The Indicator from Planet Money A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.

Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

The Indicator from Planet Money

From NPR

A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.

Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

Most Recent Episodes

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A troubling cold spot in the hot jobs report

The job market continues to surge despite fears of an economic slowdown. In recent months, Black Americans benefited from strong labor market conditions. But May's unemployment numbers hint that could change.

A troubling cold spot in the hot jobs report

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Climate activists hold placards as they demonstrate outside ExCeL, in London, during the multinational oil and gas company Shell Annual General Meeting (AGM), on May 23, 2023. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

The OG of ESGs

Decades before the current debate about ESG and "woke capitalism," there was a guy on Wall Street investing money on behalf of nuns and labor unions. He's known today as one of the pioneers of socially responsible investing.

The OG of ESGs

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The inventor's dilemma

New economic research suggests that large companies can hold back inventors, and the overall economy. Today we talk to an inventor who left a big pharmaceutical company to start afresh, leading to some incredible treatments for serious diseases.

The inventor's dilemma

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This timed exposer shows the trail as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from pad 39A for the Crew-6 mission at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, early on March 2, 2023. Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images

Elon's giant rocket

Is this Mars thing really happening? SpaceX did its first test launch of Starship this spring, the rocket that it's developing to send to Mars. But getting to Mars is still a long way off. So does SpaceX have the funding and business plan to pull it off?

Elon's giant rocket

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YUMA, ARIZONA - MAY 25: An aerial view of the long-depleted Colorado River, currently swollen by winter snowmelt water, along the border between California (L) and Arizona near Yuma, Arizona. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Receding rivers, party poopers, and debt ceiling watchers

Indicators all about kicking the can down the road but never far enough. A deal on water in the west, the US's tippy top credit rating gets put on notice, and tech companies want us to have less fun and fewer shared passwords.

Receding rivers, party poopers, and debt ceiling watchers

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The dangers of money market funds

Money market funds are a key aspect of the financial system and hold about $5.75 trillion of assets. Today, we explain what makes up a money market fund, why they've been looking shaky lately, and why a potential debt default is making things worse.

The dangers of money market funds

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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Samuel Altman, CEO of OpenAI, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law May 16, 2023 in Washington, DC. The committee held an oversight hearing to examine A.I., focusing on rules for artificial intelligence. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Bots, bootleggers and Baptists

A corporate titan and a cautious professor face off before Congress and ... agree with each other? From the ivory tower to inside the boardroom, the pressure campaign to regulate AI.

Bots, bootleggers and Baptists

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Is AI a job-killer or an up-skiller?

For all the talk about AI, one of the burning questions is how the technology will affect the workforce. Today, we talk to the authors of one of the first empirical studies that looks at AI in the workplace.

Is AI a job-killer or an up-skiller?

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No, it's not The Price is Right, but The Indicator Quiz! Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Vulture hide caption

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Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Vulture

The Indicator Quiz: Banking Troubles

It's another Indicator Quiz episode! We bring a listener onto the show and test their econ knowledge. This time around, the quiz is all about the banking system and its recent troubles.

The Indicator Quiz: Banking Troubles

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Household debt, Home Depot sales and Montana's TikTok ban

It's Indicators of the Week! We round up the economic indicators that caught our attention. On today's episode, we look at growing U.S. household debt, the shrinking sales of Home Depot and Montana's new TikTok ban.

Household debt, Home Depot sales and Montana's TikTok ban

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