Taking the temperature of the US consumer

2025-04-19 22:27:38 source: category:Contact

Economic indicators like the Consumer Price Index can tell us a lot about the past, but what about the future? For close to 80 years, policymakers have relied on the Surveys of Consumers to give them an idea of what the economy might do next. Today on the show, we go behind the curtain at the University of Michigan to meet the people in charge of checking the vibes of the U.S. consumer.

Related Episodes:
How do you measure inflation?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

More:Contact

Recommend

Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.

The extreme weather seen in places across the United States in recent weeks shows that it doesn’t ta

The charges against crypto's Bankman-Fried are piling up. Here's how they break down

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced former CEO of the FTX crypto-exchange, was arrested at his home in

Turkey election results put Erdogan ahead, but a runoff is scheduled as his lead isn't big enough

The outcome of Turkey's national election, which could determine whether the nation straddling the g