Trading Perspectives: An Economic Podcast

There has been an increased number of calls to ban the Chinese social media app, TikTok, in the US. The thought is that Beijing is using it to spy on Americans in order to both gain and skew information. However, would banning TikTok be a violation of the 1 St Amendment? Would it be a violation of free speech? Is there any precedent for this sort of action during peace time? Or is this a big consp...

It seems every day brings a new problem with some bank somewhere. How did this happen? Couldn't anyone foresee these problems? Is there any end in sight? Will this ultimately be a repeat of 2008? Is there a flock of black swans out there? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the recent problems in the global financial system. Will these lead to a much bigger contagio...

This past week, senior Chinese officials made it very clear Beijing feels threatened by the United States. Or was it just for show? Was the saber-rattling a way of saving face or a new way of doing business with the People's Republic? With everything that is happening in the world, is the US really capable of handling a two front war against major powers? What is the ultimate endgame and what does...

It seems Washington has been arguing about the debt ceiling for an extremely long time. Why does it go through this political theater? Is there really any appetite in Congress to meaningfully reign in spending? If so, what gets the ax? Also, is there any end in sight to the deluge in dollars? Should we be losing sleep over this? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss t...

The average American's attention span has fallen dramatically over the last decade. Currently, 47 seconds is about the time people can stay focused on one subject. How has this impacted worker productivity? How has it impacted mental health, which ultimately impacts productivity? Is technology to blame? Social media? If so, what can we do as a society about it? In this week's Trading Perspectives,...

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing has been making a lot of headlines. But what is it exactly? Should companies put ESG considerations ahead of the shareholders best interests, as in turning a profit? Also, what happens when or if societal norms shift? Will companies have to change everything just to stay in good ESG graces. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and...

Sometimes the headlines are hard to believe. Such was the case this past week, as a massive Chinese spy, presumably, balloon floated across the United States. Washington waited until it was just off the coast of South Carolina to shoot it down in order to prevent damages and injury on the ground. All of this begged a lot of questions. Don't the Chinese have low-orbit satellites already? Why would...

Football legend Tom Brady announced his retirement, again, this week. Unlike most people, Brady has plenty of options and professional opportunities ahead of him in his "retirement." This begs the question, what does retirement mean to you? Is there is a differing of opinion between generations? Between genders? Do people have realistic expectations about what the future will hold for them? In thi...

The sharp increase in egg prices has made a lot of headlines. What is the cause and how is it really impacting American consumers? Do people really eat that many eggs? Are the higher prices causing people to consume fewer? Or are chicken eggs more inelastic than you might think? If so, how much longer are these high prices going to last? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John...

A number of major companies have already announced layoffs in 2023. These are the ones that get the headlines. However, a lot of smaller businesses have also been letting people go or even shutting for good. After all, when Microsoft announces 10,000 job cuts, it is all over the media. Not so when Daddy Pet's BBQ in Grand Rapids extinguishes the pit. So, what is behind the recent job losses? Are t...

After a topsy-turvy year in 2022, are Americans looking for a  fresh start? If so, what are the willing to give up or start doing to get things right? In short, what resolutions have Americans made to start the new year? What resolutions have Sam, Courtney and John made to better themselves? Finally, what are the resolutions some global leaders should have? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam...

After three consecutive years of the unexpected, what can investors expect in 2023. Will things return to some semblance of normal, if we even know what that means any longer? What are some of the safe predictions for the new year? Are there any black swans swimming towards us? If so, what will they be. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the prospects for the upcoming year a...

2022 was another weird year. The data was bizarre and geopolitical events were head scratching. Unfortunately, this led to a lot of red ink in the investment markets. With everything seemly out of kilter, were there any lessons to be learned? Any a ha moments? Good takeaways from a very frustrating year. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the past year and come to a couple o...

The holidays have always been a time for massive blockbuster movies. However, changing consumer behavior seems to be threatening this tradition. After all, a lot of people wonder why they should pay no small sum of money in order to watch a movie that will be on a streaming service in a few weeks. Still, others love the whole ceremony of going to the theater, getting a soda and popcorn, and enjoyi...

In a nation where conformity is paramount, recent protests in China have made global headlines. It seems even the Chinese don't like Beijing's zero-COVID policy. However, is the government more concerned with the virus or controlling the citizenry. If the latter, what does that mean for the global economy moving forward? Can multinationals pull their manufacturing capacity out of the PRC fast enou...

With inflation eating away at wallets and pocketbooks, how strong will the US consumer be this holiday shopping season? Analyst estimates are all over the place. However, a sharp spike above the rate of inflation would be an enormous surprise. Will families with small children step up or back from the plate? How about Gen X and Baby Boomer "empty nesters'? Will Gen Z even spend money at all? In th...

Over the last 12 months, cryptocurrencies have fallen dramatically in value. Much of the downfall has to do with tighter monetary policy. However, recent scandals and exchange collapses at platforms like FTX have caused new questions. Are cryptocurrencies a legitimate store of value? Will they ever get back to those highs from 2021? Frankly, who is in charge here? Or is that still a selling point,...

Although the government keeps reporting strong jobs numbers, it seems layoffs are on the rise. This is especially true in the technology sector, where many household names have announced some form of job cuts, hiring freezes, and downsizings. So, which is it? Is the labor market strong? Are these job losses contained within the tech sector? Or are they the proverbial "canary in the coal mine, with...

Recent standardized test scores suggest US students fell sharply behind during the pandemic. This isn't surprising given the problems with remote learning. However, is that the only reason? Could it be something greater and potentially more sinister? Are we failing our children by not making education a bigger priority? What does the future hold? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney...

While the holiday shopping season seems to have been getting longer each year, some retailers put their Christmas decorations out in September. It is hard to get into the spirit when it is 80 degrees outside, so why has this happened? Is it due to excess inventories? Retailers worried consumers are going to reign in their spending this year? Has inflation forced the retail industry's hand? Or is t...

This week, the Administration announced new plans to turn 'gig economy' workers into employees, as opposed to independent contractors. While the intent might be well-meaning, what impact will this have on the workers and the economy? Is it necessary and do workers really want it? Finally, who will get hit the hardest if the cost of gig work goes up for the end consumer? In this week's Trading Pers...

The ongoing battle between Elon Musk and Twitter appears to be reaching an end, with the former honoring his initial purchase price. What does this mean for the company? Will a Musk-owned company demand freer speech? Eliminate bot and other false accounts? Figure out a better way to monetize the company's technology? Trim a bloated workforce? And will the company let Donald Trump back onto the pla...

This week, far-right politicians won a clear majority in Italy. This follows on the heels of the UK's recently proposed pro-business policies. Even traditionally liberal Sweden has elected right of center governments. Then, the headlines suggest the GOP could make up serious ground in the Congress this November. Across the globe, people seem to be shifting to the right. Are people suddenly more po...

Almost 8 months into the fighting, it doesn't seem there is a legitimate end in sight. Will Moscow up the ante to save face? Why have the Russians had such a difficult time subduing a smaller opponent? What are the geopolitical and economic ramifications? Is there any way to end the fighting and go back to the status antebellum? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss...

As people mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, it is unclear whether the monarchy will be able to remain relevant moving forward. After all, Charles III has a much lower approval rating in the UK than his mother. Since the throne exists largely at the pleasure of the people, will a less popular monarch lead to less support for the monarchy as a whole? How much longer will the British taxpayer...