Last month, Japan's central bank raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years. That is a really big deal, because it means that one of the spookiest stories in modern economics might finally have an ending.
Back in the 1980s, Japan performed something of an economic miracle. It transformed itself into the number two economy in the world. From Walkmans to Toyotas, the U.S. was awash in Japanese imports. And Japanese companies went on a spending spree. Sony bought up Columbia Pictures. Mitsubishi became the new majority owners of Rockefeller Center.
But in the early 1990s, it all came to a sudden halt. Japan went from being one of the fastest growing countries in the world to one of the slowest. And this economic stagnation went on and on and on. For decades.
On this episode, the unnerving story of Japan's Lost Decades: How did one of the most advanced economies in the world just fall down one day — and not be able to get up? Japan's predicament changed our understanding of what can go wrong in a modern economy. And gave us some new tools to try and deal with it.
This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and engineered by Cena Loffredo. It was edited by Molly Messick. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
The U.S. labor market continues its hot streak, adding 303,000 jobs last month — more than expected. Many of these jobs will require a four-year degree despite a push among some employers to eliminate these requirements. On today's show, we look at the state of the job market for people without a four-year college degree.
U.S. employers added 303,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 3.8%. Construction companies added 39,000 jobs, despite high interest rates.
"Shadow fleet" refers to the collective of ships used by countries that have sanctions against them, like Russia, to transport commodities around the world. These ships pose threats to global and environmental security because they skirt international maritime law. So what can be done about them?
Today on the show, we explain what exactly makes the shadow fleet so dangerous and why there are surprisingly limited options for how to deal with these problem ships.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
In 2019, Mike Ketchmark got a call. Mike is a lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri, and his friend, Brandon Boulware, another lawyer, was calling about a case he wanted Mike to get involved with. Mike was an unusual choice - he's a personal injury lawyer, and this was going to be an antitrust case.
But Brandon knew Mike was great in front of a jury. And that he'd won huge settlements for his clients in the past.
So the lawyer friend drops by Mike's office, and pitches him the case. Rhonda and Scott Burnett had just sold their home for $250,000, and out of that amount, they had paid $15,000 in commission (plus a small fee), which was split between two real estate agents - even though they had hired only one. And the commission was high - 6%. Mike's friend said the whole thing seemed... suspicious. Maybe even illegal.
Mike agreed to take the case, a case that would soon become bigger than one about just what had happened to the Burnetts. It would become a fight about the way homes are bought and sold in the U.S. and challenge the way real estate agents have done business for more than 100 years.
This episode was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk and Keith Romer. It was produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Keith Romer, engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
This week, we're revisiting an exploration of hair braiding gone wrong. Online, women looking to get box braids have gone viral with their complaints about confusing pricing structures, minimal care, and poor customer service. Brittany Luse chats with public historian and YouTuber Jouelzy to get an overview of the tension. Then, Jessica Poitras, legislative counsel for the Institute of Justice, joins the show to talk about the legal roadblocks many hair braiders face in setting up their businesses. And later, Brittany is joined by stylist Tyré Rimple to discuss the hidden costs behind braiding. This segment first aired last summer.
Want to be featured on the show? Record a question for 'Hey Brittany' and send it to ibam@npr.org.
The sun is shining, birds are singing, and...our allergies are going NUTS. That can only mean one thing: It's time for The Indicator Quiz! The show where we bring a lucky listener on to test their econ knowledge. Today's quiz focuses on questions related to labor. Play along with us and see how you do! Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at indicator@npr.org and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject line.
Stock in the parent company of former president Donald Trump's social media platform sank on Monday, after the company reported losing $58 million last year. That erased last week's market gains.
Does breaking the law ... make financial sense? Paying future fines and settlements at the risk of harm to people and the environment? Some legal scholars argue that's just the cost of doing business.Today, we ask whether a company's duty is to the law ... or to its shareholders.
There's been a lot of disagreement in Congress and in the country about whether the U.S. should continue to financially support the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Some taxpayers don't think the U.S. should give Ukraine any money to fight off Russia's invasion. And some taxpayers have concerns about how they might be funding weapons that have been used to kill civilians in Gaza. And there are questions about how much individual taxpayers contribute to war efforts, generally.
So in this episode, we attempt to do the math: The average taxpayers' contribution to Israel and Ukraine. It's not so simple. But in attempting to do this math, we get this window into the role of our tax dollars on foreign assistance, and how the U.S. sells weapons to other countries.
For links to some of the reports we looked at to report this episode, check out the episode page on NPR.org.
This episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
Many broad economic indicators are positive, but consumer sentiment is negative. Even with cooling inflation and low unemployment, consumers are still feeling the economic strain. In today's episode, we look at three ways the US consumer is feeling the pinch.
The Key Bridge collapse is upending life for countless people in the Chesapeake region. Residents say it's not just infrastructure — it's their identity as people who live close to the water.
One of the founders of behavioral economics, who incorporated human quirks into the study of how people make economic decisions, has died. Daniel Kahneman was 90.
