logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
9m 29s

GDP, LNG and Meta's Q3

NPR
About this episode
How did energy-starved Europe end up with too much natural gas? New GDP numbers look strong, but how is the economy really doing? And is Meta betting too big on the metaverse? This week's indicators explain.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Up next
Today
Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed
Last night, President Donald Trump posted a letter firing Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. The reason? She was accused of listing two properties as her primary residences, which potentially gave her more favorable lending terms. This marks another escalation in the presi ... Show More
9m 19s
Yesterday
Three ways companies are getting around tariffs
Businesses are scrambling for ways to minimize the impact of the Trump administration’s global tariff policy. Today on the show, we go over some of the tricks and legal loopholes that companies are employing to get around these sudden import taxes.Related episodes: The legal case ... Show More
9m 23s
Aug 25
Can you copyright artwork made using AI?
Copyright is the legal system used to reward and protect creations made by humans. But with growing adoption of artificial intelligence, does copyright extend to artwork that’s made using AI? Today on the show, how a test case over a Vincent Van Gogh mashup is testing the boundar ... Show More
8m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
Two recession Indicators
So are we in a recession or not? The jury is still out, but there are some warning signs. GDP is down and inflation is up. But how much do we know about the 'indicators' that tell us how the economy is doing? Today, the stories of two of our most important indicators, the Consume ... Show More
20m 11s
Oct 2023
Indicator exploder: jobs and inflation
When someone says "the economy is doing well"—what does that even mean? Like, for workers, for employers, for the country as a whole? According to what calculation? How do you put a number on it? The world of economics is filled with all sorts of "measuring sticks." GDP. Inflatio ... Show More
18m 29s
Dec 2022
Which economic indicator defined 2022?
2022 was a year of big economic changes. But what economic story most defined the year? Our hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator battle it out over what should be crowned the indicator of the year. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney L ... Show More
10m 34s
Jun 2021
The Download: A conversation on currencies
How will a weak U.S. dollar impact broader currency markets? What’s driving the strong performance of the Canadian dollar, and how long will it last? This episode, Dan Mitchell, Portfolio Manager, Global Fixed Income & Currencies, weighs in on the current state of currencies and ... Show More
6m 30s
Nov 2023
China's real estate crisis, explained
China's economic growth for the past few decades has been extraordinary. And much of that growth was fueled by real estate – it was like this miraculous economic engine for the country. But recently, that engine seems to have stopped working. And that has raised all kinds of ques ... Show More
20m 17s
Jul 2023
Disinflation nation
The Fed’s favorite inflation gauge adds to the cooling inflation evidence (0:15). Biogen (BIIB) buys a rare disease drugmaker (3:25). It has never been cheaper to hedge against S&P losses (4:55). Read a transcript of this episode at Seeking Alpha. Show Links Employment cost index ... Show More
6m 9s
Nov 2022
Bonus Episode: Understand the Economy
Tim Harford brings you the first episode of his new podcast, Understand the Economy. If you’ve been missing his dulcet tones, here’s a chance for you to have a preview of Tim Harford’s latest podcast, in which he offers really simple explanations to help make sense of the economy ... Show More
14m 32s
Dec 2023
The U.S. economy's biggest superpower, explained
What if you could borrow money on the cheap and use it to pay for just about anything? The U.S. government can, and does, with U.S. Treasuries. But the market for Treasuries might be more fragile than we know. In this episode, Yesha Yadav of Vanderbilt Law School explains why. Th ... Show More
13m 49s
Nov 2023
The U.S. economy is stellar. So why are we all so mad?
In this episode, Mihir and Felix discuss consumer finances, which are remarkably healthy. The average U.S. household now has a net worth of more than a million dollars. But if things are this good, why are we so angry? Why lament the state of the economy? Plus, we talk about Tesl ... Show More
32m 2s
Dec 2023
The Indicators of this year and next
Today on the show, hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator debate the economic indicators of this year and next year. First up, we try to identify the figure that best captured the essence of 2023. The contenders: the possible soft landing, consumer sentiment, and the housing m ... Show More
15m 37s