The Indicator from Planet Money

It's Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at interesting numbers from the news. On today's show, we have Southwest Airlines changing course on their free checked bag policy, skyrocketing fraud, and Americans' insatiable appetite for avocados. Related episodes: More fraud, higher bond yields, and faster airline boarding [https://www.npr.org/2023/10/20/1197956145/more-fraud-higher-bond-yields-and-faster-airline-boarding] 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/g-s1-26724/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]

Uncertainty. That's the word-of-the-moment with tariffs, market swings and lots of economic volatility. It's also showing up in the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book [https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/beigebook202502-summary.htm], featuring anecdotes across the U.S. economy. On our latest edition of the Beigies, what can a farmer from the Mississippi Delta tell us about uncertainty? Related episodes: How USAID cuts hurt farmers (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000693764480] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/7B0gf7hDzrZ3dCFVxOXRoc?si=0TfPSG_-TCWkOImE7O-pTQ]) Why Trump's potential tariffs are making business owners anxious (Apple [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6JYg8Kd4iupWg6iZeaHojA?si=60a15929965a4de0] / Spotify [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000685093050]) 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 Tyler Jones. 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]

Government cuts. Tariff uncertainty. Sticky interest rates. These are not helping the tumbling stock market. There's a sinking feeling among some Americans that a crash is imminent. But ... should we all be so worried? Today, we brush away the cobwebs of stock market fear and confusion, and bring some long-held facts to the surface. Related episodes: Why to look twice when your portfolio is doing well (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-to-look-twice-when-your-portfolio-is-doing-well/id1320118593?i=1000682254750&l=vi] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0rwWKltufue4Xiw3nKJVzd?si=B98Ia2k-QDu0DEW2M7oilQ]) The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cautionary-tale-of-a-recovering-day-trading-addict/id1320118593?i=1000686210451]/ Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5mH331cqbEpencgyA5XKKM?si=mE5UVgHJTFy5ZzcvBY367A]) 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 Tyler Jones. 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]

The Trump administration has some nits to pick with government spending: They don't think it should be counted as part of the country's GDP, that it should be counted separately. In today's episode, we look at why government spending is part of the U.S.'s GDP and we speculate why Trump's administration might want to take it out ... and what that could mean. 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]

Bad Bunny's new album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS [https://www.npr.org/2025/01/15/g-s1-42654/bad-bunny-debi-tirar-mas-fotos-review] laments how Puerto Rico is changing. We look at whether tax breaks to newcomers contributed. Related episodes: The battle for Puerto Rico's beaches [https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1168231830] We Set Up An Offshore Company In A Tax Haven [https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/03/16/470722656/episode-390-we-set-up-an-offshore-company-in-a-tax-haven] 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/g-s1-26724/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]