The Penta Podcast Channel

This week on the Macrocast, Ylan Mui, Brendan Walsh, John Fagan, and Robert Dewey  are joined by John Dick, CEO and founder of Civic Science, to dive into the latest economic sentiment index (ESI). The group offers their insights on the subtle shifts in the labor market, the dilemma of return-to-office mandates, and the decline in job changes since the peak of the "Great Resignation." And aft...

Imagine stepping into the world of crypto investments, grappling with the complexities of a new technology and pioneering the charge towards a revolutionary financial product. Our guest, Jennifer Rosenthal, head of communications at Grayscale Investments, has done just that.  On today's episode of What's at Stake, Jennifer gives us a captivating recount of her journey, including how she built...

What happens when the government hits pause and the financial markets hold their breath? On the latest episode of the Macrocast, Ed Mills, Washington Policy Analyst at Raymond James, joins Ylan Mui and Brendan Walsh to discuss the potential effects of a government shutdown on markets. The group explores the possible twist of a temporary funding extension and the seismic shift this could cause in c...

On this week's episode of What's at Stake, Bryan DeAngelis, Head of Penta's D.C. office, is joined by Alberto Lopez Valenzuela and Andrea Christianson, co-leads of Penta's AI Task Force. Ahead of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's AI Insight Forum with tech leaders next week, the group takes a look at key considerations around AI governance, including the impact industry can have on responsibl...

Join Ylan, John, and Brendan for this #JobsDay #Macrocast! The group discussed the current state of the labor force, including how caretakers, including women, are handling the high cost and short supply of daycare. The group also talked about how the employer and employee dynamic might shift as the labor market cools—will employees still be able to use their leverage to get benefits and flexibili...

Can AI revive the local news industry? How will legacy media outlets compete with the increasingly crowded entertainment landscape? How should media executives be assessing the impact of their work? In this episode of What's At Stake, Ylan Mui of Penta sits down with two media industry innovators, Sara Goo, Editor-in-Chief of Axios, and Paul Cheung, CEO of the Center for Public Integrity, to answe...

Today on the Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan are joined by David Wessel, Director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution. The group unpacks Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole speech, including Powell's takeaway that the economy’s growth could require additional Fed hikes to fight inflation.  The group also discusses the implications of the...

As policy professionals and corporate communicators aim to tap into new markets and expand their reach, they're increasingly looking to tap into the influencer landscape. But this brings with it a host of questions: How should brands and issue advocacy campaigns leverage influencers? What are the risks? Can audiences trust the authenticity of influences? And, what's next for influencer culture?&nb...

On today's Macrocast, Ylan, John Fagan, and Brendan are joined by John Dick of Civic Science. The group chats about the latest consumer data from the ESI, which indicates  that consumers might be "coming back to reality" as some are trading down for purchase categories like going out to eat. Despite the decrease in the overall consumer sentiment in the ESI reading, the group notes that some r...

In this week's episode of What’s at Stake, we are re-releasing one of our favorite conversations from earlier this year: The case for reading business books. In the episode, Penta President Matt McDonald joins partner Andrea Christianson to share reading recommendations for those interested in business, including young professionals, aspiring leaders, and experienced executives. The two discuss th...

On this week's episode of the Macrocast, Ylan Mui of Penta Group and Brendan Walsh of Markets Policy Partners take on a range of topics: from Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, the Fed's upcoming Jackson Hole symposium, and the trend toward deflation in China. The duo also discuss the PPI and CPI index numbers, how they compare to pundit predictions, and what they mean for the overall economy. 

On this week's episode of What's at Stake, Senior Partner Kevin Madden and Director Oliver Edelmann join Head of the D.C. office Bryan DeAngelis for a deep dive into the heart of President Biden's re-election strategy. With over a year to go until the general election, Biden's spending plans and policies have emerged as the cornerstone of the Administration's strategy in 2024. But with the fate of...

On this week's episode, K. Stratton Kirton, a Penta Strategy Partner, joins the Macrocast as a guest host with John Fagan and Brendan Walsh from Markets Policy Partners. The group discusses the middle of the road jobs day and what they think this means for Fed policy and the long discussed recession. They also explore Fitch's decision to downgrade the United States credit rating and recent central...

On this week's crossover episode of What's at Stake and the Macrocast, Bryan DeAngelis, partner and Head of Penta's D.C. office, and Ylan Mui, managing director at Penta, speak with Greg Baer, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Bank Policy Institute.  The group breaks down the impacts of Basel III endgame, which is the regulatory approach to analyzing capital requirements for banks...

On today's Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan are joined by a special guest: Jon Hilsenrath. Jon covered economics and finance at the Wall Street Journal from 1997 until this spring. He was also a Pulitzer finalist in 2009 for coverage of the financial crisis, and most recently, the author of "Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval," which examines the major financial...

On this week's episode of What's At Stake, Bryan DeAngelis, Partner and Head of Penta's DC office, is joined by sports law expert Mike McCann to discuss the proposed PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger. In 2022, it was announced that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would be sponsoring a new golf league, LIV Golf, and had signed a number of prominent professional golfers. In response, the PGA Tour a...

On this special Barbie-weekend edition of the Macrocast, Ylan Mui, Brendan Walsh, and John Fagan are joined by John Dick, CEO and founder of Civic Science, to dive into the latest economic sentiment index (ESI). The group explores the monster day for consumer spending that was last week's Amazon Prime Day, along with the UPS-Teamsters negotiations, the economic impact of soon-to-be-resumed student...

On the latest episode of What's at Stake, Penta Managing Director Ylan Mui sits down with Stratton Kirton, partner at Penta, and Rebecca Buck, senior director at Penta, to dive into the evolving state of today's news industry. The group explores the latest across the consumption and production of news, including the shift to digital media and changes in revenue models. The group also takes a look...

In this jam-packed episode of the Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan discuss the latest on inflation as the annual rate continues to slow, and zoom in on some CPI and PPI insights. The group delves into today's bank earnings, as investors hope that sour expectations for last quarter's results will give banks a lower bar for beating estimates. They also discuss the rise in mortgage applications, Ch...

On a new episode of What's at Stake, Bryan DeAngelis brings together a group of intercontinental experts including Penta Partners Stratton Kirton and David Cook, along with Managing Director Cecilia Thorn, to break down the starkly different universes of ESG regulations across the EU, the U.S., and the U.K.  As the war in Ukraine continues to complicate environmental and social trends in Euro...

Join us for a special edition of the Macrocast! On this week's episode, Ylan and Brendan are joined by Neil Irwin, chief economic correspondent at Axios and author of "The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers and a World on Fire" and "How to Win in a Winner-Take-All World: The Definitive Guide to Adapting and Succeeding in High-Performance Careers." The trio discuss the latest jobs report, the recent...

On the latest episode of What's At Stake, Penta partner Bryan DeAngelis hosts Viv O'Connor-Jemmett, a partner in Penta's Dublin office. The pair discuss how news cycles are moving faster than ever—and how search engines and social media play a large role in disseminating information to stakeholders. Being prepared to control and manage a crisis online before it gets out of hand is essential for an...

Join us for an exciting holiday edition of the Macrocast! This week, Ylan, Brendan, and John are joined by David Cook, a partner at Penta's London office, where he leads the firm's international financial services practice.  Together, the group delves into pressing macroeconomic issues from both sides of the pond, illuminating the challenges faced by the Bank of England as it navigates high i...

The U.K. Labour Party has seen a remarkable turnaround in its political fortunes since the 2019 general election. The current polls show a consistent and sizable lead for Labour under Sir current party leader Keir Starmer. But what are the realistic prospects for a Labour Government? What would the priorities be for a new administration? And what will that mean for business and enterprise? On June...

This week on the Macrocast, Ylan Mui, Brendan Walsh, and John Fagan sit down with John Dick, CEO and Founder of Civic Science, explore today's trends in consumer behavior, including the latest economic sentiment index from Penta and Civic Science, and private sector growth. The group also discusses what Fed Chair Powell's comments on the Hill mean for a potential "passive tightening cycle" this ye...