A few years ago, the Wall Street firm, Jane Street, discovered a sort of goldmine in one of the biggest economies in the world. They became the envy of Wall Street. But when they tried to keep that goldmine a secret, things spiraled out of their control.

on this episode of @planetmoney.bsky.social, Sarah Gonzalez looks at the state of money in Gaza right now. how to get money into Gaza, how to get money out of a bank in Gaza, how cash works, and what there is to buy: www.npr.org/2025/09/20/n...

Money in Gaza is falling apart. Israel has been blocking the flow of physical cash into Gaza for almost two years. Now, two best friends – one in Gaza and one in Belgium – are finding ways to get money in – in order to get people food, milk, tents.

Do you know the exact year that CEO pay took off? And why then? It wasn’t exactly on purpose, and on our latest ep, an update on a 2016 episode, we find the cause (Hint: Two words - stock compensation).

So the United States now owns a major stake in the microchip company Intel. Why is that such a big deal? And what does it say about Trump’s unconventional approach to managing the economy?

Parents & Teachers! Want to read us your school supply list this year and tell us if it cost more than last? Send us a note at [email protected].

There’s one question we seem to be hearing everywhere lately: “Is my job safe from AI?” If only there were a list that could tell you how likely you are to lose your job to AI. We go looking, and come away knowing more about our future robot overlords…and ourselves. buff.ly/aYM3siI

Internet addresses can be worth big bucks. Take milk.com. Experts told us could go for millions. But right now, milk.com is just some guy's website with cat photos and coding projects. Huh? On our latest show: We go inside the strange market for domain names. buff.ly/k34BCgi

Today's @planetmoney.bsky.social is on the unprecedented interference at the Fed. So....what actually is the Fed board, why does it matter, and what we might be in for? www.npr.org/2025/08/29/n...

On Monday, President Trump attempted to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. Cook has countered with a lawsuit against Trump. On our latest episode, we look inside the Federal Reserve Board, and what it might mean for the economy if Trump gets more control.

Drugs like Ozempic have exploded in popularity, ever since people realized they can help them lose weight. But, what happens when a drug takes off like this? Basically goes viral? How does the pharmaceutical industry keep up with demand? And what happens when it can’t? buff.ly/belvXeo

We'd like to hear from moms who've left the workforce for an upcoming Indicator episode. Reach out to [email protected], and we may get in touch.

Food prices are almost 30% higher than 5 years ago. We’re reminded of that on every trip to the grocery store.

On this @planetmoney.bsky.social, we visit two countries that have some experience with data manipulation -- Argentina and Greece. To see what happens when governments get tempted to cook the books, and how hard it is to UN-cook them. www.npr.org/2025/08/08/1...

Great to join NPR Planet Money's latest episode. I talked about Argentina's manipulation of inflation data in 2007, and George Papaconstantinou shared Greece's story --showing that when people lose trust in public data, it is very hard to win it back. www.npr.org/transcripts/...

Health care is different from other goods. If people can’t pay for health care, they don’t suddenly stop needing it. So, where do people get their health care if they don’t have health insurance? Our latest newsletter on why poor health makes us all poorer: www.npr.org/sections/pla...

Let’s say you’re a country with a statistics crisis. Today’s episode is about how to cook the books, and then, when you realize it was a bad idea, how to uncook them. Two statistical historical cautionary tales, from Argentina and Greece. buff.ly/0bQ4gVm

Many politicians and voters are disenchanted with economists. Now Trump has even fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On our latest show, trust in experts is down. And economists are feeling the burn. buff.ly/Th6hlma

Nippon Steel is acquiring the storied American company U.S. Steel. But under the new owner, President Trump — and the United States — will have an unusual amount of power. buff.ly/ItxSTjh

It's true - you can Venmo the US gov't to help pay down the nat'l debt (as made famous by NPR's Jack Corbett)! People have mailed paper checks, gold, and even old blankets to the Treasury. What can YOU do to fix the national debt? Listen to The Indicator's 2023 story: www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1...

Politicians on both sides of the aisle don’t agree on much, except about… trying to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S. What makes manufacturing special, that every politician wants to bring it back to America? Is that even a good idea? buff.ly/4y50Ksv

Most of your clothes were probably NOT made in the U.S. Maybe your shirt’s label says, “made in Vietnam.” Your pants? They could be from Bangladesh. Your underwear? Maybe from China. But the U.S. does have a domestic garment manufacturing industry, too. buff.ly/rx2yzeA

Why are some countries rich and others poor? How do institutions drive prosperity — or inequality? @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social unpacks these questions and more on this week's @planetmoney.bsky.social episode. www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1...

Is AI already affecting your job hunt? If you are thinking about this question - how should I handle my career given AI - we wanna hear from you! Email us at [email protected] with the subject line: AI Career Question

The taxing and spending bill we’ve been hearing so much about has passed the House and President Trump is set to sign it into law. The big economic headline: A bigger deficit. What does that mean for you and me? www.npr.org/2025/07/04/1...

Just a few years ago, Trump shunned cryptocurrencies, calling them “based on thin air.” Today, a large part of the Trumps’ business ventures are built on stablecoins, memecoins, and crypto mining. All while Trump makes way for deregulation in the crypto world. buff.ly/V3tDpkl

Three Planet Money hosts throw down in our latest edition of Econ Battle Zone. Their challenge – to elucidate the fight over the federal budget, while incorporating their mystery ingredients: rhyme, music, and the genre of romantic comedy. buff.ly/zjhaaYo

The U.S. has been policing bribery all over the world for nearly half a century. But President Trump has said that our anti-corruption laws are crippling American businesses. On our latest episode, is bribery making a comeback? buff.ly/QamI1vK

What was it like to work inside DOGE? The initiative promised transparency, but most of its actions have been shrouded in secrecy. NPR reporters have been trying for months to get anyone from DOGE to talk publicly. We follow one former DOGE staffer during his days inside DOGE. buff.ly/BJ2SQbw

About a dozen lawsuits are now challenging the President's tariffs, claiming they are unlawful and possibly even unconstitutional. What are their arguments, and why are some courts starting to listen? buff.ly/yHidukO

What does the U.S.-China trade war look like through the lens of game theory? Are Trump and Xi competing in a game of chicken? Or is it more like a prisoner’s dilemma? We look at who is playing well and who might need to adjust their strategy. buff.ly/AKbll18

Universities are places of learning, yes. But they’re also so many other things. Including: science labs. Many of which get federal money for research. That system’s been going on for decades.

Recession indicators are going viral on social media right now… which, we love! Today on the show — we’re also going to dig into some recession indicators and try to answer the same question behind the viral internet trend: Is a recession coming? buff.ly/JSNOOMg

The U.S. exports billions of dollars worth of ag products each year. Now some of these exports are caught up in a trade war with China and subject to retaliatory tariffs. So what happened the last time U.S. farmers were collateral damage in a trade war? buff.ly/VJwBFnz

Ever since President Trump put an additional 145% tariff on products from China, many companies have been wondering: What even counts as a "Product of China"? How much of it actually has to come from China to be “Made in China”? On today’s show, we dive into the surprising answers.

Why is it so hard to find a toilet when you need one? Especially because…we used to have thousands of publicly accessible toilets!

Today on the show: Why it's so hard to get an appliance repaired. Plus the sad thing about satisfaction that explains stingy coffee shops. And the 70% off sale email. Why do stores keep sending them???

Do you work in compliance at the IRS (or did you until recently)? I'd like to talk with you for an upcoming story for NPR's Planet Money. Hit me up here or on signal: keithromer.79

When 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, the fate of its vast genetic database became unclear. In today’s episode, we look at what might happen to the genetic data of 15 million 23andMe customers as the bankruptcy process unfolds.

President Donald Trump has recently accused Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell of playing politics by keeping interest rates high. Today on the show: a short history of the Fed, how it amassed a ton of power, and a Trump executive order that took some of that power away. buff.ly/gLz1CdF

Recently, one of our NPR colleagues wrote a message to all of NPR saying he had extra eggs to sell for cheap, but needed a fair way to distribute them during a shortage. What is Planet Money here for if not to get OVERLY involved in this kind of situation?

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) oversees most government regulation for the president. And it’s about to get a lot more powerful. On our latest: how a new executive order could reshape the power of OIRA … and of the presidency.

How do you run a business when a trade war is brewing? As President Trump’s tariffs take effect, businesses are trying to navigate the uncertainty. In today’s episode: how one Canadian nut business is trying to manage the chaos.

At the heart of President Trump’s tariffs is this idea that we should not be buying more from other countries than they are buying from us. That we should close the trade deficit. But why? In our latest: we tackle your questions.

Ever wondered why you can buy fresh blueberries in the dead of winter? The answer, surprisingly, is tied to cocaine. On our latest, we look at how the war on drugs led to trade policies and a foreign aid initiative that won us blueberries all year round. buff.ly/Mbx4SLM

This is the formula for how Trump calculated his new tariffs. There's something pretty surprising buried inside of it. But first, we're going to translate this into English…

Can tariffs be good? For years, many economists have said no. That tariffs are an import tax, they discourage free trade, and free trade is good. But in President Trump’s economic worldview, tariffs can be a potent policy tool. Our latest: the case for tariffs.

A few weeks ago our friends at #Radiolab asked us what seemed like a simple question. What happens if the economy just ... keeps on growing? Will we run out of resources? Once we started looking for answers, we stumbled across a surprising pattern.

💎🙀💎There’s a website that’s been selling top quality diamonds at bizarrely low prices. Prices so low, we could buy one on a public radio budget. So we did. We got a ziploc bag in the mail containing a scintillating mystery. 💎🙀💎

GDP tells us how hot the economy is running, or if we might be heading into a recession. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently proposed a big change to GDP. He wants to take out government spending. But can the U.S. just change GDP like that?