Our indicators of the week: how a federal agency is trying to make it easier for you to cancel your subscriptions. And what's being done to address the 100,000-plus person backlog for organ transplants. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

The high seas — water 200 nautical miles from shore — are an ocean of possibility for industries looking to cash in. But without proper oversight, the problems could be as deep as the ocean itself. Could an international agreement help? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

We're putting Fed Chair Jerome Powell in the hot seat. Without fear and without favor, our guests look at Powell's record on jobs, inflation and financial stability. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

Recent banking turmoil is shining a spotlight on the people whose job it is to monitor banks themselves. Today, we examine the bank examiners and learn why their job is so important for the banking sector. Plus, a recent government report that shows they could be in short supply very soon. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

Credit Suisse was a 167-year-old financial giant. A favored place for the world's super-rich to stash their cash. So why did it collapse? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank continues to ripple across banking and tech. Today, three indicators on the fallout, including what's next for some startup CEOs and why you might be hearing the term, moral hazard. And we talk about the other bank failure that's been overshadowed by SVB, New York-based Signature Bank. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

It's time for another edition of the Beigie Awards! Today, our winner comes through with one of the best anecdotes in Beigie history with a story about a Montana construction company that flew in workers via a private jet. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

Why are American consumers paying out the wazoo for drugs? Drug companies say it's because they need that money to fund the research and development that goes into making new life-saving drugs. Today we talk to a health economist who says you actually can have it all, lower prices and more innovation. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

For decades, Silicon Valley Bank was the bank for thousands of startups and tech companies in the Bay Area. No longer. SVB's sudden failure last week has roiled the tech world. And it forced regulators to step in as concerns grew about the wider financial system. On today's episode, we look at what happened at SVB, and the three reasons that made the bank especially vulnerable to collapse. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more

Millions of people opted out of the labor force during the pandemic, and the Federal Reserve's most recent update on the economy explains why. Today, we hear from people who made that decision to leave the workforce. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org ..read more