.
How much safer do Flock cameras make us?
This episode examines the economics and ethics of Flock, a network of automated license plate readers now worth over $8 billion.
A Beautiful Bill, Mamdani's Market, and Stock Subscriptions
Hosts Wayne Wong and Ricky Mulvey welcome listener Daniel Kahn for a quiz testing knowledge of recent Indicator episodes.
Bessent's yen bet, cold Argentine data centers set, and the summer box office net
This episode of The Indicator from Planet Money Plus examines three key economic stories.
Are small town colleges going extinct?
Hosts Robert Smith and Wayne Wong present the Beiji Awards, celebrating the best anecdotes from the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.
Let's play ... Who Wants To Be a Bank!
This episode explores why fintech companies like Mercury and Square are seeking U.
Canada fights tariffs with tariffs
Host Adrian Ma interviews Paul Havershrude of CBC’s Cost of Living to discuss the escalating US-Canada trade war.
Which jobs are future-proofed?
This episode explores the reliability of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, a key resource for predicting future job markets.
Are job hoppers better at their jobs?
This Jobs Friday episode reviews recent labor data showing steady unemployment and a hiring surge in the restaurant sector.
Does Planet Money’s game pass the shelf test? We go undercover to find out
Planet Money hosts Kenny Malone and Wayan Wong join Exploding Kittens co-founder Alan Lee to conduct secret shelf tests for their new game, Sell Me a Sasquatch.
For a lot of Gen Z, gambling is investing
This episode explores how aggressive advertising blurs the line between investing and sports gambling for Gen Z, with many viewing betting as a high-risk investment strategy.
A Treasury showdown with the bond market
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent faces backlash for doubling bond buybacks, a move investors view as an attempt to suppress yields rather than improve liquidity.
How ICE arrests are creating 'economies of fear'
This episode examines how aggressive ICE enforcement under the Trump administration is creating an "economy of fear" that harms local businesses.
The teacher pay penalty, Meta's major settlement, and a footwear flop
The Indicator explores three key economic stories: the widening pay gap for US public school teachers, a landmark Meta settlement limiting teen…