Market Maker

I am joined by co-founder Piers Curran to talk over three themes in markets this week: 1) Goldman Slumps - the US investment bank reported its lowest quarterly profit in almost six years, weighed down by falling trading and investment banking. Was this unexpected? What does it mean for the fate of CEO David Solomon? 2) Tesla’s profit margins slipped in the latest quarter as a series of price cuts...

This week I've pulled on the best minds at AmplifyME on Markets and Banking as Piers Curran and Stephen Barnett deconstruct the first of the big Wall Street banks to report their Q2 performance. We look beyond the headlines to explore the reasons behind the performance in different divisions, the impact of the macro climate, and how their business strategies differ. If you are applying to one of t...

The main topic of conversation this week is Fidelity National Information Services who have agreed to sell a majority stake in its merchant payments arm Worldpay to private equity firm GTCR, valuing the business at up to $18.5bn. In fact, this is one of the largest corporate carve-outs in history! Get an overview of the deal, its structure, and the role of syndicated debt explained in a super easy...

Co-founder Piers Curran returns to the Friday show to discuss: US interest rate expectations - Has the market gone too far, what does an inverted yield curve imply, and why a resilient economy is actually bad news for markets! UK mortgage crisis - Should you be worried?, how far north will interest rates rise and why the UK economic situation is the same but different from the US OPEC+ cut again -...

In this week's global markets episode, we talk about: Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde and Andrew Bailey gathered at the ECB forum on central banking held in Sintra Portugal. Find out what was said and the current outlook for the three major central banks. US data surprised to the upside this week ramping up bets for the Fed to continue to tighten policy in the months ahead. US banks passed the Fe...

Welcome back to The Deal Room, our mid-week show where we talk all things corporate finance. Up for discussion in this episode: - Elon Musk’s SpaceX is offering to sell insider shares at a price that would raise the company’s valuation to about $150bn. So what is a tender offer and why is space a growth area? - Aston Martin has struck a strategic supply agreement for high-performance EVs with U.S....

Welcome back to The Trading Floor, where I'm joined by Stephen to deconstruct some of the major news in markets this week with the addition of some career tips from the students in our community! What to expect in this episode: MARKETS - The Bank of England hiked interest rates by more than expected. What are the risks for the UK mortgage market and its impact on markets? - Nvidia now tops Tesla a...

What has Subway, your mobile phone, and the largest retailer in China have to do with investment banking? Find out in the latest episode of 'The Deal Room' where Director of Corporate Finance Stephen Barnett and Co-founder Piers Curran look to use the latest headlines as case studies to explain various concepts in banking. So whether it's understanding the logic of conglomerates and verticalisatio...

This week I'm flying solo with a quick 10 minute wrap-up of the major events in global markets this week. Find out why global stocks are headed for their best week in more than two months and get up to speed on the latest policy announcements from the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and the Bank of Japan. There are also two key events I'm watching out for next week but you'll have to li...

Welcome back to The Deal Room where I get the latest thoughts from our Director of Corporate Finance Stephen Barnett as he connects the dots from classroom theory to real-life examples in the news this week. In this episode, we cover: - Big Pharma dealmaking recovers with $85bn M&A splurge. What makes this sector unique and how are different deal teams structured in an investment bank? - Stick...

Welcome back to The Trading Floor and this week I'm joined by Stephen to talk about some of the main headlines in global markets. In this episode, we focus on two topics: 1) The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf. We will discuss the background, the merger, and perhaps a villain or two! 2) Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz delivered a "Saudi lollipop" this week. Wha...

Join our Director of Corporate Finance Stephen Barnett as he attempts to explain the world of corporate finance and deal-making through the lens of the hit TV show Succession. Acquisitions, takeovers, and succession planning. All of these are prominent areas of activity for an investment banker and in this episode we apply these concepts to the world of Waystar Royco and Gojo technologies. So sit...

On The Trading Floor this week, Piers and I discuss three hot topics: 1) Now a US debt ceiling deal has been struck what next for financial markets? 2) Stocks are still going up, mainly led by big tech but market commentators keep talking about a narrow market, so what exactly does that mean? 3) Apple's next big product The Reality Pro headset, is expected to be announced at Apple's developer conf...

Welcome back to the latest episode of 'The Deal Room' where I'm joined by our Director of Corporate Finance Stephen Barnett. This week, we use Manchester United as a case study to better understand the roles of the banker, the strategist, and the private equity investor. We also explore the rationale behind why so many prized companies are leaving London for New York and why J.P. Morgan was more t...

Welcome back to the Friday podcast where I'm joined by AmplifyME co-founder Piers Curran to talk all things global markets. Three hot topics up for discussion this week: 1) Nvidia's earnings, which resulted in their shares skyrocketing 25% to become the fourth largest company in the Nasdaq 100. We look at whether the company is worth the hype. 2) We scratch beneath the surface of the current stock...

Welcome to a brand new series coming at you every Wednesday where I'm joined by Stephen Barnett our Director of Corporate Finance at AmplifyME. The objective of 'The Deal Room' is to complement our end-of-week chat about global markets with a more M&A and Private Equity deal-focused discussion. To kick things off this week, we talk about why Private Equity groups are increasingly selling share...

Talk about the US debt ceiling is starting to heat up. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged Congress on Thursday to raise its debt ceiling, warning that a US default would produce an “economic and financial catastrophe” that would trigger a global economic downturn and risk undermining the country’s ability to provide global leadership. So what is the debt ceiling? could we default? and might...

In this episode, Piers and I take stock of the US banking crisis after regulators seized and sold First Republic Bank to J.P. Morgan marking the second-largest bank failure in US history. We recap what caused this situation, will there be more casualties and are the Fed to blame? Next up is the latest earnings from tech giant Apple and we explain why CEO Tim Cook is getting excited about India! Fr...

The third and final career insight with John Normand - 'How to stand out as an Analyst or Associate'. Saving the best until last, this episode is a must-listen for any student considering working in financial markets. In this conversation, we cover: Attributes of good analysts and associates Entering finance from a non-traditional background The value of newer credentials (Quant skills) Remember,...

Earnings from the tech giants Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon were a positive surprise for Wall Street investors. So what were the numbers that mattered? We talk about how AI, cloud computing, and advertising are key areas that connect these titans of industry, but in the end, who will come out on top? Free daily newsletter https://bit.ly/3Oeu4Wk Free Finance Accelerator simulation https://b...

This is the second installment with former J.P. Morgan Managing Director John Normand, who gives a detailed and honest account of what to consider and how to think about your future career in finance. Here's what you can expect from episode two of this three-part series: - Good job at a bad company, or bad job at a good company? - Why John stayed at JPM for 25 years - The conflict between being a...

In this episode, Piers and I look at four stories in focus this week, from Tesla earnings and insane price target, to how AI is being used in trading and why Goldman Sachs is having a rough time at the moment. Free daily newsletter https://bit.ly/3Oeu4Wk Free Finance Accelerator simulation https://bit.ly/3GoyV5r Connect with Anthony https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycheung10/ Connect with Piers h...

This is a must-listen for any student interested in working in finance as John Normand, a former 25-year veteran in Global Markets at J.P. Morgan, gives a detailed and honest account of what to consider and how to think about your future. In this first of three episodes, John explains how he came to work in finance before we then tackle two important questions: What's the perception vs the reality...

Early this week, Twitter merged with X Corp. as Elon Musk advances his idea of an 'everything app'. We discuss Musk's obsession with 'X' and where it all began and explore some of the potential barriers to achieving his vision. We then examine the first of the major US banks to report Q1 earnings. It comes as shares in J.P Morgan rose sharply after the firm boosted its outlook for lending profits...

The Nasdaq 100 Index surged into a new bull market Wednesday for the first time in nearly three years. Technology stocks have outperformed this year as investors speculate that weakening economic data and the risk of a recession, heightened by recent bank stresses, may prompt the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates sooner than expected. So the big question is can it last? We also discus...