The National Association of Realtors has reached a national settlement that could change the way real estate agents are paid. Critics say the current system keeps commissions artificially high.
HOOAH! It's our first Beigie Award for 2024! The Beigie Award is back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. This edition's winner took us to the City of Brotherly Love, detailing how high home interest rates and low existing home sales in the area are financially affecting our buff brethren in arms: movers.
The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at once.
The story of wind energy markets in two acts today. First, the Gulf of Mexico saw its first-ever auction of leases for offshore wind this summer. It was another sign of the Biden administration's desire to get more renewable energy online as fast as possible. Expectations were high, but results did not deliver. Two of the three patches of sea didn't get any bids at all. Hidden in the flop for this auction are some keys to what it takes to spark a whole new market, quickly.
Then, the booming side of wind power: the job that's projected to be the fastest-growing in the U.S. is wind turbine service technician. Is it a "good" job? Reporter Darian Woods suits up to see a green-collar job above the clouds for himself.
Today's episode is adapted from episodes for Planet Money's daily show, The Indicator. Subscribe here.
The original Indicator episodes were produced by Cooper Katz McKim and Julia Ritchey with engineering by Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez and James Willetts. They were fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and edited by Dave Blanchard and Kate Concannon.
Here's one sign that shrinkflation is no longer just a topic for economics nerds.
Cookie Monster recently complained on social media that his favorite food was getting smaller. "Me hate shrinkflation!" the fuzzy blue monster declared. "Guess me going to have to eat double da cookies!"
President Biden promised to sign a bill banning it during his State of the Union address.
Shrinkflation isn't new.
It's been happening for years. But people seem to be paying more attention right now amidst high food prices and inflation. And the White House is clearly aware of that.
After years of rising prices, many Americans are fed up with paying more and getting less. Will the pendulum ever swing back?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Cyberattacks are plaguing the healthcare industry. It's an expensive and dangerous trend that's on the rise. Today, we consider why hacking is surging right now, why healthcare companies are being targeted and what hackers want from them.
The introduction of brand new spot bitcoin ETFs has put bitcoin on a bit of a hot streak. Just this week, the price of bitcoin reached a record high of about $72,000 which is about 70% higher than it was a couple of months ago. So why exactly have these ETFs changed the perception around bitcoin so quickly?
Today on the show, we talk with a Bitcoin believer and a skeptic to understand what exactly all the fuss is about for these bitcoin ETFs.
Related episodes: WTF is a bitcoin ETF? (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Flint, Mich., aims to be a model for wiping out deep poverty during a crucial time for child development. The new benefits start during pregnancy to encourage prenatal care.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams announced on Tuesday that $207,645,161 in new federal funding has been secured for The Stitch project in downtown Atlanta and to connect the Atlanta BeltLine to the Fint River Trail.
The state’s top economic development official expressed disappointment Monday with electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian’s decision to delay building a new plant east of Atlanta but said the company remains committed to Georgia.
There's been a disconnect between how the US economy is doing and how people actually feel about it. Maybe people are still burnt from when inflation was high, maybe it's the expensive cost of borrowing for a car or a mortgage, or maybe it's ... wait, are WE the problem?! Today we look in the mirror and find out if financial media contributes to negative economic sentiment.
This weekend's Oscars ceremony will mark the close of awards season. But what has been an exciting year in film seems to have turned into an opportunity for outrage over snubs, "firsts" and more. Host Brittany Luse wants to know: Is the discourse over awards season stifling our love of art? Brittany is joined by Aisha Harris, co-host of Pop Culture Happy Hour and author of the essay "Award shows have become outrage generators. Surely there's another way?"
Then, politicians and economists are constantly telling us the economy is good. But with high grocery prices, high interest rates, and high rent - Brittany feels like there's something lost in translation. To get to the bottom of it all, The Indicator co-host Darian Woods joins the show to shed some light on what exactly makes this economy good while also feeling kind of bad.
The job that's projected to be the fastest-growing in the U.S. is wind turbine service technician. So we wanted to learn what they actually do. Today on the show, reporter Darian Woods travels to a windy corner of Maine for a day in the life of one of these green-collar jobs.
Related episodes: Why offshore wind is facing headwinds (Apple / Spotify) A Man, a plan, wind power, Uruguay (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-long war of financial engineering and campaign strategy. Because in Hollywood, every year is an election year. A small army of Oscars campaign strategists help studios and streamers deploy tens of millions of dollars to sway Academy voters. And the signs of these campaigns are everywhere — from the endless celebrity appearances on late night TV to the billboards along your daily commute.
On today's show, we hit the Oscars campaign trail to learn how these campaigns got so big in the first place. And we look into why Hollywood is still spending so much chasing gold statues, when the old playbook for how to make money on them is being rewritten.
This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo and fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
