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The Invention Of Paper Money
Visual China Group/Visual China Group via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

The Invention Of Paper Money

Paper currency has become standard around the world, but that wasn't always the case. Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein tells the story of how paper money came to be — and why it temporarily went away.

The Invention Of Paper Money

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Jamaican Monetary Policy: Behind The Music
Robin Chin and Donovan Watkis/Bank of Jamaica

The Indicator from Planet Money

Jamaican Monetary Policy: Behind The Music

Jamaica's Central Bank has a unique way of explaining its policies: Reggae music videos. The Indicator talks with the Central Bank about why they've taken this unique approach.

Jamaican Monetary Policy: Behind The Music

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Downturn Start-Ups: A Conversation With Guy Raz
Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Downturn Start-Ups: A Conversation With Guy Raz

Since the pandemic started, nearly 100,000 businesses have closed permanently. Opening a business now might seem crazy. But downturn start-ups have some advantages.

Downturn Start-Ups: A Conversation With Guy Raz

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How Immigration Is Changing The U.S. Economy
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

How Immigration Is Changing The U.S. Economy

Nearly 17 percent of the U.S. labor force is made up of immigrants. That's up from 12.4 percent in 2000, and 6.7 percent in 1980. What that means for the economy.

How Immigration Is Changing The U.S. Economy

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Jobs In The Pandemic: More Are Freelance And May Stay That Way Forever

Two million Americans have started freelancing in the past 12 months, according to a new study from Upwork, a freelance job platform. And that has increased the proportion of the workforce that performs freelance work to 36%. Ada Yokota/Getty Images hide caption

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Ada Yokota/Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

Jobs In The Pandemic: More Are Freelance And May Stay That Way Forever

Before the coronavirus hit, many workers chose freelance or contract jobs because they preferred the flexibility and variety it offered. But now millions are turning to freelancing out of necessity.

Jobs In The Pandemic: More Are Freelance And May Stay That Way Forever

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Latinos Report Financial Strain As Pandemic Erodes Income And Savings

People wait for a bus in August in East Los Angeles. Latinos have the highest rate of labor force participation of any group in California — many in public-facing jobs deemed essential. That work has put them at higher risk of catching the coronavirus. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Latinos Report Financial Strain As Pandemic Erodes Income And Savings

KPCC

An NPR poll finds 72% of Latino households in the United States are facing serious financial problems — double the share of whites who report this. Major health problems are mounting, too.

A Smarter Approach To Lockdowns
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

A Smarter Approach To Lockdowns

The coronavirus has put millions of people out of work. Greg Ip talks about his recent article in the Wall Street Journal and argues that lockdowns are "an overly blunt and economically costly tool."

A Smarter Approach To Lockdowns

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Making The Most Of Scarce Space
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Making The Most Of Scarce Space

Lockdowns, working from home, and remote learning have all made personal domestic space more scarce. Emily Anthes has some solutions.

Making The Most Of Scarce Space

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'I Try So Hard Not To Cry': Nearly Half Of U.S. Households Face A Financial Crisis
Kim Ryu for NPR

Shots - Health News

'I Try So Hard Not To Cry': Nearly Half Of U.S. Households Face A Financial Crisis

There are dividing lines when it comes to how families are weathering the pandemic: Those living in big cities, those making less than $100,000 a year, and Latino and Black families are faring worst.

'I Try So Hard Not To Cry': Nearly Half Of U.S. Households Face A Financial Crisis

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Parenting In The Time of Corona
Eva Marie Uzcategui/ Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Parenting In The Time of Corona

COVID, lockdowns and working from home made life complicated for parents. Trying to educate kids from home has made things even tougher, so tough many women are dropping out of the workforce.

Parenting In The Time of Corona

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Opening Schools: Mission Impossible
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Opening Schools: Mission Impossible

The question of whether to reopen schools or educate children at home is medically sensitive, logistically complicated and politically fraught. How one superintendent is handling it.

Opening Schools: Mission Impossible

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More Space, Please: Home Sales Booming Despite Pandemic, Recession

Caroline Wells and her family at their new home outside San Antonio. The builders just finished it so the yard has yet to be planted, but the couple are looking forward to letting the kids run out their energy with a lot more outdoor space than they had at their home in the city. Trisha Kosub hide caption

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Trisha Kosub

The Coronavirus Crisis

More Space, Please: Home Sales Booming Despite Pandemic, Recession

Despite high unemployment, a severe recession and economic uncertainty, the housing market is on a tear. Sales are booming, and prices hit a record high. Low rates and remote work are driving factors.

More Space, Please: Home Sales Booming Despite Pandemic, Recession

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