Category: News

Indicators of the Week is back, where we dig into three economic snapshots from the global economy. This week, we are exploring consumers' ever so slightly improved perception of the economy, what's going on with carbon offsets, and why China is sending some pandas to U.S. zoos.

Related Episodes:
Actors back. Pandas gone. WeBankrupt. (Apple / Spotify)
How Red Lobster got cooked and other indicators (Apple / Spotify)
Emission Impossible (Apple / Spotify)

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It's time for The Indicator Quiz!

We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we've covered on The Indicator!

Today's quiz focuses on ch-ch-changes. (That's a David Bowie reference, kids!) We're covering changes in the economy, the environment, the rental market, you get the picture. We're even tossing in a question about an AI-resurrected rapper.

Play along with us and see how you do!

Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at indicator@npr.org and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject line.

Related Episodes:
Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge
AI Tupac and the murky legality of digital necromancy
The highs and lows of US rents

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Eight times a year, we award regional Federal Reserve Banks with our coveted Beigie Award. While the anecdotes within the Beige Book offer us fascinating looks into the economy, to others, it can be difficult to make anything of the stories they tell. That's why we're giving out a special Beigie award today to some economists who found a way to use anecdotes to peer into our economic future.

Regional Economic Sentiment: Constructing Quantitative Estimates from the Beige Book and Testing Their Ability to Forecast Recessions

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Dental therapists have been practicing in other parts of the world for decades, but in the U.S. they are relatively few and far between. Like a hygienist, dental therapists can do cleanings as well as some procedures usually reserved for dentists, like simple extractions. They could also be the solution to getting underserved, rural communities better oral care. Today on the show, new momentum for dental therapy and why the American Dental Association is pushing back.

Related episodes:
The value of good teeth

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Indicators of the Week is back! On today's episode, we discuss Red Lobster's bankruptcy, the rancid vibes of the U.S. economy, and a surprising shift in vices among Americans.

Related episodes:
Endless shrimp and other indicators (Apple / Spotify)
Is the financial media making us miserable about the economy? (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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Last week, President Biden placed tariffs on a slew of Chinese goods. When Donald Trump was president, he did the same. Regardless of who wins the election, the US is gearing up for heavy tariffs on imports in 2024. But this is far from the first time the economic tool has been in style.

Today, a brief history of US tariffs: how they came into fashion, fell out of fashion, are now back again and why economists aren't too happy about it.

Related Episodes:
Trade wars and talent shortages (Apple / Spotify)
The surprising leader in EVs (Apple / Spotify)
A brief history of tariffs
Worst. Tariffs. Ever.

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In August 2020, Epic Games launched a legal assault against both Google and Apple, alleging that their mobile app stores are illegal monopolies. Almost four years later, Epic could be close to forcing Google to make major changes to its Play Store.

Today, we explain the legal battle behind Epic v. Google and why the outcome could have major implications for where consumers get their apps and how they pay for them.

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With a few clicks of AI software, anyone can conjure the voice or visual likeness of a dead celebrity — or really anyone. This new world has opened up a bunch of new legal questions about the rights of people and their heirs to control digital replicas of themselves. Today on the show, how a Drake diss track featuring the voice of Tupac made it into the Congressional record, and how it may lead to more regulation of AI.

To read more of Greg Rosalsky's reporting, subscribe to Planet Money's newsletter.

Related episodes:
AI creates, transforms and destroys ... jobs (Apple / Spotify)
Are the Products in your shopping cart real? (Apple / Spotify)
Planet Money makes an episode using AI

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Homes are not just where we eat and sleep, but one of the primary ways people build generational wealth in the U.S. But with home shortages and harsh climates, rural America's path to building that wealth looks a little different than other parts of the country. Today on the show, we focus in on housing challenges in Alabama's Black Belt and one innovative solution to preserving generational wealth.

Related:
There is growing segregation in millennial wealth

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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.

Related Episodes:
If the world had no accountants (Apple / Spotify)
The surprising leader in EVs (Apple / Spotify)
How electric vehicles got their juice (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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