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The Indicator from Planet Money

Why Pokémon cards are growing faster than your retirement account

NPR· Apr 1, 2026· 9m 12s

Pokémon cards are scorching hot right now. An index tracking the thousands of rare cards shows that valuations have increased 170% in the last year alone. Growth like that really makes you wish you hadn’t given away all your childhood cards years ago. Today on the show, we cover three things that are contributing to the rapid growth of shiny cards produced by the world’s highest-grossing media franchise. Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.t

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Why Pokémon cards are growing faster than your retirement account

🇬🇧English🇬🇧English
Sample transcript — click Live captions above to run Whisper on the actual audio in your browser.
  1. Welcome to the program. I'm your host.

    Welcome to the program. I'm your host.

    0:00
  2. Today we look at the major stories shaping the news cycle.

    Today we look at the major stories shaping the news cycle.

    0:04
  3. We start in Europe, where leaders met in Brussels.

    We start in Europe, where leaders met in Brussels.

    0:09
  4. The summit focused on energy policy and migration.

    The summit focused on energy policy and migration.

    0:14
  5. Reporting from the ground, our correspondent has more.

    Reporting from the ground, our correspondent has more.

    0:19
  6. Thank you. The mood here was tense but constructive.

    Thank you. The mood here was tense but constructive.

    0:24