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Strategic Alternatives

Latest episodes

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Dec 24, 2024 • 25min

Navigating markets in 2025: Whipsaws and fatter-tails call for tactical moves

Blake Gwinn, Head of US Rates Strategy at RBC Capital Markets, brings his sharp insights on navigating the turbulent waters of financial markets. He highlights the Fed's hawkish stance and its implications for interest rates. The discussion unveils the unpredictable nature of volatility, likening the stock market to a 'paddling duck' with calm exteriors hiding chaos beneath. They also explore corporate strategies amidst a changing labor market and the need for adaptability in the face of potential tariffs impacting 2025 forecasts.
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Dec 20, 2024 • 28min

Will Australia’s Consumers Rally in 2025?

Australia’s hopes for some strengthening in growth in 2025 rest on a pickup in household spending to support the public demand currently underpinning the economy. Meanwhile, housing, immigration, and inflation pose interlinked challenges – with geopolitical risks on the horizon. Chief Economist, Su-Lin Ong, and Macro Rates Strategist, Rob Thompson, join Rod Ireland, Head of Global Markets, APAC, to assess the prospects in this episode of RBC Capital Markets’ Strategic Alternatives podcast.
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Dec 20, 2024 • 21min

2025 Outlook: Europe’s economies brace for more political upheaval

Peter Schaffrik, Chief European Macro Strategist at RBC Capital Markets, breaks down Europe's economic landscape as it gears up for 2025. He discusses how recession seems avoidable yet growth remains elusive amid political instability. Schaffrik highlights the evolving role of central banks in a shifting interest rate environment and the complexities of fiscal policies impacting trade. He also examines opportunities for investors navigating uncertainties, including inflation and geopolitical tensions.
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Dec 10, 2024 • 33min

Which policies will impact the U.S. economy in 2025?

2025 will see the U.S. economy diverge even further from other developed nations, in ways that begin to look structural rather than cyclical. That’s one of the predictions from RBC Capital Markets’ Chief Economist Frances Donald and U.S. Economist Mike Reid in their outlook for the next year. They join Vito Sperduto, Head of RBC Capital Markets U.S. to weigh the economic impact of the incoming administration’s policies – and the tough line the Fed will need to tread in 2025.
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Dec 9, 2024 • 34min

Productivity and affordability: Canada’s top challenges in 2025

Frances Donald, RBC's Chief Economist, offers keen insights into Canada's economic future as it navigates significant challenges in 2025. She discusses the stark divergence from U.S. growth and monetary policy, fueled by changes in trade dynamics and political leadership. The conversation dives into pressing issues like rising economic inequality, the impact of immigration on labor and housing, and the urgent need for effective solutions to Canada’s housing affordability crisis. Donald outlines the complex interplay between economic growth, inflation, and policy measures.
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Dec 6, 2024 • 33min

2025 Global M&A Outlook: Confidence meets caution

Larry Grafstein, Deputy Chair of Global Investment Banking at RBC, joins Mark Rushton, European co-head of M&A at RBC Capital Markets, to explore the dynamic M&A landscape leading to 2025. They discuss how lighter regulation may facilitate dealmaking in the U.S. while analyzing the impact of political changes on market sentiments. The duo highlights the resurgence of private equity and emerging trends in corporate activism, particularly how these factors shape M&A strategies in North America and Europe.
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Dec 3, 2024 • 25min

From IPOs to M&A: Shifting strategies at RBC’s 2024 TIMT Conference

At RBC’s 2024 Global Technology, Internet, Media, and Telecom (TIMT) Conference, equity capital markets bankers sat down to discuss the key trends in the tech sector, and how this will catalyze activity in the IPO and broader equity market, M&A, private markets and more moving into 2025.
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Nov 29, 2024 • 36min

2025 Outlook: Macro, Monetary Policy & Rates

In 2025, Fixed income returns across the world will depend partly on the continuing resilience of the U.S. economy, and how far the Federal Reserve takes its current easing cycle. But macroeconomic variations among different markets will also be a big influence. In this episode of the Strategic Alternatives podcast, RBC Capital Market specialists from major global markets sift the key factors to offer informed predictions.
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Nov 8, 2024 • 29min

The first cut is the deepest

At RBC's Global Industrials conference in Las Vegas, Vito Sperduto, Head of RBC Capital Markets U.S., and Lori Calvasina, Head of U.S. equity strategy talk about the key themes shaping equity markets right now, and how investors are thinking about and factoring in the potential impact of the US election.
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Oct 18, 2024 • 28min

Industrial Deal-Making: What a Difference a Year Makes

Last autumn the Industrials M&A landscape was subdued at best. This year the mood at RBC’s Global Industrials Conference was very different, with a revived corporate scene and private equity increasingly active. Joshua Rosenbaum, Global Head of Industrials, joins the Strategic Alternatives podcast to discuss the most promising sectors, and whether the shadow of the global financial crisis is finally clearing.

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