Indicators of the Year, Past and Future
Planet Money
NPR
4.6 • 30.5K Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2025
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We will square off in a family feud to make our case, debate, and decide it.
Also, as we enter 2026, we are watching the trends and planning out what next years stories are likely to be. So we’re picking which indicators will become next years most telling.
On today’s episode, our indicators of this past year AND our top indicator predictions for 2026.
Related episodes:
The Indicators of this year and next (2024)
This indicator hasn’t flashed this red since the dot-com bubble
What would it mean to actually refund the tariffs?
What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill
What indicators will 2025 bring?
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This episode of Planet Money was produced by James Sneed. The episodes of The Indicator were produced by Angel Carreras, edited by Julia Ritchey, engineered by Robert Rodrigez and Kwesi Lee, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Kate Concannon is the editor of the Indicator. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, Erica Barris here. We are almost at the end of 2025. And there is no way to sugarcoat it. It has been a tough year for NPR and for local stations. But with your support, NPR will keep reporting the news. And here at Planet Money, we'll keep doing what we do best, explaining the economy in the most entertaining and |
| 0:21.8 | accessible ways we possibly can. If you're already an NPR Plus supporter, thank you so much. |
| 0:29.3 | If not, please join the community of public radio supporters right now at plus.npr.org. |
| 0:37.1 | Signing up unlocks a bunch of perks like bonus episodes and more from |
| 0:41.3 | across NPR's podcast. Visit plus.mpr.org today. Thanks. |
| 0:51.5 | This is Planet Money from NPR. |
| 0:57.2 | Hello and welcome to Planet Money. |
| 0:59.6 | I'm Waylon Wong. |
| 1:00.8 | Normally co-host a Planet Money's short daily podcast, The Indicator. |
| 1:05.1 | Today on the show, I'm here to offer you this indicator Planet Money crossover event. We have given thanks, we've stuffed |
| 1:13.5 | and emptied stockings, we are crossing off the last days of the calendar, and spending meaningful |
| 1:19.0 | time with loved ones. And for us, that means doing what families do best, engaging in brutal, |
| 1:26.1 | soul-breaking arguments in a fashion most public. We call it Indicators |
| 1:31.3 | of the Year, a Planet Money family competition to out-nerd each other with stats and storytelling. |
| 1:37.5 | And with that, I'm going to turn it over for a bit to my colleagues who battled it out. |
| 1:41.8 | Representing the indicator was Darian Woods. |
| 1:44.6 | Darian, take it away. |
| 1:45.9 | That's right. |
| 1:46.9 | It's time for another family feud. |
| 1:50.9 | Today, I'm competing head-to-head with my planet money colleagues, Kenny Malone. |
| 1:54.8 | Bring it, you egg. |
| 1:56.0 | Is that what they say in New Zealand? |
... |
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