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The Economy Explained
Teacher Alexxa Martinez works in her classroom in Nevitt Elementary School, in Phoenix, Arizona.
OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

The teacher pay penalty, Meta's major settlement, and a footwear flop

by  ,  ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  , 

This week’s indicators: The teacher pay penalty; Meta’s massive settlement; Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods are struggling.  

The teacher pay penalty, Meta's major settlement, and a footwear flop

Listen · 9:19
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Still from Coyote vs. Acme.
Ketchup Entertainment/Ketchup Entertainment

The Indicator

Coyote vs. Acme finally gets its big break

by  ,  ,  ,  , 

Coyote vs. Acme will finally get its theatrical release on Friday after a years-long saga involving supposed tax write-downs, negotiations and multibillion-dollar studio deals. It's a drama almost straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. Today we have the story from the inside. This episode is an update of an episode from December 2023.

Coyote vs. Acme finally gets its big break

Listen · 9:29
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The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School)
Jackie Lay

Planet Money

The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School)

by  ,  ,  ,  Sophia Paliza-Carre

This episode is packed with your best economic ideas from around the world and a penguin interview. It all comes together in this final session of Summer School 2026.

The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School)

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What Mark Cuban REALLY thinks of Medicare for All

Entrepreneur and Cost Plus Drug Company Co-Founder Mark Cuban Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Indicator

What Mark Cuban REALLY thinks of Medicare for All

by  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  , 

Medicare for All could save the U.S. trillions… or maybe way less than that? In our second episode on Medicare for All, we look at the convoluted figures behind the hot political topic. We hear directly from billionaire and healthcare voice Mark Cuban on what works about Medicare for All, and why its actual cost is so complicated. 

What Mark Cuban REALLY thinks of Medicare for All

Listen · 9:16
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U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

The Indicator

Could politics put your city's funding at risk?

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  Emma Ferrara

The Trump administration recently admitted to pulling grants over politics. This practice could become more common. How do cities use grant money, and how will they adapt?

Could politics put your city's funding at risk?

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Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers
Exploding Kittens

Planet Money

Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers

by  ,  ,  , 

There’s a room where the fates of retail products are decided. Will they make it onto the shelves of the big box stores? Usually the rest of us can’t get inside the room where decisions are made – until now! Today on the show, we pitch the Planet Money game, Sell Me a Sasquatch, to big box retailers. We go behind the scenes to learn about how products end up on big box store shelves, what’s going on inside the minds of the deciders, and find out our board game’s fate. 

Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers

Listen · 37:58
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A phone screen displaying screenshots from the animated film Niu Lai, alongside a collection of fan remixes.
WANG GANG/ Feature China/Future Publishing/Getty Images

The Indicator

EV sales slow, US Treasury yields grow, 'Niu Lai' has impressive box office mojo

by  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  ,  , 

This week’s indicators: EV sales sputter in North America but flutter internationally; U.S. Treasury Yields … RISE!; a low-budget movie so terrible, it became a box office hit in China. 

EV sales slow, US Treasury yields grow, 'Niu Lai' has impressive box office mojo

Listen · 9:24
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Monopoly game board.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Indicator

Is bankruptcy really all that bad?

by  ,  ,  , 

Bankruptcy has a negative stigma surrounding it. But what if we told you it’s not as bad as you may think? In fact, economists think we should actually see more of it! 

Is bankruptcy really all that bad?

Listen · 9:00
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Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)
Jackie Lay

Planet Money

Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)

by  ,  ,  Sophia Paliza-Carre

This week’s stop on our world tour - Korea. A country divided into two very different power structures since the end of WWII. Today South Korea is the maker of some of the world’s favorite exports – from Samsung TV’s to BTS. But 75 years ago it was a much different story. How the textile industry and a partnership with Bangladesh lifted the country out of poverty and paved the way for rapid economic growth.

Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)

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Have a bad manager? Science explains why.
Silvia Izquierdo/AP Newsroom

The Indicator

Have a bad manager? Science explains why.

by  ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  , 

The best manager isn’t necessarily the best employee. Turns out it isn't so easy to predict what DOES make a good manager. Today on the show, we turn to science to help answer that very question.

Have a bad manager? Science explains why.

Listen · 9:29
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Trump versus Capital One

A man walks past a Capital One ATM in Washington. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

Trump versus Capital One

by  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  , 

The Trump Organization has sued Capital One for closing its bank accounts. The organization says it did so out of political reasons. But banks can close accounts for a zillion reasons. They don’t have to say why. Capital One cited money laundering as a concern. 

Trump versus Capital One

Listen · 8:48
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A man fills out a ballot at a voting booth
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

The Indicator

Did you know companies can vote in Delaware?

by  Sally Herships ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  , 

Fenwick Island, Del. has only around 900 people on its voting rolls, but some of those registered voters are not human. Many are family trusts and a few are companies. The town says its system works for its tiny beach community. So why are some lawmakers trying to stop it?

Did you know companies can vote in Delaware?

Listen · 9:17
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You bet your life insurance
Scott Page

Planet Money

You bet your life insurance

by  ,  ,  , 

Some of the biggest firms on Wall Street are, at this very moment, waiting for thousands of strangers to die to reap their returns. Because there’s a market for life insurance policies. And it’s legal.

You bet your life insurance

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The logos of the dating apps Tinder and Bumble displayed on a mobile phone.
MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump, and a dating app in the dumps

by  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  ,  , 

It’s Indicators of the Week!

Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump, and a dating app in the dumps

Listen · 9:13
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Alphabet letters on the fridge with "K" and "C" centered
Wailin Wong/NPR

The Indicator

C is for C-shaped economy

by  ,  ,  , 

Which letter best describes how the U.S. economy is shaped: C or K? We examine the arguments for both and why there’s so much disagreement over who’s faring best in today’s economy. 

Today's economy brought to you by the letter...

Listen · 8:35
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Currency Chaos in Argentina (Summer School)
Jackie Lay

Planet Money

Currency Chaos in Argentina (Summer School)

by  ,  ,  ,  Sophia Paliza-Carre

Just about everyone in Argentina is an expert in inflation and whether they like it or not, economic flexibility. Can we learn from them? 

Currency Chaos in Argentina (Summer School)

Listen · 39:24
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Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore

A man smashes a computer with a mallet. Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore

by  ,  ,  , 

Rage. That’s what consumers are feeling right now. A new survey found consumer complaints hit a record high this year. Another from last year found a huge share of consumers felt ‘rage’ with a product or service problem. Just think about the modern consumer experience: hidden fees, ballooning customer support wait times (perpetually experiencing higher call volumes than usual) … shrinkflation! Argh!! What’s going on? 

Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore

Listen · 9:29
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A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York.
AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

Borrowing money to invest! What could go wrong?

by  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  , 

The total amount of investors using margin aka borrowing money to help pay for a trade  is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. Is this something we should worry about? We spoke to Jurrien Tinner at Fidelity Investments. 

Borrowing money to invest! What could go wrong?

Listen · 9:03
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US President Donald Trump, backdropped by turbines,at the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, north east Scotland.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

Why is Trump paying to stop wind farms?

by  ,  ,  , 

President Trump is no fan of wind farms. And his administration is putting taxpayer money where his mouth is, paying companies billions of dollars to NOT build them. 

Why is Trump paying to stop wind farms?

Listen · 9:19
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