Category: News

Last night, after years on cable, WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw, made its debut on Netflix. It's another example of live sports programming making the move to streaming as more people abandon cable television.

Today on the show, we talk to a TV analyst about what Netflix's increasing investments in live sports means for the war between streamers and cable companies.

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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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There's a rural area in Arizona with massive groundwater basins underneath the earth. Water should be plentiful there, but wells are running dry. Today on the show, what's behind the water issues in rural Arizona?

Related episodes:
Why Midwest crop farmers are having a logistics problem (Apple / Spotify)
Why the US government is buying more apples than ever (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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On this edition of Indicators of the Week, we discuss the economic legacy of former President, Jimmy Carter. Today on the show, we detail some of his top accomplishments from empowering the Federal Reserve's aggressive approach to inflation, deregulation of major industries and his push for cost saving energy measures that we still feel to this day.

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

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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People with American stocks in their portfolio are likely very happy right now. U.S. stocks were on a tear in 2024. But to some investors, that's a reason to look a longer look at their portfolio. Today on the show, one investor makes the case for the only free lunch in finance: diversification.

Related episodes:
Invest like a Congress member (Apple / Spotify)
Rethinking what counts in investing (Apple / Spotify)

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Even before the Dune: Part 2 popcorn bucket went viral this year, movie theaters have been trying all types of ways to lure customers back. There's reclining seats, expanded menu options, and even more merchandise. Today on the show, we track the rise of the popcorn bucket and its afterlife on eBay.

This piece originally aired on July 23, 2024.

Related episodes:
Coyote vs. Warner Brothers Discovery (Apple / Spotify)
​​Why platforms like HBO Max are removing streaming TV shows (Apple / Spotify)
Is movie night back?

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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There are some new funds that track stock trading by members of Congress and their family. So we thought, why don't we get in on that?

Today on the show, we crack open the Planet Money Investment Jar to learn more about how our political leaders play the market, investing in funds tracking Democratic and Republican stock trades.

Whether Congressional stock trading should be limited is a hotly debated matter. So to test whether lawmakers are beating the market, Dartmouth College economist Bruce Sacerdote and his co-authors pitted lawmakers' stock picks against reindeer at a Christmas-styled theme park.

Trust us for this ride! It'll all make sense with some intriguing results.

This piece originally aired June 18, 2024.

Related listening:
Stock traders are trying to beat the market — by copying lawmakers
WTF is a Bitcoin ETF?(Apple / Spotify)
Planet Money's Toxic Asset
Planet Money Summer School: Investing

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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If you need some reading glasses in the United States, you don't have to break the bank to pick some up. That's important for older folks who need a little extra magnification. But in some parts of the world, people who need readers don't have that privilege. Today on the show, we'll find out why that is and learn the economic solution to the reading glasses shortage.

This piece originally aired October 9, 2024.

Related episodes:
Two indicators: supply chain solutions (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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Gaming provides entertainment and community for billions of people worldwide. However, video games haven't always been accessible to those with disabilities. But this is changing. Today we explain how accessibility has become an increasingly important priority for game developers and how advocates pushed them to this point.

This piece originally aired April 23, 2024.

Related episodes:
Forever games: the economics of the live service model (Apple / Spotify)
The Indicator's video game series

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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Happy Holidays from The Indicator! For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, we fire up the gas logs and pour a mug of cocoa to discuss the made-for-TV rom-com machine, and how television executives learned to mass produce seasonal romance.

This piece originally aired October 21, 2024.

Related episodes:
Love Week series page
TV holiday rom coms and the alpaca bubble that burst (PM+ only)

Special thanks to Grant-Lee Phillips for our Love Week theme song and Kaitlin Brito for episode artwork.

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

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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2024 is over (phew!). We had weird consumer sentiment vibes, Bitcoin went to the moon, and the economy might have achieved a soft landing. And that's just a few 2024 indicators!

As we enter 2025, what indicators should we keep an eye on? Planet Money co-hosts Kenny Malone and Jeff Guo look ahead with Adrian Ma for Indicators of the Year ... Ahead!

Related Episodes:
Econ Battle Zone: Disinflation Confrontation
The Fed cut rates ... now what? (featuring: Sasquatch)
The Indicators of this year and next (2023)

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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