Brew Markets

Episode 105:  Today, Ann welcomes energy guru Alix Steel - Principal at DrivePath Advisors and formerly of Bloomberg - to demystify the energy sector.  The engaging and dynamic conversation brings context and life to a jargon-filled industry.  Alix guides us through OPEC, U.S. shale and Venezuela’s gooey heavy crude.  We explore why oil majors have diversified into renewables and why they might no...

Episode 104: Today, Ann surveys revealing research: that a century of market gains are due to just a few stocks - what it says about market concentration, timing and founder control. Then we tear through this week’s earnings from the six biggest US banks - they’re unique - they’re important - and at the end of our conversation we treat you to a randomly fun airline story. Finally we look at headli...

Episode 103: Today, Ann reviews Congress’s fresh attempt to self-regulate their personal stock trading - will the newly proposed legislation actually curb insider trading and, as the committee chair claims, “restore the public’s trust in their elected officials”?  Then we look at Saks Global’s bankruptcy filing just a year after it acquired Neiman Marcus and survey the possible beneficiaries from...

Episode 102: Today, Ann surveys Eli Lilly’s new billion-dollar partnership with NVIDIA to create a “co-innovation lab”, plus the latest obesity-drug deals and other future-of-medicine announcements coming from JP Morgan’s Healthcare Conference.   Then we explore the latest twist in the grocery wars with Amazon building a big box store and Walmart expanding delivery... with drones.  Finally, we cov...

Episode 101: Today, Ann analyzes the market reaction to the Justice Department’s criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell - and why investors largely shrugged off the escalating tension between the White House and the Fed.  Then we look at Paramount's fresh salvo in the war over Warner Brothers Discovery and the role that legacy cable networks like TBS and CNN might ultimately play in the...

Episode 100: Today, Ann welcomes Jamie Siminoff, the Founder and Chief Inventor of Ring Doorbell and VP of Product at Amazon, to discuss the roller coaster ride of designing, building and marketing the device - and how a rejection on Shark Tank was followed by a $1 Billion acquisition by Amazon.  We explore AI’s evolving role in neighborhood security and Fire Watch’s recent integration into the Ri...

Episode 99: Today, Ann examines Apple’s credit card partnership moving from Goldman Sachs to JPMorgan and what the shift shift says about how different banks are built. Then we tap into earnings for Constellation Brands, the company behind Modelo and Corona beer - the share price jumped today, but does it mean brewskis are back? Finally we review Costco’s December sales results and preview some of...

Episode 98: Today, Ann looks at the pipeline of 2026 IPOs - already featuring SpaceX and now Discord - and what it tells us about investors’ dash for cash.  Then we review earnings for Cal-Maine, the largest egg producer in the US: their ticker remains CALM even as egg prices and their stock price continue to fall.  Then we survey today's flurry of posts from President Trump. Each of which represe...

Episode 97: Today, Ann surveys NVIDIA’s big CES unveils: including faster, COOLER AI chips and a doubling down on self-driving cars. Then we look into a listener’s question about Fast Retailing, the Japanese fashion giant behind Uniqlo - can it conquer the American Midwest? Finally, a wrapup of market headlines from Meta, Ford and Jollibee… Ann’s favorite burger! www.brewmarkets.com Subscribe to t...

Episode 96: Today, Ann reviews the market movement in the wake of the weekend’s extraordinary actions in Venezuela - what might it mean long-term for oil and defense companies and the banks that fund them? Then we review the major analyst and bank predictions for the year ahead - will 2026 see a 4th consecutive increase for the S&P 500?  Then, Ann answers a listener who wants to know why Rocket La...

Episode 95: Today, Ann revisits her October conversation with author Michael Lewis.  They reflect on 15 years of “The Big Short” - how the 2008 financial crisis might have unfolded in today’s social media environment, why the current market feels more like the internet bubble (with a twist) and how faith in Bitcoin is practically a religious belief.  Plus, Michael outlines his approach to the rese...

Episode 94: Today, Ann revisits her November conversation with the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian.  He explains why the internet needs to feel human again and how he’s partnered with his arch-nemesis to restore trust and fun to the web.  They discuss his launch of Athlos - the first women's-only professional track and field competition - his successes investing in women’s sports and what he...

Episode 93: Today, Ann revisits her October conversation with CNBC’s SquawkBox anchor and New York Times bestselling author, Andrew Ross Sorkin.  They discuss his latest book 1929: The Inside Story of The Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and the prevailing factors that predicated that year’s market crash and parallels at play today.  Sorkin talks prediction markets, the democratization of acc...

Episode 92: Today, Ann revisits her October conversation with economist and Fed insider Danielle DiMartino Booth.  With a dearth of data during the government shutdown, the Fed was flying nearly blind.  Danielle gives her insights on the state of the Fed, strategies for young people entering the workforce, if gold has become a meme stock and if we are about to experience Enron 2.0.   Visit Vanguar...

Episode 91: Today, Ann revisits her October conversation with Professor Karim Lakhani of Harvard Business School.  With $1.5 trillion spent worldwide on AI this year, they discuss his research on productivity and measuring the return on AI spend.  He explores if corporations should have “clinical trials” of AI before putting more money behind it and what enterprise adoption really looks like.  Vis...

Episode 90: Today, Ann reviews why this is the year that crypto went mainstream: including a shift in regulations and the entrance of Wall Street firms into crypto-focused ETFs… so why has BTC remained so volatile and how might it affect DAT companies with crypto on their balance sheets?  Then, author Natalie Brunell joins in-studio to discuss why she remains bullish on Bitcoin, arguing that it is...

Episode 89: Today, Ann explains the history and lore behind the “Santa Claus Rally”... what is it and will we get one this year?  Then, 2025 brought controversy in the form of “good genes”, Uncle Herschel and bags that DON’T fly free, we look at which brands took a hit this year, which recovered and which are still finding their way.  Finally, an update on Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Brothe...

Episode 88: Today, Ann welcomes Codie Sanchez, founder & CEO of Contrarian Thinking, a platform designed to empower workers to move from employees to business owners. They discuss buying or investing in a “boring business” that endures and builds wealth, plus Codie shares insights from her time putting money to work in Latin America. Then, Ann takes a look at Rent the Runway, which has seen its sh...

Episode 87: Today, Ann checks out Lululemon and the activist investor taking a billion dollar stake in the company with the goal of getting the athleisure OG to get its fit in check. Then we survey earnings from Darden, the parent company of the Olive Garden… apparently diners haven’t had their fill of neverending pasta - plus: Carmax hits the skids and seeks to win back customers with lower price...

Episode 86: Today, Ann analyzes Warner Bro’s scathing letter to shareholders - the board doesn’t mince words about why it rejected an offer from Paramount, including questioning if the money offered is even real! Then we sneak you a cheat sheet on today’s announced merger of online learning rivals Coursera and Udemy. Plus, a look at a listener-suggested manufacturing company Jabil, and how diversi...

Episode 85: Today, Ann sits down with Howard Lindzon - the founder of Stocktwits - to discuss his 2026 outlook: from small-cap momentum to the psychology driving today’s bull market… and how he never predicted the rise of prediction markets. Then we look for clarity amidst the noise in today’s job’s data - how might the Fed act on the report’s mixed bag? Finally, Tesla hits a record high, guidance...

Episode 84: Today, Ann looks at Roomba-maker iRobot’s decline and recent filing for bankruptcy and what it says about the health of public companies… joining other 2025 fails like 23andMe and Sunnova Energy. Then we look at Comcast’s decision to spin off its portfolio of cable networks including CNBC and SyFY - will it reignite the legacy media company and will investors buy into the new Versant?...

Episode 83: Today, Ann examines the challenges of turning around a public company with Build-A-Bear’s President and CEO Sharon Price John. They discuss rebuilding operational strength, taking a cherished bricks and mortar brand online and we land a SCOOP on what’s next for Build-a-Bear in video content. Finally, we take a spin through the day’s market headlines including changes at Lululemon and a...

Episode 82: Today, Ann examines Walt Disney Company’s $1 Billion landmark agreement to bring Disney characters to OpenAI’s movie generator Sora… can Mickey protect his own character? Then we explore market concerns that Oracle’s massive AI infrastructure spend will never pay off - leading to today’s massive loss in market cap. Plus, shares in Vail Resorts have been headed downhill, can the return...

Episode 81: Today, Ann examines the Fed’s data-blind decision to cut rates by a quarter percent - was it just a gift to the market and what might it mean for Chair Jerome Powell’s legacy? Then we look at companies reporting earrings: did Cracker Barrel finally hit the bottom of the barrel and can fresh biscuits turn it around - and why is online pet retailer Chewy seeking an expansion in brick-and...