Markets Without Spin

Episode 4: Passive Investing, Market Flows & the Hidden Machinery of the Stock Market Why do stock prices often move even when there seems to be no news? In this episode of Markets Without Spin , Franz Amussen explores the hidden forces that increasingly drive today's financial markets. While most investors focus on earnings, economic reports, and headlines, a growing share of market activity is d...

Episode 3: The Incentive Mirage — Executive Compensation, Buybacks & Insider Selling Are corporate executives truly aligned with shareholders—or do today's compensation systems reward something entirely different? In this episode of Markets Without Spin , Franz Amussen examines how executive compensation, stock buybacks, insider selling, and equity awards create incentives that often favor short-t...

Episode Title: Episode 2 — The Buyback Machine: How Modern Incentives Drive Corporate Behavior Summary: In this episode, Franz Amussen breaks down the real reason stock buybacks dominate corporate America: executive incentives. From EPS targets and TSR windows to dilution cycles and mega-grants, this episode reveals the internal machinery shaping corporate decision-making today. Key Topics: How ex...

Episode 1 — How "Safe Companies" Become Dangerous: Montana Power, Boeing, and the Incentives Behind Corporate Failure Welcome to the first full episode of Markets Without Spin , the show where Franz Amussen breaks down the real forces that drive corporate decision-making. Today we explore why companies with strong reputations — and even strong credit ratings — can collapse from the inside out when...

Welcome to Markets Without Spin. In this pilot episode, Franz Amussen introduces the central idea behind the show: incentives drive behavior. Markets, governments, corporations, and investors all respond to incentives—and understanding those incentives is often more important than following the headlines. This podcast explores why things happen, not simply what happened. Follow the incentives. Fol...