President Biden recently announced his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, targeting pandemic relief and economic recovery. We discuss 3 indicators to watch to measure the Biden economic agenda's success in the coming years.

The Social Media Crisis

Jan 19th, 2021 9m 39s

Social media played a big part in the demonstration and riot at the U.S. Capitol last week. For many it was a surprise, but to social media watchers, it was simply the culmination of 10 years of influence.

Meet Our Junk Bond!

Feb 19th, 2020 9m 13s

Last year, Team Indicator bought a junk bond! The bond was from a company called Hornbeck Offshore Services. On today's show, we learn more about the company and we check in on our investment.

The Rise Of American Oil

Jun 28th, 2019 8m 15s

What it means that the U.S. is now the biggest consumer and producer of crude oil in the world.

The Indicator of the Year

Dec 15th, 2023 9m 47s

By many measures, 2023 was a decent year for the U.S. economy, but that's not how people necessarily felt. So what economic story best defined the year? Soft landings? Hard feelings about the economy? An inhospitable housing market? Our hosts f

Is the Canada, Meta news standoff coming to the US?

Sep 25th, 2023 21m 50s

Canadians are in a bit of a pickle when it comes to getting timely news updates through Facebook. The Canadian government passed a law requiring Meta and Google pay media outlets when news content is posted on social media platforms. Meta's rea

Why residuals are taking center stage in actors' strike

Jul 27th, 2023 10m 31s

Hollywood has been on strike for weeks with writers and actors hitting picket lines from California to New York. The unions for both groups, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, say a major sticking point in negotiations with major studi

Know your economeme

Feb 27th, 2023 9m 43s

From the depths of econ twitter straight to your podcast feed – this is economemes. Our guests bring us their favorite economic memes and explain what they mean. Can econ be funny? Only you can decide!For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator

Hits of the Dips: Songs of recessions past

Sep 1st, 2022 10m 1s

A new paper in the Journal of Cultural Economics says happy songs are more popular during a recession. So we thought we'd have a little fun on today's show. Armed with a new soundtrack, what can we learn about past recessions?

The government program that contributed to the baby formula shortage

May 23rd, 2022 10m 15s

Baby formula is in short supply after a voluntary February recall by the manufacturer, Abbott. Today, we explain how the government helped shape the U.S. formula market, and why that structure led to a devastating shortage.

How to bring down inflation

Feb 10th, 2022 9m 29s

Today, inflation hit a 40-year high of 7.5%. The Federal Reserve is expected to start raising interest rates next month, but how exactly does that affect inflation?

One indicator to rule them all

1 Dec 23rd, 2021 9m 43s

Indicator family feud is back, and the stakes are higher than ever! Stacey is joined by our friends from Planet Money as everyone makes their case for the indicator of the year. Who will win?

Why An Aging China Matters

Sep 23rd, 2021 9m 42s

For decades China exported better and cheaper stuff. But now China's experiencing a factory worker crunch. It's been a long time coming.

The 26 Words That Made The Internet What It Is

1 Apr 22nd, 2021 9m 38s

How one man's legal fight turned 26 ambiguous words from a 1996 law into the shield big tech companies hide behind to this day.

Too Many Real Estate Agents

1 Apr 21st, 2021 9m 8s

There are now more realtors than homes for sale, and this is not just concerning for real estate agents facing extra competition. New research suggests too many real estate agents can make downturns worse for the entire housing market.

Plastic Is The New Toilet Paper For Scientists

1 Apr 20th, 2021 9m 35s

A lot of pandemic-related supply chain snafus have been corrected, but scientists are still struggling to get some of their most basic supplies. What's going on?

A Beige Revolution - Shaking up the Beige Book

1 Apr 16th, 2021 7m 57s

It's Beigies season! We honor the Federal Reserve Bank that added two new sections to their Beige Book entry: Worker experience and Minority- and Women- owned Business Enterprises.

What McDonald's Tells Us About The Minimum Wage

1 Apr 14th, 2021 9m 27s

When the minimum wage goes up, where does the extra pay for workers come from? Princeton economist Orley Ashenfelter turned to McDonald's to look for some answers.

How Burlington Powered Through 2020 Without A Website

Apr 13th, 2021 9m 57s

Burlington shut down its online store right as the pandemic started, but it still weathered 2020 well. In fact, its stock prices just hit an all time high! What's Burlington's secret to success?

Indicator Favs: The Case Of The Pricey Fritos

1 Apr 8th, 2021 9m 48s

This favorite episode comes in the form of a mystery. Corn prices were falling, but the price of Fritos in the White House press corps break room went up by 20%. The Indicator was on the case.

Indicator Favs: The Rise Of The Machines

Apr 7th, 2021 9m 56s

In today's classic, the robots take over the show from Cardiff and Stacey as we continue our week of favorite episodes.

Indicator Favs: The Recession Predictor

1 Apr 6th, 2021 9m 53s

It wouldn't be favorites week at The Indicator without the yield curve. Meet it again for the first time in this classic from the first time Cardiff brought it to the show.

Peak Gasoline And Cardiff Fare Thee Well

1 Apr 1st, 2021 9m 42s

On this very special episode of Indicators of the Week, we talk about the decline of demand for gasoline and reflect on the past three years of the show with Cardiff.

15 Million N95s Without A Buyer

1 Mar 30th, 2021 9m 13s

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to an N95 mask shortage. Now there's still a shortage, but many American mask manufacturers can't sell their masks. We break down the reasons why.