The Indicator from Planet Money

Are we in an economic 'doom loop'?

Trade wars. Financial panics. Inflation. How come it feels like it’s all bad news in the global economy these days? Economist Eswar Prasad’s answer: something he calls the ‘doom loop.’ That’s where massive geopolitical and economic forces feed off each other and send us careening into disorder. Sounds dire. But it’s not hopeless. On today’s show, are we in a doom loop? And if we are … how do we get out of one? Eswar Prasad’s new book is called “The Doom Loop: Why the World Economic Order Is Spiraling into Disorder” [https://thedoomloopbook.com/]. Related episodes:  Is the financial media making us miserable about the economy? [https://www.npr.org/2024/03/11/1197962938/negative-consumer-sentiment-npr-indicator-media-economy] Why are some nations richer? [https://www.npr.org/2024/10/15/1211165443/the-indicator-from-planet-money-nobel-economics-prize-institutions-10-15-2024] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Just how bad are these job numbers?

It’s a weird time for jobs numbers. Another month, another jobs report pushed back by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Averaging two private sources, ADP and Revelio Labs: an estimated 4,500 jobs were added in January. Sounds like … not many.  And, yet, the unemployment rate hasn’t seemed to have risen. This might be, in part, due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. We’ll explain through the story of one Angeleno. On today’s show, how bad are these job numbers? Or are they not bad at all? And what does immigration have to do with it?  Related episodes:  Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update) [https://www.npr.org/2025/08/05/1256758542/bls-firing-economic-data-integrity-update]  What you need to know about the jobs report revisions [https://www.npr.org/2025/08/06/1256812323/bureau-of-labor-statistics-revisions-explained]  What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update) [https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/1256727558/trump-fires-bls-director-jobs-report] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

How college sports juiced Olympic development

How did the U.S. become the Olympic powerhouse it is today? Cold War competition. The Soviet Union sponsored their athletes. But America wanted its athletes to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It birthed an unexpected accelerator of Olympic development: College football. Stay with us now. On today’s show, how college football became an Olympic development engine. And how that engine might not be running as smoothly as it once did. Related episodes:  Why the Olympics cost so much [https://www.npr.org/2024/08/01/1197967951/paris-2024-olympics-hosting-costs] You can't spell Olympics without IP [https://www.npr.org/2024/08/08/1197968045/paris-olympics-trademarks-enforcement-intellectual-property] A huge EU-India deal, Heated Rivalry, and a hefty $200k to Olympians [https://www.npr.org/2026/01/30/nx-s1-5693173/a-huge-eu-india-deal-heated-rivalry-and-a-hefty-200k-to-olympians] Why Host The Olympics? [https://www.npr.org/2021/08/05/1025310133/why-host-the-olympics] The monetization of college sports [https://www.npr.org/2022/07/19/1112316993/the-monetization-of-college-sports] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Warming your house the green way just got more expensive

People wanting to purchase heat pumps might soon face sticker shock. Many consumers have sought out energy credits to find a greener and more affordable alternative to heating oil, but the tax credit to help make them cheaper has expired. Today on the show: how homeowners, the renewables industry, and its critics all feel about it. Related episodes: Metals, government debt, and a climate lawsuit [https://www.npr.org/2023/08/18/1194742750/metals-government-debt-and-a-climate-lawsuit]All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right? [https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5696566/all-these-data-centers-are-gonna-fry-my-electric-bill-right]Cold-o-nomics [https://www.npr.org/2019/02/04/691359678/cold-o-nomics] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

All these data centers are gonna fry my electric bill … right?

Data centers are getting a lot of heat right now. There’s neighborhood pushback against them for water usage and environmental concerns, and some politicians on both sides of the aisle aren’t fans for the same reasons. There’s also fear that they could drive up the cost of electricity bills.  But that last bit isn’t set in stone.  Data center electric bill upcharge is not a guarantee. In fact, it is even possible for data centers to cause power bills to go down. Today on the show: the future of your power bill. Related episodes:  No AI data centers in my backyard! [https://www.npr.org/2025/10/22/nx-s1-5581445/no-ai-data-centers-in-my-backyard]  What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill [https://www.npr.org/2025/12/19/nx-s1-5649814/ai-data-center-electricity-bill] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]