Category: Series

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The Indicator from Planet Money - What is the deal with car rentals?

Like several aspects of the travel economy, renting a car is more expensive than it was before the pandemic. Today on the show, we explore the great reset happening in the U.S. rental car industry that's kept prices elevated, left fleets leaner, and customers frustrated.

Related episodes:
The semiconductor shortage (still)
Offloading EVs, vacating offices and reaping windfalls

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The Indicator from Planet Money - So, how’s this No Tax On Tips thing gonna go?

By now, you've probably heard a lot from both presidential nominees about getting rid of taxes on tips.

The idea may sound good on first go, but it has its detractors, namely economists and tax experts. Their fears include unfairness and people gaming the system.

On today's episode, how to put in place guardrails for a policy that many economists believe is likely to go off the rails.

Related episode:
Why Americans Can't Quit Tipping

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Is endless vacation a scam?

Unlimited paid time off may sound like a nice perk, but it's not always what it appears. Employers aren't typically obligated to pay out unused vacation balances when a worker leaves, and it can be hard for workers to understand just how much time they can actually take off.

And yet ... endless leave?? It doesn't sound so bad.

Today on the show, is unlimited paid time off really a benefit? We try to figure out whether it works.

Related episodes:
Vacation, and why the U.S. takes so little of it (Apple / Spotify)
The 28-Hour Work Week

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Are companies making more money from their customers?

Recent reports claimed the average global mark-up, the difference between the price of production and the price that product is sold for, rose from 7% in 1980 to 59% by 2020.

So is this true? Are some companies choosing to charge us more than ever for their products?

We investigate the accuracy of these claims, and which companies are responsible with the help of Jan Eeckhout a Professor of Economics at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona

Presenter: Kate Lamble Producer: Beth Ashmead Latham Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Mortgage applications, China’s housing and … Carrie Bradshaw?

It's ... Indicators of the Week! We cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover mortgage applications increasing, China's home prices decreasing, and Carrie Bradshaw ... Indices-ing?

Related Episodes:
When mortgage rates are too low to give up
Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high?
The highs and lows of US rents
The mess at the heart of China's economy

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Why big banks aren’t interested in your savings account

Some bank customers are jumping to high-yield savings accounts to escape the shockingly low interest rates of personal savings accounts at big banks. So why aren't these banks raising their rates to attract more customers? Today on the show, we explore why big banks may not care about your savings account anymore.

Related episodes:
The dangers of money market funds (Apple / Spotify)
Interest rates up, but not on your savings account (Apple / Spotify)
Bad Form, Wells Fargo

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates?

Former President Donald Trump recently suggested that if elected in this year's presidential election he would want more say on decisions made by the Federal Reserve. Presidents taking a more active role in monetary policy would mark an extraordinary shift in U.S. economic institutions, and mark the end of central bank independence.

Today on the show, why the Federal Reserve insulates itself from day-to-day politics, and what it looks like when central banks are influenced by politicians.

Related Episodes:
Happy Fed Independence Day (Update)
Arthur Burns: shorthand for Fed failure?
How the Fed got so powerful

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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