The Indicator from Planet Money

For decades, Saudi Arabia's economy has been defined by its abundant oil reserves. Its ability to influence global oil supply propelled Saudi Arabia to one of the richest countries in the world. The Saudi royal family became important players on the world stage. However, waning dominance in the oil market is forcing the Saudi government to think differently about its reliance on the commodity.

Today on the show, we explain Saudi Arabia's fantastical vision for its future and how the government is using its present influence in the oil market to fund it.

Related episodes:
Why oil in Guyana could be a curse

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WeWork, DraftKings, Lucid Motors. These are a few companies that have taken an untraditional route to go public through something called SPACs or special purpose acquisition companies. The obscure investment vehicle took off during the pandemic, but has since fallen back to earth. Today, we consider the rise and fall of SPACs and how recent rule changes will affect these deals.

Related episodes:
The SPAC is back

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The U.S. launched the Paycheck Protection Program in April 2020 to save jobs and businesses from the worst effects of the pandemic. Today on the show, a post-mortem on the controversial program and whether it fulfilled its objective. Also, we hear from one company that voluntarily paid back its PPP loan — with interest — even though it could have qualified for forgiveness.

Related episodes:
Could cash payments ease recessions? (Apple / Spotify)
Small banks' corona crunch
The big small business rescue

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Although we have dodged the bullet for now, the threat of a recession is always a concern for policy makers. The question is: will we be prepared next time? In this episode, we consider an alternative approach to stabilizing the economy during a recession through automatic monthly cash payments. The hope: faster relief, a reduced racial wealth gap and predictable income. Can it work?

Related episodes:
The Sahm Rule with the eponymous economist

Hear us out: We ban left turns and other big ideas (Apple / Spotify)

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The most recent jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the United States economy exceeded expectations by adding 353,000 jobs in January. This continues the labor market's years-long trend of resilience in the face of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes. However, digging deeper into the numbers reveals figures that economists are keeping a close eye on.

Today, we explain why it's not necessarily ideal for local government jobs to lift up a booming labor market.

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It's no secret — your phone knows where you are, and if that data exists, someone else might have it. Back in 2022, we covered the murky market for smartphone location data. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on this multi-billion dollar industry. In today's episode, we explain why the agency is trying to ban a data broker from selling information tied to sensitive places like medical facilities.

Related episodes:
Ad targeting gets into your medical file (Apple / Spotify)

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In the 1980s, California was the heart of the aerospace industry. But when the Cold War ended, military spending cuts put those defense jobs in jeopardy.

This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry. In this episode: how the state redirected some of those defense dollars to another economic opportunity provides an example of how the "peace dividend" can be used effectively.

Related episodes:
Are we overpaying for military equipment? (Apple / Spotify)

Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? (Apple / Spotify)

Industrial policy, the debate! (Apple / Spotify)

Giant vacuums and other government climate bets (Apple / Spotify)

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Just-in-time manufacturing began as a way to save space, remove costs and improve efficiency ... for Toyota. The U.S. defense industry has since incorporated this approach. Now, leaders in the defense industry question whether it's to blame for weapons and ammunition shortages.

This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry. Today on the show, we look at how a just-in-time mindset filtered through the military contracting system, and we ask whether bare-bones manufacturing styles are leaving the U.S. in a bind.

Related Episodes
Are we overpaying for military equipment? (Apple / Spotify)


How to transform a war economy from peacetime (Apple / Spotify)

Toyota Camry, supply-chain hero

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If the proposed defense budget is passed, it will account for roughly 3.5 % of U.S. GDP. The military buys everything from pens and paper clips to fighter jets and submarines. But the market for military equipment is very different from the commercial market. And sometimes the system results in the Pentagon, and taxpayers, overpaying. This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry.

Today, we unpack how defense costs are getting so high and why it's happening.

Related:
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? (Apple / Spotify)

How to transform a war economy from peacetime (Apple / Spotify)

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It's Indicators of the Week, that time each Friday when we look at the most fascinating numbers from the news. Today, we explain the different directions of the Chinese and American economies ... and how a burrito can be a bellwether.

Related Episodes:

Young, "spoiled and miserable" in China (Apple / Spotify)
The mess at the heart of China's economy (Apple / Spotify)
China's Big Tech Crackdown

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From salsas to barbecue sauces to refrigerated beverages, small artisanal brands are infiltrating grocery shelves everywhere. How did this happen? Today on the show, we team up with Dan Pashman of The Sporkful food podcast to follow the rise of niche soda maker Olipop, and share the hidden incentives that have grocers making shelf space for these products.

Listen to The Sporkful on Apple or Spotify.

Related episodes:
Grocery delivery wars
How grocery shelves get stacked

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In her new book, Our World In Data's Head of Research Hannah Ritchie investigates how to meet the needs of people without destroying the planet. Today we ask Hannah: Can we feed the world, sustainably?

Related episodes
The Amazon, the Colorado River and a price on nature (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
The Problem with the US's Farm Worker Program (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)

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Listener questions are back! On today's show, we answer whether universities are banks, how — or if — 401(k) contributions affect the stock market, and whether jobs report numbers account for people holding down multiple jobs. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.

Related Episodes:
Higher wages, fewer temp workers and indicators of the year results (Apple / Spotify)

Why pizza costs more in Iceland and other Listener Questions (Apple / Spotify)

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In the 1980s, economic tensions between the U.S. and Japan permeated American politics and pop culture. Similar tensions are resurfacing as Japan's Nippon Steel tries to buy U.S. Steel. Today on the show, the history of U.S.-Japan trade friction and why a new round of anxieties is complicating the sale of U.S. Steel.

Related episodes:
How one small change in Japan could sway U.S. markets (Apple / Spotify)
What Japan's lost decade teaches us about recessions

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It is Friday. And Indicators of the Week is back — Plastics Edition. Today, we dig into how fraudsters have used Walmart gift cards to scam consumers out of more than $1 billion. We also find out why recycled plastic is actually more expensive now than newly produced plastic. And we learn how overdraft fees might be going way down.

Related Articles
ProPublica - How Walmart's Financial Services Became a Fraud Magnet

Financial Times - Petrochemical glut makes new plastic cheaper than recycled

Related episodes
Overdraft fees: From perk to penalty

The problem with banning plastic bags

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Election season is upon us, and so is the barrage of election polls. What differentiates a good poll from a bad one? How can we be smarter poll consumers? Today on the show, a couple of polling experts give us their top tips.

Related episodes:
Planet Money tries election polling

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The number one producer of electric vehicles in the world is ... BYD? On today's show, we look at how the Chinese EV manufacturer rose from a battery company to global dominance. It took a mix of obsessive attention to detail, scale, government support and ... guitar-string-related quirks. Plus, we consider whether BYD can crack the U.S. market.

Related Episodes:
How electric vehicles got their juice (Apple / Spotify)

How the South is trying to win the EV race (Apple / Spotify)

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The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been going on for more than three months, and is now beginning to spill into other parts of the Middle East. That includes attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, rocket attacks by Hezbollah and U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. On today's show, we'll consider what escalation could mean for global trade and the region's most important export: oil.

Related episodes:
Red Sea tensions spell trouble for global supply chains (Apple / Spotify)
Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war (Apple / Spotify)
What could convince Egypt to take in Gaza's refugees (Apple / Spotify)

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It's Indicators of the Week, that time each Friday when we look at three of the most fascinating numbers from the news. Today we explain why Hertz is trying to sell off part of its EV inventory, why office vacancy rates are still climbing and what Apple's class-action payout yielded one of our hosts.

Related Episodes:
What could break next? (Apple / Spotify)
How the South is trying to win the EV race (Apple / Spotify)

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A number of lawsuits against Texas-based company RealPage are putting increased attention on how algorithms can interact with the rental market. In the lawsuit, RealPage is accused of facilitating a cartel between major property managers that results in higher prices for renters and increased profits for landlords who use RealPage's software. RealPage, however, denies any wrongdoing.

Today on the show, we dive into the details of the lawsuit and explain why this case challenges typical notions of cartel behavior.

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