Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
203 years ago, President James Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to powerful countries in Europe.
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300 episodes Aug 14, 2025 – Oct 13, 2026
Every indicator we’ve published, newest first. Search by topic, filter by year, or scroll until something makes you say huh.
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Page 9 of 13 Jan 15, 2026 – Dec 15, 2025
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Can a good story change economic reality?
Economic decisions aren’t only driven by hard data. A compelling story can change economic behavior and outcomes.
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One Fed battle after another
Over the weekend, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Department of Justice served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas. Powell says it’s all a sham.
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How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?
While Americans are known for their generosity, the U.S. government, increasingly, is not. The Trump administration’s cuts to SNAP benefits among other aid programs have forced…
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How AI is shrinking the job market for teens
Karissa Tang is a 17-year-old in California who got curious about the impact of AI on typical teen jobs like cashiers and fast food counter workers.
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Venezuela didn't steal U.S. oil. Here's what happened
President Trump claims Venezuela stole American oil. Is that true? We trace Venezuela's oil industry from its 1920s birth through nationalization and then collapse.
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Can you trust you're getting the same grocery prices as someone else?
When you're in a grocery store nowadays, chances are your data is being collected. From a swipe of the loyalty card to the purchase of an ice cream pint, your data tells stores…
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How cocaine smuggling through Latin America really works
Former Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, appeared in a New York court yesterday. He’s facing drug-trafficking and weapons charges after the U.S.
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Why China pulled the plug on Japan
Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi made waves last fall after saying her country might intervene if China invaded Taiwan.
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Venezuela’s economic descent (Updated)
At The Indicator, we’ve been following the conditions in Venezuela over the years. In 2024 we covered how Venezuela’s economy went into freefall, and have been checking in with an…
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We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators
2025 is finally over. We had bad consumer sentiment vibes, tariffs, and a seemingly ascendant stock market. And those are just a few indicators from last year!
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Why Americans don't want to move for jobs anymore (Encore)
Americans are moving at record lows for work. What’s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today’s episode, we explore the rising homebody economy.
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Gilded Age 2.0? (Encore)
To hear President Trump tell it, the late 1800s, i.e. the Gilded Age, were a period of unparalleled wealth and prosperity in the U.S.
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The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict (Encore)
Seasons greetings from the The Indicator! On today's show, the story of a man who started buying and selling stocks as a hobby — and got seriously addicted.
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The economic challenges facing men without college degrees
Many men in the U.S. feel like they're not doing as well as their fathers. But what does the data say?
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The secret to Nintendo's success (Encore)
For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, a brief history of Nintendo and how a small playing card company in Japan became a…
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Why every A-lister also has a side hustle (Encore)
Happy Holidays from The Indicator! For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year.
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The worst year of Warren Buffett’s career
As Warren Buffett aged, he became a different sort of figure. He transformed from short-term investor into long-term builder.
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The spite acquisition that launched Warren Buffett
With an unprecedented decades-long run of success, Warren Buffett is retiring on December 31, 2025.
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Tariffs. Consumer sentiment. Cape Ratio. Pick The Indicator of The Year!
2025 was a wild year for the U.S. economy. Tariffs transformed the global economy, consumer sentiment hit near-historic lows, and the stock market hit scary, spooky, blood-curdling…
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Catching up with a fired federal worker, a shrimper and a fraudster
After a firehose of economic news in 2025, we wanted to check back on some of the people we’ve heard from on our show.
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The ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future
Absent a holiday miracle, premium subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of this year.
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Will new loan limits lower the cost of grad school?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made a lot of changes to the federal student loan system. One of those changes put a new cap on the amount of loans students in graduate school can…
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Can American cities grow AND stay affordable?
Cities like Austin and Atlanta used to top lists of places people moved to looking for relatively affordable places to live. Until, one day, they weren’t that affordable.
