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

It may soon get easier to become a certified public accountant, reducing the number of required college credit hours from 150 to 120. SOPA Images/Lightrocket hide caption

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SOPA Images/Lightrocket

Trade wars and talent shortages

Indicators of the Week is back. This time, an in-depth look at what Biden's massive tariffs on Chinese imports might mean for inflation and jobs. After that, why it may soon become easier to become a certified public accountant, addressing that nagging CPA shortage.

Trade wars and talent shortages

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How the Dominican Republic became Latin America's economic superstar

For decades, the Dominican Republic's economy has been growing at a remarkably steady pace. The Caribbean nation of 11 million people is today considered a middle-income nation, but the International Monetary Fund projects it could become an advanced economy within the next 40 years.

How the Dominican Republic became Latin America's economic superstar

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AUSTIN, TEXAS (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell//Getty Images hide caption

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Brandon Bell//Getty Images

The highs and lows of US rents

The latest inflation numbers are in. This month's Consumer Price Index, or the CPI, is ... well, good and bad news for renters. Shelter prices went up over the last year, but at a slower pace. Shelter makes up nearly a third of the CPI. Today's episode: Rent. Where is it high? Where is it low? What exactly is "coffee milk"? The Indicator tours the U.S. to bring you the answers.

The highs and lows of US rents

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A 2017 march against sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

The "Winner Take All" problem

When June Carbone, Naomi Cahn and Nancy Levit set out to write a book about women in the workforce, they initially thought it would be a story all about women's march towards workplace equality. But when they looked at the data, they found something more disturbing: of the ways in which women's push toward workplace equality has actually been stalled for years.

The "Winner Take All" problem

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Is 'government crypto' a good idea?

Advancements in cryptocurrency networks are sparking conversations about the potential for Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs for short. Advocates for CBDCs think they would provide security and unlock more efficient fiscal policy actions. However, opponents believe they would provide a shortcut for government interference and the erosion of privacy.

Is 'government crypto' a good idea?

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In 2010, gold surpassed $1400 an ounce for the first time. Today, it sits above $2300 an ounce. Al Grillo/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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Al Grillo/ASSOCIATED PRESS

A new gold rush and other indicators

Indicators of the Week is back! This time, we dig into why gold prices are spiking, why the Biden administration has only spent a small portion of money pledged to infrastructure projects, and what the spurt of streaming consolidations means for you.

A new gold rush and other indicators

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Iceberg ahead for Social Security

According to a government report released this week, Congress has until 2033 to fix Social Security before retirees receive an automatic benefit cut of about 21%. This is a more optimistic estimate from a previous report that stated the Social Security Trust Fund would run dry sooner, but it still paints a grim picture for a program that millions of retirees rely on.

Iceberg ahead for Social Security

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Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall

Back in 2019, The Indicator started checking in on with a Venezuelan economist Gabriela Saade. The economy was in freefall. The country was suffering from hyperinflation and a huge jump in poverty. Today, the U.S. faces a spike in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, many from Venezuela. So we check back in with Gabriela. Venezuela is due to go to the polls in July. We ask Gabriela and two other Venezuelans: what are economic conditions like at the moment? How has life changed since the pandemic? Some of the answers surprised us.

Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall

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Nate Hegyi/Nate Hegyi

Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge

What happens when small town politics collide with the climate crisis? And how do hazard maps—maps that show which homes in your neighborhood are at risk of getting destroyed or damaged by a natural disaster—come into play? On today's episode, how some people—from Indiana to Oregon to Alaska—are facing some very real concerns about insurance and the ability to sell their houses.

Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge

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The Shoshone Generating Station, a hydroelectric power plant on the Colorado River east of Glenwood Canyon. (Alex Hager, KUNC) Alex Hager/KUNC hide caption

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Alex Hager/KUNC

How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

In Western Colorado, towns and farms are banding together to pay a hundred million dollars for water they don't intend to use. Today on the show, how scarcity, climate change and a first-dibs system of water management is forcing towns, farms and rural residents to get spendy.

How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

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