Trading Perspectives: An Economic Podcast

With the wave of a wand, billions in student loan debt will be wiped away. How is this possible and what will the impact be? While this sounds great, every action has consequences. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss how this student loan debt relief will impact everything from consumer confidence and elections, to inflation and the soaring cost of college.

Never before in history have people shared so much information with so many people, knowingly and unknowingly. Every social media post contains information that companies dissect in order to market more effectively to you. While that might sound harmless enough, most people wouldn't share as much with people they know as they do with, say, Facebook. If all of that data is out there, will someone u...

How is the current energy crisis impacting investor behavior around the world? Can Europe escape the economic corner it backed itself into with its energy policies? Will the winter be extra cold this year? Or will the Russians turn on the spigot if the Europeans give Moscow the green light? Could it be the US, despite all of its problems, still the best place for an absolute return? In this week's...

As the political season starts to heat up, candidates will likely discuss inequalities in our society. The difference between male and female paychecks will undoubtedly be a topic of discussion. It often is. However, do all the studies on the subject compare apples to apples? Is there an inherent bias in the system? Do employers knowingly pay males more simply because of their gender? Why do femal...

Like much of the last 24 months, recent economic data has been strange. How can the economy be slowing down and employers still not able to find workers? What is keeping people from going back into the workforce? Is it a generational issue or an inflection point in the US economy? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the large numbers of jobs available despite two co...

The Mega Millions jackpot is one of the largest in history. People across the country are gobbling up tickets and dreaming about what they would do if they won. However, is it worth the money? After all, the chances of winning the jackpot at 1 in 302.5 million. So, is playing the lottery hope, fantasy or foolishness? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the Mega Mil...

The headlines suggest the world is falling apart at the seams. From the ongoing war in Ukraine to economic crises in many emerging economies to increased tension in the South China Sea, it seems the US is stumbling from one problem to another. However, did we get to this point and what should the US do about today's angst? Is it even our problem any longer, and should we let the rest of the world...

With inflation currently at 40-year highs, there is no shortage of explanations why this has happened. Folks have blamed Russia and Vladimir Putin. Fingers have wagged at supply chain inefficiencies. People have wrung their hands over our handling of the COVID pandemic. Then, there are those who argue corporations are taking advantage of inflation by gouging customers in order to goose profits. Th...

A recent Gallup poll suggests Americans have lost confidence in most major public and private institutions. While this has been a long-term trend, it seems to have accelerated significantly over the last several years. Folks don't trust the government, organized religions, big business, you name it. But why? It is a lack of leadership OR is how we consume information the culprit? In this week's Tr...

With inflation eating away at consumers' wallets and pocketbooks, how has our morning routine changed? Are we still using the same products to help make us look presentable in public and the workplace? At what point does the average American worker, especially females, admit defeat to rising prices and decide to make changes to how they get ready? Is there a point? Or does getting ready provide a...

Cryptocurrencies have fallen dramatically over the last several months. Is the beginning of the end for the things? Or is it the end of the beginning? Are there are generational considerations when determining whether crypto is going to be an ongoing asset class or is it just a flash in the pan? Albeit a very hot one. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss how cryptoc...

Temperatures are higher, and storms seem a little more severe. Does this keep you up at night? Do you have eco-angst? The WHO says a lot of people do, but is this really the case? If so, what can we do about it? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the growing trend of eco-anxiety and ways to combat it. Are there generational differences, and who gets thrown under t...

As employers continue to struggle to find employees, concepts like a 4-day workweek are getting attention in order to attract workers. How practical is this trend? How good is it for the employer? How good is it for the employee? Will it produce the desired results and become the default for workers in the future? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the concept of...

This week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted she was wrong last year when she said inflation wasn't a concern. While a surprising admission from an Administration official, this was a statement of the obvious. However, shouldn't we have all seen inflation coming down the pike? After all, creating money out of thin air and throwing it at the economy is usually a good way to goose prices. So,...

Politically popular mandates often, it not almost always, seem to have ironic economic consequences. So, why do we keep doing them? Is there something about the nebulous "need to do something" which trumps economic common sense? Or is it deeper than that? Are the people making serious economic decisions and policy really qualified to do so? After all, what is their incentive? In this week's Tradin...

With all the supply chain issues and distribution problems, at what point do American companies start to produce more products in the United States? Surely, they have learned their lesson over the last 12 months. Also, what premium will American consumers pay to know the product they want will be made in America and available on demand? Finally, what will it take to get more factories open in more...

With all of the red ink in the markets thus far, what are investors supposed to do? Should they continue to "buy the dip," even though that doesn't seem to be working? Is this because all news seems to be bad news? Is that why investors have been throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water? How do investors stay calm and carry on? This week Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the frustrating...

With all the news in Washington about forgiving student loan debt, what does this all mean for the economy, society, and the future of higher education? Who really benefits? Who is hurt? What are the likely outcomes? What is the reasoning behind doing this at this point in time? Finally, who is to blame for this mess? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the debate...

While finding quality childcare has always been a challenge, it has become increasingly more so since the start of the pandemic. This has had a depressing impact on the labor force participation rate, especially women. It seems like the government is helping out everyone but working moms. Why? In this week's Trading Perspectives, the gang talks about the rising cost of childcare and potential solu...

With available homes few and far between and mortgage rates on the rise, fears of the demise of the housing market are increasing. This naturally begs the question, how long can this go on? Will the housing market crash again? Will a decline in housing lead to a financial crisis like it did in 2008? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the differences between then a...

The dreaded word recession has recently been rearing its ugly head in the news media. Is the US doomed to have one in the near future? If so, just how bad will it be? As bad as 2008, when it seemed like the world was going to end? Or will it be like some other recessions, which we didn't even know about until after the fact? Does the definition of recession vary from household to household? In thi...

Although it is less than 2 months old, the war in Ukraine seems to be one without end. A primary reason for that is outside of the Ukrainians themselves, it is hard to define what success is for everyone else. Even more, does the US have a moral obligation to step into the fray to avert and address war crimes? If so, why hasn't it done so in other places? Further, what are Americans willing to tak...

With higher prices hitting budgets the hardest in some 40 years, how are households adjusting? Is eating out at restaurants on the chopping block? Are the cooks in the kitchen willing to do a little extra work? Maybe giving up the alcohol at dinner? Giving up steaks for hot dogs? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss how higher prices are impacting how they spend at...

Last year, it seems the infrastructure bill made all of the headlines. This year, where is it and where is the money? How did we get to a point where we have to borrow massive amounts to do what taxpayers have already been paying to do? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Courtney, Sam, and John discuss last year's infrastructure bill/package, and try to answer the questions when, why, where, and...

The price increases at the pump have become impossible to ignore. While it is easy to blame Vladimir Putin for your lighter wallet, is it completely fair? After all, this didn't happen overnight. So, what has happened? Why has this happened? How much longer will the American consumer have to pay a fortune just to fill up their cars? What are people willing to give up to do so? Road trips? Date nig...