Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo: High Inflation, Slow Growth, and 1970s Echoes

Lucas and Luna explore how stagflation is driving demand for vintage comic books as an alternative asset. With consumer prices rising 4.2% annually and real GDP growth stuck at 1.6%, investors are turning to collectibles. Lucas breaks down the 2025 Heritage Auctions sale of a 1939 Detective Comics #27 for $1.5 million, while Luna examines the conversion of comic book specialty shops into de facto...

Episode 53 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo examines how high inflation and slow growth are hitting home renovations. Lucas and Luna break down the latest data: lumber prices up 22% year-over-year, contractor wait times stretching to six months, and the DIY boom fizzling as real wages fall. They explore why homeowners are choosing smaller projects over full gut jobs, how the 1970s remodel...

Episode 52 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo examines silver's dual identity as both an industrial metal and a monetary hedge during the current high-inflation, slow-growth environment. With silver prices surging 8.6% in the past week alone to $70.15 per ounce, Lucas and Luna break down what's driving the rally: industrial demand from solar and electronics versus investor fear of persisten...

In this episode of Stagflation Conversations, Lucas and Luna examine how persistent high inflation and sluggish growth are forcing companies to rethink subscription pricing. With May 2026 CPI hitting 4.2% annually—the highest in three years—firms from streaming services to software providers are abandoning fixed annual plans for dynamic pricing tiers. The hosts break down Netflix's 2024 price rest...

Lucas and Luna examine how stagflation is transforming wholesale energy markets, using the latest data: the ECB's first rate hike since 2023, a 1.1% surge in wholesale prices driven by energy, and rising CPI at 4.2%. They focus on the structural shift in how manufacturers and utilities are locking in long-term contracts, drawing parallels to 1970s hedging strategies but with modern financial instr...

Gold prices have surged past $4,200 an ounce, but gold mining stocks aren't keeping pace. Lucas and Luna explore the disconnect: why miners are struggling with rising costs, supply chain bottlenecks, and labor shortages even as bullion hits record highs. They unpack the specific margin squeeze facing companies like Newmont and Barrick Gold, and what the diverging performance of gold ETFs versus mi...

Episode 48 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna drill into the homeowners insurance market, where premiums have jumped 22% over the past year—outpacing even the general inflation rate. They unpack how persistent high inflation and slow growth are forcing insurers to reassess risk models, especially for catastrophe-prone states like Florida and California. Lucas cites a recent...

Episode 47 digs into a surprising casualty of stagflation: premium chocolate. With CPI at 4.2% annually and cocoa prices surging, luxury chocolate makers face a margin squeeze. Lucas and Luna examine how brands like Lindt and smaller craft producers are navigating rising ingredient costs and shifting consumer behavior. They discuss price elasticity in luxury goods, the role of shrinkflation, and w...

Inflation is running at 4.2%, GDP growth is barely 1.6%, and cocoa futures have more than doubled since early 2025. That combination is forcing premium chocolate makers to make tough choices. Lucas and Luna dig into a specific case: how a century-old Swiss chocolatier, Lindt & Sprüngli, is navigating stagflation by raising prices, shrinking bar sizes, and betting that luxury chocolate behaves more...

In episode 45 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna examine how persistent high inflation and slow growth are upending the home insurance industry. With consumer prices rising 4.2% annually in May 2026 and core inflation sticky, insurers are jacking up premiums, pulling out of high-risk states, and tightening underwriting. Lucas breaks down the data: replacement costs for build...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how persistent stagflation is reshaping the restaurant industry, focusing on a specific case: the shift toward limited-service and fast-casual formats. With consumer prices up 4.2% annually in May 2026 and real GDP growth at just 1.6%, diners are trading down from full-service restaurants. The hosts examine how chains like Chipotle and Sweetgreen are expandi...

In episode 43 of Stagflation Conversations, Lucas and Luna examine how persistent high inflation and slow growth are transforming the used car market. With May CPI hitting 4.2%, the highest in three years, consumers are holding cars longer and demand for used vehicles is surging, pushing average prices up 15% year-over-year. The hosts explore how this is reshaping dealership models, with tradition...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how stagflation is reshaping higher education in the US, creating a two-tier system: elite universities with massive endowments remain insulated, while community colleges and regional public universities face enrollment freezes and budget cuts. Drawing on recent data—including the April CPI at 332.4 and the 4.3% unemployment rate—they discuss how rising cost...

With the S&P 500 down 2.3% in five days and gold sliding 4.2%, the classic stagflation playbook seems to be failing. Lucas and Luna examine why gold, traditionally a stagflation hedge, is losing its luster while the Nasdaq drops 4.4%. They drill into the disconnect between rising CPI, still-high job openings, and falling commodity prices—and what it means for investors trying to navigate an enviro...

Episode 40 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo examines how persistent inflation and slow growth are transforming the pet food industry. Lucas and Luna break down why premium pet food sales are surging even as households cut back elsewhere, and how major manufacturers are reformulating products to manage costs without losing customers. They reference the New York Fed survey showing household...

Lucas and Luna explore how high inflation and sluggish growth are driving investors away from traditional hedges like gold and into alternative assets — specifically, fine wine. With the S&P 500 down 2.5% in a week and gold miner stocks plunging over 10%, the hosts examine the Liv-ex Fine Wine 1000 index, which has gained 8% year to date. They discuss why Bordeaux and Burgundy are outperforming, t...

Episode 38 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo digs into a striking trend: while the headline unemployment rate sits at 4.3% and payrolls keep growing, the long-term unemployed — those out of work for 27 weeks or more — are stacking up faster than in any recovery since the 1980s. Lucas and Luna connect the dots between the latest JOLTS data showing 7.6 million openings and the harder reality...

In this episode of Stagflation Conversations, Lucas and Luna examine the surge in long-term unemployment, which recent data shows is climbing even as the headline jobless rate holds at 4.3 percent. They break down why workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more face a uniquely punishing dynamic in a slow-growth, high-inflation environment: skills erosion that accelerates faster than normal cycles, a s...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into a surprising divide in today's labor market: while the unemployment rate sits at 4.3%, long-term unemployment is surging and initial jobless claims just jumped to 225,000. Using fresh data from the May ADP report (122,000 private payrolls added, stronger than expected) and the latest JOLTS numbers (7.6 million openings, up from 6.9 million), they explore wh...

In this episode of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the current high-inflation, slow-growth environment is quietly reshaping the way workers change jobs. With unemployment at 4.3 percent, job openings still elevated at 7.6 million, and real wage growth barely keeping pace with CPI, the traditional calculus of job hopping for a raise is breaking down. Lucas breaks...

In this episode of Stagflation Conversations, Lucas and Luna examine the surprising surge in enrollment at community colleges amid persistent high inflation and slow growth. With real GDP growing at only 1.6% annually and the unemployment rate holding at 4.3%, more workers are returning to school for retraining, especially at two-year institutions. Lucas points to a 12% enrollment jump at communit...

Episode 33 digs into a quiet but growing burden in this stagflationary economy: long-term unemployment. With the unemployment rate stuck at 4.3 percent and JOLTS job openings rising to 7.6 million, the number of Americans out of work for more than six months is climbing. Lucas and Luna explore how this shifts costs onto state unemployment insurance systems, local social services, and workers' long...

Episode 32 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo explores a hidden cost of today's slow-growth, high-inflation environment: the surge in long-term unemployment. With the unemployment rate at 4.3 percent but initial jobless claims rising to 225,000, Lucas and Luna drill into new data showing that workers out of work for 27 weeks or more are piling up. They examine how this structural shift affe...

Lucas and Luna examine how stagnant wages and persistent inflation are forcing companies to rethink tuition reimbursement benefits. With the unemployment rate at 4.3 percent and job openings surging to 7.6 million, employers are using education perks to attract and retain talent. But as budgets tighten in a slow-growth environment, some firms are capping benefits or shifting to shorter-term creden...

In this episode of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how stagflation is fueling a surge in furniture rental subscriptions. With high inflation, slow growth, and rising interest rates, consumers are increasingly opting for monthly payments on sofas, beds, and dining sets rather than making large upfront purchases. The hosts reference recent data showing job openings at...