The Indicator from Planet Money

This week’s indicators: Why is inflation so super (derogatory)? How did Bumble go from dating app doldrums to a stock market sweetheart?; And oh, bother! Could Winnie the Pooh be moving home to England from New York City?

Fact checking by Leyla Doss.

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–Retiree benefits bump, credit repayment slump, and a dating app in the dumps
–Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App

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The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching, and it’s gearing up to be the most expensive election in American history. So how did we get here, where every election feels more expensive than the last? 

Today on the show, we’re exploring what’s causing the flood of money into our politics. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
–Bad economics, smart politics
–Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App

Connect with The Indicator from Planet Money
–The Indicator newsletter — a weekly roundup of news, ideas and staff picks.
–Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
–Find the Planet Money book
–Find the Planet Money game, Sell Me A Sasquatch, and other merch at the NPR Shop!

Support public media by subscribing to NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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A labyrinthine rebate process. Shrinking cereal boxes. Mystery rental car charges. Cockroaches?! We share listener tales of Consumer Rage and unpack the economic forces driving that ANGER.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
–Consumers are mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore–Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App

Connect with The Indicator from Planet Money
–The Indicator newsletter — a weekly roundup of news, ideas and staff picks.
–Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
–Find the Planet Money book
–Find the Planet Money game, Sell Me A Sasquatch, and other merch at the NPR Shop!

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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This year's Nobel Prize for Economics went to American economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford! Their research focused on macroeconomic models and economic shocks.

But … How did we get a Nobel Prize in economics, or as it’s actually called, the more long-winded “Swedish Central Bank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel”? And why did nearly 70 years pass between the first Nobel Prizes and a Nobel recognition for economics? 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
–Why do we live in unusually innovative times?
–Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App

Connect with The Indicator from Planet Money
–The Indicator newsletter — a weekly roundup of news, ideas and staff picks.
–Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
–Find the Planet Money book
–Find the Planet Money game, Sell Me A Sasquatch, and other merch at the NPR Shop!

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Nearly 30 million bison once roamed North America, from modern Canada to Mexico. In the late 1800s, white settlers and the U.S. military annihilated the population of bison, bringing these creatures to the brink of extinction. The consequences for the people who relied on the bison were dire — and still being felt today. In an episode that first aired in August 2023, we spoke to one economist who reveals the shocking numbers about the destruction of the bison, and one member of the Blackfeet Nation who is trying to bring them back.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. This episode originally aired Aug. 21, 2023.

Your Next Listen –Blood, oil, and the Osage Nation: The battle over headrights
–Over 2,000 episodes in our archive on the NPR App

Connect with The Indicator from Planet Money 
–The Indicator newsletter — a weekly roundup of news, ideas and staff picks. 
–Instagram, TikTok and YouTube 
–Find the Planet Money book 
–Find the Planet Money game, Sell Me A Sasquatch, and other merch at the NPR Shop! 

Support public media by subscribing to NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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