Domino Theory

Inflation got worse in January, spooking markets and lowering Joe Biden’s poll numbers further. What are the political and business impacts? Mark and Christian ponder the very limited future of print. "Indonesia’s Donald Trump” goes long on coal and Rio Tinto continues to impress. America’s Donald Trump-led "Truth Social," a project of DWAC, incurs a delay and takes a dive. The olympics aren’t jus...

Can CNN recover now that disastrous Zucker is out, and why the double standard for his paramour? Mark and Christian speculate on the future of CNN under Discovery ownership. Also, will Spotify support Joe Rogan against the cancelistas and was Rogan smart to apologize? They discuss the decision by ABC News to suspend Whoopi Goldberg, why The View is even under the news division, and whether Rachel...

Mark interviews Christian from Singapore, where a common question was whether the USA will defend Taiwan. They discussed who is winning and losing in the region, where the price of oil and gold are headed, and the looming disasters of the Olympics and NBC's coverage.

The Wall Street Journal pretends it hasn't gone woke, but doesn't fool readers. Goldman sparks a selloff in equities and it may be only the beginning. Why did Donald Trump agree to a predictably disastrous interview with leftwing NPR? Russia funds are off on the crisis with Ukraine, but may be poised to bounce back.

NYT buys The Athletic for $550 million, but sports fans might not go for woke sports commentary from an even more woke media property. Is NYT still a buy? Mark and Christian have fun redefining ESG investing. ARKK takes a dive but Rio Tinto looks better and better. Is Tesla in China’s Xinjiang region or CBC in Canada closer to communism?

Intel committed an act of decency regarding slave labor in China, but promptly retracted its statement and apologized to Beijing. Are U.S. companies overestimating China’s economic potential? Spiderman rakes in over $1 billion without the Chinese market, and Indonesian coal miner Adaro goes “green” by building a huge aluminum smelter. WaPo boss Bezos gets filmed canoodling. Is the Russian economy...

Senator Manchin’s demur means Dems have only 49 votes at most for a big tax-and-spend package. Omicron rules may drive business and land value to red states. Rio Tinto hires a Canadian Sinophile CEO, but will unwoke mining shareholders tolerate his decisions? NYU impoverishes its grad students and Stephen Spielberg flops with woke West Side Story remake.

Chris Wallace is a lefty establishmentarian, but he doesn’t do woke, and his arrival at CNN has terrified the rank and file. The boss of Discovery, co-owner of CNN with AT&T, may be making his move to shift the network toward the center and hard news. Buzzfeed’s IPO flops hard and its business model depends on rich kids. Inflation drives crypto but probably shouldn’t. Peloton dives again.

CNN’s woes compound for overlords AT&T and Discovery. Trump Media fatally focuses on creating a space instead of content. NBC toadies Beijing—an opportunity for competitors? China forces its companies to delist in New York and switch back to the motherland; now what happens with private equity? 

Mark and Christian wonder why Jamie Dimon didn't quit, discuss oil ETFs and what OPEC+ might do, ask why the New York Times doesn't get Chinese coercion of ethnic Chinese, think about profiting from the omicron freakout, and ponder whether people should listen to Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes, formerly of Fox News. Equities discussed: JPM, USO, USL, SKYW, 2603-TW, 2618-TW, NYT.

Mark and Christian discuss what the market might do if it prices in passage of the Democrats spending blowout. CNN insiders are worried about earnings and George Soros is long on Wall Street and financial information. Equities discussed: Exxon, Chevron, MGM Properties, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, IHS Markit, DR Horton, Alibaba, Shell, and Dollar Tree.

Mark and Christian discuss the hyped upcoming "summit" between the boss of China and Joe Biden, Alaska Airlines lectures it customers, Peloton crashes but is still PC, and why Taiwan loses out to everyone on U.S. tariff relief.

Mark and Christian discuss the Republican victory in Virginia and what is means for Democrats and Donald Trump. The FBI hits James O’Keefe of Project Veritas but not Antifa. Will Biden dump Powell as Federal Reserve boss? Why not to give to your alma matter this Christmas.

Mark and Christian discuss rapidly rising energy prices as the elite gather for the COP26 to raise them further, whether Biden is out of touch on the issue, Exxon and other increasingly woke energy companies curtailing development, Saudi Aramco’s big quarter, executives who make the mistake of listening to PR departments, Robinhood’s big miss, and the VanEck Russia ETF (RSX).

Mark and Christian discuss doubts about Trump’s new media venture. Mark is pessimistic about Taiwan’s political strategy and ability to reopen. Christian is bullish on Russia and energy, especially RSX. Mark talks up blue chips that trade in Taiwan, including TSMC, banks, and Wan Hai Lines. What is Beijing’s plan to attack Taiwan, and will it ever come to that?

Mark and Christian discuss Goldman Sachs’s love affair with Beijing and whether their love will be returned. There are growing signs that third-quarter GDP growth in the USA will be a big disappointment, which will further hurt the Biden agenda. Will Dave Chappelle ever get another Netflix special and will Taiwan ever reopen to international travel?

Mark and Christian discuss China’s real estate sector as it faces crisis with contagion from Evergrande spreading. Marines turn up in Taiwan. Is it time to bail out of all Chinese investments? The dollar bounces even as other countries raise rates. Also: the demise of Saturday Night Live and National Review, and the upcoming revival of Kids in the Hall.

Mark and Christian discuss how Biden’s much-hyped trade announcement with China underwhelms and looks like weakness right as Beijing threatens Taiwan. Evergrande gets a very Chinese bailout from a Hong Kong-listed company and Tesla redefines overpriced. JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon gets a payday because he deserves one.

Mark and Christian discuss the release of Huawei’s CFO from Canada and other signs the Biden administration is going soft on China. They also discuss Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Las Vegas Sands (LVS) facing a shakedown in Macao and Japan saying no to gambling. Will Comcast (CMCSA)-unit MSNBC pull off a transition and is CBS ripe for one?

Mark and Christian discuss Evergrande, Fox News, Roger Ailes, Greg Gutfeld, Darden Restaurants, Amazon, Xi Jinping's left turn, and the woke attack on James Bond.

Mark Simon and Christian Whiton discuss a possible Evergrande bailout, the exposure of U.S. markets to China, red flags with Robinhood (HOOD) and Revolut, U.S. travel reopening to Europe, the Carmine kerfuffle, and why Murdoch is bringing Piers Morgan to the New York Post.