The Blunt Dollar

After four decades in European finance, David Hawa has seen it all, from the birth of the euro to managing €3 billion bond portfolios and leading distribution at firms like Nordea, Fortis, and Robeco. In this episode, David unpacks the evolution of fixed income markets, the critical role of client communication, and how staying calm in a crisis defines great investors. We explore his career arc, f...

In this week’s episode of The Blunt Dollar, I’m joined by Spencer Jakab, renowned investment columnist at The Wall Street Journal, author of "Heads I Win, Tails I Win" and "The Revolution That Wasn’t", and the voice behind the widely read "Markets AM" newsletter. Before journalism, Spencer was a top-ranked equity analyst and head of EM research at Credit Suisse. He’s...

What do a monastery in India, a £50 billion multi-asset franchise, and a fixed income desk have in common? In this episode, we sit down with Mitesh Sheth, former CEO of Redington and CIO at Newton Investment Management, for a deeply human conversation about purpose, reinvention, and what it truly means to lead. An actuary by training and a strategist by conviction, Mitesh has built his career not...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Dr. Henning Stein  a strategist, academic, and Chief Innovation Officer at One Business World  to unpack the future of investing through the lens of long term thinking, technology, and behavioral insight. Henning brings a rare mix of experience: from insurance and asset management to launching Europe's early blockchain ETFs and shaping stra...

After 25 years inside the engine room of global commodity markets, Martijn Bron walked away from his post as Global Head of Cocoa and Chocolate Trading at Cargill to carve his own path and speak more candidly than ever before. In this episode, Martijn joins Ignacio to unpack a career built at the intersection of sharp trading instincts, global supply chains, and raw honesty. From the pressure-cook...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Oswaldo Zapata, a string theorist turned quantum finance expert, to unpack one of the most hyped (and misunderstood) forces heading toward Wall Street: quantum computing. Oswaldo holds a PhD in theoretical physics and has conducted research at institutions like the Albert Einstein Institute and the London School of Economics. But today, he’s he...

What does it take to go from fixing cars in Brooklyn to managing billions on Wall Street? In this powerful episode, Chris Thompson shares his extraordinary journey from Automotive High School to JP Morgan, and now to leading impact investments and executive coaching with purpose. Chris opens up about growing up in Crown Heights, the painful loss of his mother, and the quiet identity struggles many...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, Ignacio sits down with Philippe Gijsels, Chief Strategy Officer at BNP Paribas Fortis and co-author of "The New World Economy in Five Trends". With decades of market experience and a mind shaped by literature, history, psychology, and economics, Philippe brings a truly unique perspective to investing. This conversation is a deep dive into the ideas be...

Craig Coben, former Global Head of Equity Capital Markets and Vice Chairman at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, joins The Blunt Dollar to share insights from a 25-year career at the very top of investment banking. From raising billions in IPOs and rights issues to writing sharp columns for the Financial Times, Craig’s journey is packed with hard-earned lessons on leadership, competition, and reinven...

What do a rock guitarist, a math-loving economist, and a fixed income strategist have in common? They’re all Dean Smith. In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, Ignacio sits down with Dean, Chief Strategist at FolioBeyond, to unpack his unconventional journey from the stage to Wall Street, his sharp takes on market inefficiencies, and the behavioral blind spots that even the most seasoned investors f...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Rob Arnott, founder and chairman of Research Affiliates and one of the most contrarian thinkers in investing today.  With over $160 billion managed using his models, Rob has challenged decades of financial orthodoxy, from the efficient market hypothesis to the myth of stimulus-driven growth. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a trul...

Quant meets code meets capital in this sharp conversation with Cyril Bosch, a seasoned investment strategist with a rare blend of quant experience, AI expertise, and institutional rigor. Formerly CIO at Sidekick and with a deep background across JP Morgan, USS, and Polar Capital, Cyril unpacks how AI is fundamentally changing the investment game, and why it’s about much more than just automation....

Cole Wilcox, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Longboard Asset Management, joins The Blunt Dollar to unpack the core ideas behind his 25-year investing journey rooted in disciplined risk management, long-term thinking, and trend following. If you're exploring how to invest, curious about what it means to have a sound investment strategy, or simply want to understand personal finance through a deeper l...

Few people have shaped the way we think about long-term investing and finance like Laurence Siegel. From his early collaboration with Roger Ibbotson on the landmark "Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation" study to leading investment research at the Ford Foundation and the CFA Institute Research Foundation, Larry has spent decades connecting financial history, data, and practical insight in...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, we sit down with Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the U.S., managing over $500 billion in assets for more than 2 million public sector workers. From a childhood marked by poverty to the pinnacle of public finance, Marcie’s journey is a masterclass in grit, purpose, and principled leadership. She opens up about the personal experi...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Orlando Gemes, Founding Partner and CIO of Fourier Asset Management, a credit hedge fund focused on uncovering repeatable alpha through a highly data-driven approach to convertible arbitrage. Orlando’s background spans from fixed income at Deutsche Bank to leading structured credit at Hermes and running his own shop at Fairwater Capital. Now, he...

Today’s guest is James Eagle, data visualization pioneer, LinkedIn top voice, and former investment writer with a two-decade run at firms like HSBC, Fidelity, and Vontobel. James left the institutional world to become a full-time content creator and data storyteller, making finance clearer and more human through the power of visuals. In this episode, we unpack his incredible journey from pitchbook...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Stephen White, co-founder of Markets Recon and former marketing lead at BlackRock and eVestment, to unpack nearly two decades of insights from the intersection of finance, strategy, and storytelling. From launching billion-dollar investment strategies to now building a tech platform that reimagines how allocators absorb research, Stephen brings...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Bill Kelly, a true veteran of the asset management world with over 40 years of experience and former CEO of the CAIA Association. From co-founding Boston Partners to steering CAIA into a global standard for alternatives education, Bill has seen (and shaped) the evolution of the investment industry from the inside out. We dive into the lessons he...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Rhodri Preece, Senior Head of Research at CFA Institute, to explore how digital forces, new generations, and AI are reshaping the investment landscape. Rhodri has spent nearly two decades at CFA Institute leading global research initiatives, covering everything from ESG and transparency to the rise of social media influencers in finance. We disc...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Claudia Sahm, a renowned economist, recession expert, and creator of the famous Sahm Rule, one of the most closely watched early indicators of U.S. recessions.  Claudia spent over a decade at the Federal Reserve, later advised the White House, and now serves as Chief Economist at New Century Advisors. We explore her fascinating career path, the...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, Ignacio sits down with Morgaine Conway-Grim, founder and CEO of Hawks and Doves, a finance education company making investing fundamentals accessible to everyone.  Morgaine’s path to finance began not on Wall Street, but at a reception desk, before she went on to work at some of the largest financial institutions in the world. In 2024, she launched Hawks and Do...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Eric Jaffe, CEO of BCA Research, the world’s largest independent provider of macro investment research. We unpack Eric’s unconventional path from the Pentagon to GLG and now the helm of BCA, where he’s steering a 76-year-old firm into its next phase of growth, all while keeping that contrarian spark alive. We also dive deep into how macro shocks...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with Steven Grey, founder and managing principal of Grey Value Management, where he oversees the Grey Value Opportunity Fund. Steven’s career spans hedge funds, family offices, and global micro investing, and includes a stint launching Albright Capital with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. But beyond the accolades, Steven is a fiercely i...

In this episode of The Blunt Dollar, I sit down with David Stevenson, one of the UK’s most candid financial commentators. David writes the Adventurous Investor column for the Financial Times, runs a popular Substack, and is also the founder of ETF Stream.  From his days as a BBC producer to sitting on multiple investment trust boards, David has a fascinating multi-decade career that straddles jour...