AI Summary
5 min read🎙️ The Speakers & Context
- The Format: Playful family feud panel among NPR's Planet Money and Indicator hosts, delivering a high-energy nerd battle over 2025's top economic indicators and 2026 previews.
- The Key Players:
- Darien Woods (Indicator host): Tracks macro signals like stock valuations with data-driven horror stories, decoding bubbles for millions.
- Kenny Malone (Planet Money reporter): Spotlights sentiment disconnects from three years of wins, revealing voter psychology over raw GDP.
- Greg Rosolsky (Planet Money reporter): Unpacks policy shocks like tariffs' legal battles, connecting trade drama to consumer wallets.
- Cooper Katz McKim (Producer): Analyzes spending fractures via bank reports, exposing elite-driven resilience.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:06) **Episode Intro: Indicators of the Year Crossover**
- 2 (02:01) **Family Feud Rules and Contestant Previews**
- 3 (04:16) **First Pitch: Kenny Malone on Consumer Sentiment**
- 4 (06:02) **Second Pitch: Greg Rosolsky on Tariffs**
- 5 (07:56) **Third Pitch: Darien Woods on CAPE Ratio**
- 6 (10:22) **Feud Wrap-Up and Listener Vote**
- 7 (13:02) **Transition to 2026 Predictions**
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
2025 is finally over. It was a wild year for the U.S. economy. Tariffs transformed global trading, consumer sentiment hit near-historic lows, and stocks hit dramatic new heights! So … which of these economic stories defined the year?
We will square off in a family feud to make our case, debate, and decide it.Â
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.Â
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 bubbleÂ
What would it mean to actually refund the tariffs?
What AI data centers are doing to your electric billÂ
What indicators will 2025 bring?Â
Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
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.Â
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator and Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at
We will square off in a family feud to make our case, debate, and decide it.Â
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.Â
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 bubbleÂ
What would it mean to actually refund the tariffs?
What AI data centers are doing to your electric billÂ
What indicators will 2025 bring?Â
Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
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.Â
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator and Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at
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