Accessibility links
Planet Money The economy, explained, with stories and surprises. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening. That's what we're going for at Planet Money. People seem to like it.

Planet MoneyPlanet Money

The Economy Explained
AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs

Researchers look at live feeds of CA mountaintops. Cal Fire, California's main firefighting agency, started using an artificial intelligence system to detect smoke from more than 1,000 camera feeds. Gregory Bull/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Gregory Bull/AP

The Indicator

AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs

by , ,

We often talk about the jobs lost due to artificial intelligence. But what about the ones created or even transformed? From the gig work of training AI on good and bad answers through to designing new AI models, AI jobs are popping up like mushrooms.

AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs

Listen · 9:31
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958787/1218345743" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The wheel's many reinventions

Indian potter Darga Ashok throws a traditional earthenware pot in Hyderabad NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

The wheel's many reinventions

by , ,

"Don't reinvent the wheel" is a common phrase, but structural engineer Roma Agrawal doesn't buy it.

The wheel's many reinventions

Listen · 8:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958768/1217985967" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
What can we learn from the year's most popular econ terms?

An Austin, TX home available for sale in October 2023. Home sales have slowed with record-high mortgage rates. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The Indicator

What can we learn from the year's most popular econ terms?

by , , ,

In 2021, the most popular term on Investopedia was "capital gains tax." In 2022, it was "poison pill." These top terms help capture the economic zeitgeist of their year. So... what was it in 2023?

What can we learn from the year's most popular econ terms?

Listen · 9:24
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958756/1217712053" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Two food and drink indicators
Leon Neal/Schneyder Mendoza/AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

Two food and drink indicators

by Paddy Hirsch , , , , Brittany Cronin , ,

Today on the show, we have two episodes from our daily podcast, The Indicator, about things we spend a lot of time thinking about this time of year: food and drink.

Two food and drink indicators

Listen · 19:05
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197955860/1217699827" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Americans don't like higher prices but they LOVE buying new things
Carl Court/Getty Images

The Indicator

Americans don't like higher prices but they LOVE buying new things

by , , ,

Eight times a year, regional Federal Reserve Banks release a collection of anecdotes that reveal stories about the economy. These stories come together in what's known as the "Beige Book," and we award the regional bank with the best entry with our coveted Beigie Award. Today, we're highlighting an entry that gets to the heart of the contradictions we're seeing when it comes to consumer preferences and sentiment.

Americans don't like higher prices but they LOVE buying new things

Listen · 9:10
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958711/1217471141" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Who can and cannot get weight-loss drugs
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The Indicator

Who can and cannot get weight-loss drugs

by Paddy Hirsch , , ,

Drugs used for weight loss like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are nearly everywhere in popular culture, but many patients struggling with obesity are still finding them hard to get. On today's show, what's slowing access to these drugs despite their long-term benefits for the economy and patients, and how social conditioning around obesity and excess weight clouds the conversation.

Who can and cannot get weight-loss drugs

Listen · 9:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958695/1217127183" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Endless shrimp and other indicators
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Indicator

Endless shrimp and other indicators

by , , , ,

On the latest edition of Indicators of the week, inflation in the U.S. and Europe is slowing down. Plus, a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston highlights the number of gig workers typical employment counts miss. And finally ... Red Lobster, endless shrimp and loss leaders.

Endless shrimp and other indicators

Listen · 9:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958592/1216678523" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Why are we so bummed about the economy?

A customer shops in a Kroger grocery store on July 15, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Planet Money

Why are we so bummed about the economy?

by , , Molly Messick ,

Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off, financially, than you were a year ago? Do you think in 12 months we'll have good times, financially, or bad? Generally speaking, do you think now is a good time or a bad time to buy a house?

Why are we so bummed about the economy?

Listen · 23:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197955840/1216675623" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes?

People participate in a "March on Billionaires" in the summer of 2020. The march called on the NY Governor to pass a tax on billionaires. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Indicator

Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes?

by , , ,

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on whether the federal government can tax some "unrealized" gains. That's when an asset you hold, rather than sell, gains value. Tax experts say it's the biggest constitutional tax case seen in a century.

Could SCOTUS outlaw wealth taxes?

Listen · 8:51
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958576/1216287769" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How one Oregon entrepreneur is trying to sell marijuana out of state, legally

Matt Ochoa is the owner of Jefferson Packing House, a cannabis business in Oregon. Amanda Aronczyk/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Aronczyk/NPR

Planet Money

How one Oregon entrepreneur is trying to sell marijuana out of state, legally

by , , ,

In the state of Oregon, there is a glut of grass. A wealth of weed. A crisis of chronic.

How one Oregon entrepreneur is trying to sell marijuana out of state, legally

Listen · 23:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197955821/1215957473" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Putting the 80/20 rule to the test
Julia Ritchey/NPR

The Indicator

Putting the 80/20 rule to the test

by , , ,

A favorite of productivity hackers, the Pareto Principle, aka the 80/20 rule, has taken on a life of its own since it was first observed by an Italian economist over a century ago. The concept states that a small number of causes generates a large number of outcomes. Today on the show, the origins of the Pareto Principle, why marketing and business-types love it, and whether it holds up under scrutiny.

Putting the 80/20 rule to the test

Listen · 8:41
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958541/1215958105" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war
David McNew/Getty Images

The Indicator

Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war

by , , ,

The Middle East is synonymous with oil production. And historically, oil prices usually surge when there's a conflict there.

Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war

Listen · 7:40
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958524/1215713725" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Texas' new power grid problem
Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

The Indicator

Texas' new power grid problem

by , , ,

In 2021, a huge winter storm hit Texas. It caused a days-long blackout that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The Texas grid operator adopted a new policy to guard against another blackout: it would incentivize plants to keep power in reserve. The problem is: that may have caused major price spikes.

Texas' new power grid problem

Listen · 8:46
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958510/1215478287" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A very Planet Money Thanksgiving

Planet Money hosts a Thanksgiving feast - of food and economics. Sam Yellowhorse Kesler/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler/NPR

Planet Money

A very Planet Money Thanksgiving

by , , ,

Here at Planet Money, Thanksgiving is not just a time to feast on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles and pie(s). It's also a time to feast on economics. Today, we host a very Planet Money Thanksgiving feast, and solve a few economic questions along the way.

A very Planet Money Thanksgiving

Listen · 26:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954683/1214953896" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A salary to be grateful for, and other Thanksgiving indicators
Julia Ritchey/NPR

The Indicator

A salary to be grateful for, and other Thanksgiving indicators

by , , , ,

It's an Indicator Friendsgiving! You're not alone in feeling the news has been awfully grim this year. So we're taking a collective breath and sitting down at the table to find some economic indicators to be thankful for. That includes an end to global shipping turmoil, the green-blue bubble détente and a palatable salary.

A salary to be grateful for, and other Thanksgiving indicators

Listen · 8:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958443/1214907073" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How political campaigns raise millions through unwitting donors
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images

The Indicator

How political campaigns raise millions through unwitting donors

by , , ,

A lot of people have experienced some version of this: You sign up for the free one-week trial of some subscription service, only later to be surprised when you get a bill for the deluxe, forever plan. Or you log into a website once, and now your inbox is a flood of promotional emails. All because of a little pre-checked box tucked away, unnoticed.

How political campaigns raise millions through unwitting donors

Listen · 9:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958421/1214582440" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The messy human drama behind OpenAI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on during APEC on November 16, 2023 in San Francisco Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Indicator

The messy human drama behind OpenAI

by , , ,

The company behind ChatGPT pushed out its CEO Sam Altman on Friday. OpenAI's board gave the public little insight into its controversial decision. On Sunday, Microsoft announced it was hiring Sam Altman. By Monday morning, hundreds of OpenAI employees are threatening to leave unless the board resigns. Kate Clark, deputy bureau chief at tech publication The Information, says the saga is far from over.

The messy human drama behind OpenAI

Listen · 9:29
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958395/1214314675" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Economic fact in literary fiction

Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Blackyoonicorn hide caption

toggle caption
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Blackyoonicorn

Planet Money

Economic fact in literary fiction

by , , , Molly Messick

Some of the most influential and beloved novels of the last few years have been about money, finance, and the global economy. Some overtly so, others more subtly. It got to the point where we just had to call up the authors to find out more: What brought them into this world? What did they learn? How were they thinking about economics when they wrote these beautiful books?

Economic fact in literary fiction

Listen · 26:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954656/1213936823" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Prices fall, unemployment rises and Boomers have all the houses
Allison Dinner/Getty Images

The Indicator

Prices fall, unemployment rises and Boomers have all the houses

by , , , ,

We've been on a wild economic ride lately so let's find the key trends to make sense of where the economy's headed. On this edition of Indicators of the Week, the numbers you need to know about falling producer prices, rising unemployment claims and generational home-buying trends.

Prices fall, unemployment rises and Boomers have all the houses

Listen · 9:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958345/1213907454" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How do cheap cell phone plans make money? And other questions
Michael Steele/Getty Images

The Indicator

How do cheap cell phone plans make money? And other questions

by Brittany Cronin , , , , ,

You ask, we answer! Today we answer listener questions on whether certain jobs are becoming "feminized" since COVID started and how that affects what these jobs pay. We also examine labor unions' economic impact and why Ryan Reynolds keeps sending one of our co-hosts a Christmas card.

How do cheap cell phone plans make money? And other questions

Listen · 9:24
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958326/1213645047" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
The evidence on school vouchers that'll please nobody
Ross D. Franklin/AP

The Indicator

The evidence on school vouchers that'll please nobody

by , , , ,

School vouchers, or school choice as it's known among advocates, is public funding for children to attend private schools. It's a controversial policy — some say it undermines the public school system, others say it gives parents the ability to choose the best school for their children.

The evidence on school vouchers that'll please nobody

Listen · 8:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958305/1213340720" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
China's real estate crisis, explained

A worker prepares to weld a steel structure at a construction site in Beijing on May 8, 2021. Greg Baker/AFP hide caption

toggle caption
Greg Baker/AFP

Planet Money

China's real estate crisis, explained

by , , ,

China's economic growth for the past few decades has been extraordinary. And much of that growth was fueled by real estate – it was like this miraculous economic engine for the country. But recently, that engine seems to have stopped working. And that has raised all kinds of questions not just for China but also for the global economy.

China's real estate crisis, explained

Listen · 20:17
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954635/1213343950" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org

Planet MoneyPlanet Money

The Economy Explained

About

Subscribe