Trading Perspectives: An Economic Podcast

Due to the turmoil in eastern Europe, many commodity prices have soared. So much so, the cost of the materials in many US coins is now worth more than their face value. If it costs the government more money to make money, how much longer will it do so? Given the change in US consumer patterns, do consumers even want physical cash? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discus...

With the world tightening its sanctions on Russia, how will the average Russian citizen respond? Also, is this mess what Vladimir Putin intended? The resistance from the Ukrainians themselves? The stiffer sanctions than after the 2014 annexation of Crimea? The isolation from the world, and the muted response from China? Certainly, this has to be a near worst-case scenario for the Russian leader, r...

This week, Russia announced its was formally recognizing two 'breakaway' provinces in Ukraine, and authorized the use of so-called Russian peacekeeping troops. As promised, the western powers announced some economic sanctions against Moscow and certain minions, but they arguably weren't as severe as promised. Why would that be? And why has a coordinated response from the US and other major Europea...

In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the recent unrest in Canada, its causes and probable outcomes. This has made global headlines, because the Great White North isn't exactly known for being a boiling cauldron of discontent. So, how did it come to this? Who is protesting and for what purpose? And, perhaps most importantly, why is this so interesting to so many people around t...

People, especially young people, are making money in ways many people in older generations don't quite understand. What exactly is NIL, and how will that benefit college athletes? How much money is there to be made, really? Who will make it? Also, what exactly is an influencer? What does it take to be one? How much does one make? And, most importantly, is all of this influencing and NIL here to st...

Although the sharing of ideas engenders economic activity and intellectual curiosity, there are many in our society who want to 'cancel out' people with whom they disagree. Recently, high-profile, liberal musical artists have attempted to cancel out podcaster Joe Rogan from the Spotify platform. To date, this hasn't worked, but why? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the har...

It was pretty easy to make money in the stock market in 2021, just be in it. However, volatility has returned, in a big way, in January 2022, which has caught a lot of people flat-footed and questioning their risk tolerance. Is this fair? Is the sky falling? What should investors do? Is all heck about to break loose? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam and John analyze January's dismal stock...

Recently, a constant in the headlines has been Russia building up its armed forces on its border with Ukraine. What is Moscow's true intention? How will the West respond? Is it willing to go to war to fight for Ukrainian sovereignty? Why should the US care, and what does it mean for the average American? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Courtney, Sam, and John discuss the recent imbroglio in E...

With each new variant of the COVID19 virus, there seems to be a new set of rules and regulations. As Sam Clement has said, the "goalposts keep on changing." But are they, and how will this impact the spread of the virus THIS time around? Furthermore, how will the average American respond to yet another mandate and/or form of guidance? Did the first 1000+ work as desired? In this week's Trading Per...

As we start the year, airlines are canceling flights in record numbers, store shelves are as empty as they have been in memory, prices are continuing to climb, and employers everywhere are complaining about staffing shortages. What's more, OSHA and the CDC continue to give guidance and proposed regulations that are getting confusing to the average American, let alone business owners. For example,...

Did 2021 meet everyone's expectations? Or, in a lot of ways was it a repeat of 2020? Regardless, what does the future hold for the US economy and the markets? Inquiring minds want to know. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John talk about some of the biggest news items from this past year and make some predictions about the future.

Over the weekend, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) pretty much brought the Administration's "Build Back Better" bill to a grinding halt. Manchin said he couldn't justify the increase in spending in the face of continued inflation and fiscal imbalances. Not surprisingly, people on both sides of the political aisle were agog. However, should they have been? Should politicians represent their parties or their...

So-called smash & grab shoplifters have been getting an increased number of headlines, as have seemingly wanton acts of random violence. Are we in a crime wave death spiral? If so, what does that mean for economic growth? If not, why does it seem that way? Is the media making it out to be worse than it actually is? As we all know, the perception of crime is often worse than the actual crime itself...

At the end of 2020, everyone wondered what the "new normal" would be once things got back to some sense of normalcy in 2021. While this year has been anything but normal, have all of the predictions been correct? Have any? Is the technology here to stay? Or are we going back to the way things were? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss how the year has unfolded, and...

Recently, the new Omicron variant has been generating headlines around the world, leading many countries to restrict travel. Are the Draconian economic lockdowns of 2020 next? Or have we learned from the past, understanding much of those mandates didn't stop the spread of the virus as much as throttled economic activity. In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the newe...

Pundits, politicians, and analysts tend to focus on flashpoints like China, Russia, and the southern border. However, one of the most deadly episodes in our nation's history tends to get relatively short shrift: the opioid crisis. What is the cause and what is the cure? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Courtney, Sam, and John discuss this ongoing crisis and its impact on both the economy and U...

The Chinese have been flying warplanes in Taiwanese airspace, and testing hypersonic nuclear missiles. The Russians have amassed troops at the Ukrainian border, and have recently demonstrated their satellite destroying capabilities. The Iranians have been buzzing US warships with drones and helicopters. Lukashenko in Belarus is causing a boarder clash with Poland. With all of these provocations an...

There have been a lot of stories about the potential for shortages this holiday shopping season, and consumers are getting used to certain products being out of stock. How has this impacted current spending, and what does it mean for the upcoming peak retail time of the year? Is fear driving US consumer behavior or not? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss their hol...

This week, the UN tried to shame the world's billionaires to help it "solve world hunger." Elon Musk called the organization's bluff by saying he would gladly peel off the desired, of him, $6 billion if it would provide 'open accounting.' As of now, the UN hasn't accepted the challenge. This begs the question: is the situation with Musk and the UN really any different than the average American's d...

No matter where you look, everything seems to be more expensive, from gasoline to mayonnaise to day care. Are the price increases here to stay and what are the causes? Supply too little? Demand to great? Too much cash floating about? Who is being impacted the most? Is it families? Newlyweds? Or empty nesters? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John dissect the situation and di...

The stock market has produced outsized returns over the last several years. As a result, stocks represent a greater percent of overall US household wealth than they ever have. How has this happened? How have Americans become comfortable with the historically most risky asset class being so important on the country's collective balance sheet? Is it technology? Is it generational? Is it something el...

There is little argument that social media has changed how we live our lives and conduct business. However, is it for the good or the bad? Or is it a little bit of both? If so, what should the government do to mitigate the negative aspects of social media? Is that even a role the government should play? In this week's Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the positive and negative...

What exactly are employees looking for in an employer? What are employers doing to keep their workers happy? Is the recent focus on work/life balance here to stay? Or was it always there? Do different generations expect different things out of their job? These are some of the questions Courtney, Sam, and John try to answer in this week's Trading Perspectives.

China's Lehman Brothers?  There has been a lot of news about the recent financial troubles of Chinese property developer Evergrande. The company is saddled with billions upon billions in debt which it is highly unlikely to repay in full. Could a potential collapse cause ripple effects across the global financial system? Will the next great global crisis come from China, as opposed to the United St...

This week Trading Perspectives welcomes Courtney Truss to the show.  As an associate at Oakworth Capital Bank and working alongside John and Sam, she brings another generational and demographical perspective to the show.  In this episode, John, Sam, and Courtney discuss the vaccine mandate and how it might effect employees and employers economically and personally.