The Penta Podcast Channel

This week on What's at Stake, Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Alberto Lopez Valenzuela and Innes McFee, managing director of macro and investor services at Oxford Economics, to dive into new updates from a joint study on labor trends released by Penta and Oxford Economics–the beginning of an exciting partnership between the two firms. The group breaks down key insights from the report, which analyzed daily sentiment data to pinpoint economic turning points in real time and identified a trend of slowing growth in labor markets across many advanced economies. New data analyzed by Oxford Economics in the weeks since the report's release seem to confirm this trend, presenting a thought-provoking case for stakeholder sentiment as a leading economic indicator. What do these data mean, and how certain can we be of their value? How can business leaders use our data to better understand where the economy is headed? Tune in for insights that will change the way you think about stakeholder intelligence.Read the full report from Penta and Oxford Economics here.

On today's Macrocast, hosts Meghan Pennington and John Fagan are joined by Loren Smith of Skyline Policy Risk Group to discuss the latest on the IRA and infrastructure spending, permitting reform and its impact on energy production, the debt ceiling, and more. Tune in!

This special edition of What's at Stake features some of Penta's most seasoned experts in political communications for a breakdown of President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address. Every State of the Union address is a big deal in the Beltway, but what does it really mean for the second half of President Biden's term? And what should business leaders take away from the speech?Kevin Madden, a senior partner at Penta, hosts the conversation with Meghan Pennington, also a partner at Penta, and Michael LaRosa, a managing director. All three bring deep experience from the highest levels of political communications, having served on presidential campaigns, Capitol Hill, and the White House. They also bring perspectives from both sides of the political aisle. Tune in for more. 

On today's Macrocast, Stratton, John, and Brendan host  John Dick from Civic Science and Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights. They delve into the latest jobs report, recent central bank meetings, and takeaways from a fascinating earnings season.John and Brendan explain how the Fed, the European Central Bank, and the Bank of England were less aggressive in early 2023 than markets feared last year. Jobs are on the rise, but with the tech sector's lower-than-expected earnings, mass layoffs are grabbing headlines.Read Penta's latest Jobs Day report here.Tune in next week for more on US consumer sentiment, President Biden's State of the Union speech, and new earnings coverage.

In this edition of What's at Stake, Stacy Kerr and Stratton Kirton host Tara Carraro, senior vice president and chief communications officer at U. S. Steel, for a conversation on Tara's impressive career in corporate communications strategy and her work at U. S. Steel.Tara explains how she must navigate a unique challenge: How can her team change perceptions of a company that is more than 120 years old? As chief communications officer, Tara is the voice of an iconic company, responsible for repositioning the brand of U. S. Steel for the future. Tara defines corporate communications as the marketing arm for the corporate brand and explains the important role that data plays in maximizing her team's impact.What are the biggest changes Tara has seen throughout her career? What's next for U. S. Steel? And what is the next disruption in corporate communications? Tune in to glean invaluable insights from a leader in the field.

On this edition of What's At Stake, Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Fabian Astic, Global Head of DeFi and Digital Assets at Moody's Investors Service, to explore how traditional finance experts are thinking about crypto and blockchain technology today.As the industry continues to innovate, Moody's is tracking global regulatory developments that can bridge the gap between the digital and traditional finance worlds. Bryan and Fabian discuss the exciting transformations in digital finance expected in the next few years – including the EU's DLT Pilot Regime for digital securities and Hong Kong's new licensing regime for crypto exchanges – and grapple with key questions facing policymakers and business leaders in the space. Will Congress push through long-awaited stablecoin legislation, or will the U.S. fall behind the global pace of progress? And what can investors seeking new ways to diversify their portfolios expect from the coming years? Tune in to hear about the crypto and blockchain developments shaking up the world of finance, whether companies are ready, and what work still needs to be done. 

On today's Macrocast, Stratton Kirton, partner at Penta, joins John and Brendan of Markets Policy Partners to discuss the latest GDP report, this week's earning's numbers, and some of the factors currently impacting the labor market, including immigration and the recent uptick in layoffs. How will these layoffs impact next week's Jobs Day numbers? The group talks about some of the reasons the impact might not be as drastic as some expect. Changes to some key positions in the Biden Administration are coming, and Stratton, Brendan, and John talk about their implications, especially given the current climate on Capitol Hill. This week was also a notable one for the war in Ukraine. The group talked about the potential economic and geopolitical ramifications of the Biden administration sending Abrams tanks, Russian food shortages, and potential Russian escalation of the war.Read Penta's GDP analysis here.Check back next week for Penta's Jobs Day report.

On today's special episode of What's at Stake, John Fagan and Brendan Walshfrom Markets Policy Partners offer their take  on what investors should expect from financial markets over the coming year.. Looking beyond today's relatively calm market environment, the group sees  risks of a recession  and policy uncertainty that could intensify by the summer. In addition, the group offers predictions surrounding the future of Fed policy, China's impact on global markets, oil prices , and cryptocurrency. All of these factors are set against an increasingly uncertain fiscal and political situation here in the US. Tune in as MPP explains all this and more and shares key insights for the year to come. Watch the video version of MPP's conversation here.

On today's jam-packed Macrocast, guest host Meghan Pennington is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners, former senior Treasury official Bob Dohner, John Dick of Civic Science, and Penta Senior Associate Matthew Robbins. The group discusses the latest Economic Sentiment Index, the Chinese economy, and the potential for a debt limit crisis.Read Penta's latest ESI here. 

On today's episode of What's at Stake, Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council (CLC), and Catrina Rorke, CLC's senior vice president of policy and Research, join Stratton Kirton, partner at Penta. The group discusses today's climate policy landscape, specifically the intersection between climate and trade and the increasing appetite for climate solutions that leverage America's carbon advantage for better trade and climate outcomes. Greg and Catrina explain why the current political environment presents a unique opportunity for these policies.The group breaks down a recent report CLC released on the carbon loophole, which refers to emissions associated with producing goods in one country that are consumed in another. The report finds that nearly a quarter of global emissions occur in the carbon loophole. Catrina and Greg explain how policymakers can close this loophole in order to incentivize more efficient production of globally traded goods.Read more about the Climate Leadership Council here.Read CLC's carbon loophole report here.