The Indicator from Planet Money - Why companies spin off

General Electric has been staggering along for years as a conglomerate. But recently, it's turned to a popular strategy to unlock new value: spinning off. Just last week, GE spun off its clean energy business into a new company: GE Vernova. On today's show, we explore what a spin off is and why companies do them.

Related Episodes:
What happened to GE?

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Is loneliness as bad for you as smoking?

Is loneliness as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes per day? That?s the claim circulating on social media.

We trace this stat back to its source and speak the scientist behind the original research on which it is based, Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad.

Presenter / series producer: Tom Colls Reporter: Perisha Kudhail Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Richard Vadon

The Indicator from Planet Money - Do I need a four-year degree?

The U.S. labor market continues its hot streak, adding 303,000 jobs last month — more than expected. Many of these jobs will require a four-year degree despite a push among some employers to eliminate these requirements. On today's show, we look at the state of the job market for people without a four-year college degree.

Related episodes:
The lopsided market for higher ed
Enough with bachelor's degrees
The cost of student debt
Failing college

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The Indicator from Planet Money - How the ‘shadow fleet’ helps Russia skirt sanctions

"Shadow fleet" refers to the collective of ships used by countries that have sanctions against them, like Russia, to transport commodities around the world. These ships pose threats to global and environmental security because they skirt international maritime law. So what can be done about them?

Today on the show, we explain what exactly makes the shadow fleet so dangerous and why there are surprisingly limited options for how to deal with these problem ships.

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Curious City - What Happened To The Crows?

A listener thought she’d noticed a change in Chicago’s crow population. And she was right. More than twenty years ago, the crow population of Illinois was at an all-time high. But just a few years later, half of the birds were dead. The crows were hit by a deadly virus. And it’s one that humans are susceptible to as well. So where was this virus coming from? Reporter Claire Caulfield finds the answer.

The Indicator from Planet Money - Can an old law bring down grocery prices?

Since 2020, grocery prices have shot up. If you're looking to save a buck, it's often more affordable to shop for groceries at a big retailer like Walmart. But some smaller grocers say those low prices are the result of an unfair playing field—and they're looking to a little-used antitrust law from the 1930s as a solution. Today, we consider the Robinson-Patman Act and whether reviving it could bring consumers some relief.

Related episodes:
Grocery delivery wars (Apple / Spotify)
Feeling inflation in the grocery store (Apple / Spotify)

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Cato Daily Podcast - The High Cost of Mandatory Parking

If markets demand parking, it will largely be provided. In so many cases, however, it's governments setting the rules for how much parking must be provided for new housing or commercial ventures. Requiring all that parking raises costs and make lots of unique development unaffordable. Author M. Nolan Gray explains why markets are generally far better at setting the right mix.


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