The Penta Podcast Channel

In this edition of What's at Stake, Penta Partner Stratton Kirton interviews the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Principal Energy Specialist David Elzinga about the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM).Countries around the world have committed to lowering their emissions over the coming decades. While the U.S. and Europe are approaching the transition to clean energy as developed nations, countries across southeast Asia and Africa are attempting to meet their climate commitments while their populations boom. The Asian Development Bank's ETM is an innovative program specifically designed to help developing nations transition more quickly to clean energy in a just and tailored way.ETM aims to harness private and concessional capital to accelerate the retirement or repurposing of Southeast Asian fossil fuel plants and crowd in investment for clean energy alternatives. Throughout the episode, David and Stratton discuss the details of ETM, the ADB's commitment to fighting climate change, and why the energy transition in different parts of the world requires varied solutions. David also shares his advice for people looking to enter the clean energy space.  To learn more about ETM, visit the ADB's homepage on the project.

On today's Macrocast, Bryan, John, and Brendan host John Dick from Civic Science and Ylan Mui, a managing director at Penta. Ylan just joined Penta by way of CNBC, where she covered economic and regulatory policy for six years. The group discusses the latest economic sentiment index, which shows consumer optimism ticking down from the record high two weeks ago and more evidence of a "hangover" in spending following the post-COVID surge. Plus, the group  looks ahead to Federal Reserve Chair Powell's upcoming testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, where Democrats like Sherrod Brown are likely to press Powell on the threat to employment posed by rate hikes.  Take a look at Penta's latest ESI analysis here.

The Federal Reserve's next moves are on the minds of business leaders everywhere. Some experts warn of a recession, others hold out hope for a "soft landing," and there's plenty of data to support both sides of the argument. For many Fed watchers, that can make it difficult to understand the Fed's thinking. To cut through the noise, Bryan DeAngelis hosts three experts on the Federal Reserve for this episode of What's at Stake. John Fagan and Brendan Walsh, co-founders of Markets Policy Partners and Macrocast co-hosts, and Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights, join the show.  The group explains why we're living through a uniquely challenging time for the Federal Reserve, as it tries to balance its competing mandates of reducing inflation and maintaining employment. They discuss which indicators influence the Fed's agenda the most and whether the Fed's preferred inflation metrics truly reflect Americans' experience.Listen to the most recent episode of the Macrocast with Markets Policy Partners here. Learn more about Markets Policy Partners here and SW4 Insights here.

On today's Macrocast, hosts Bryan DeAngelis and John Fagan are joined by Jill Craig, a partner in Penta's Brussels office, to take a look at new data on the Fed's (former?) favorite inflation rating and whether the market might finally be listening to its signaling. In the second half of the show, Jill shares a European perspective on the war in Ukraine as the group looks back on the year since Russia's invasion. Read Penta's new Q4 2022 GDP Fact Sheet here.

How should businesses engage with policymakers in 2023? On today's episode of What's at Stake, Bryan DeAngelis talks to Meghan Pennington, a partner at Penta, and Michael Griffin, chief research officer of intelligence at Penta, about Penta's new Washington Insights Review.  The Washington Insights Review is based on hundreds of conversations with DC policymakers and highlights their perspectives on policy issues and best practices for government affairs.  The group discusses the necessity of a two-way relationship between businesses and policymakers and the importance of organizations finding moments to proactively engage with policymakers. Authenticity when engaging with policymakers is also key, the group explains, especially for issues related to ESG and DEI.  For more on the top takeaways from the report, listen to the episode, and download the full Washington Insights Review. Learn more about Penta Policy Insiders.

On today's Macrocast, hosts Bryan DeAngelis, John Fagan, and Brendan Walsh are joined by Penta Director Oliver Edelmann to discuss whether the economic outlook for the U.S. is truly improving on the heels of a uniquely upbeat reading of consumer economic sentiment. Penta's latest Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) found that consumers are more optimistic about the economy, but are we really due for a soft landing? The group also discusses potential changes to President Biden's economic council and the new Chinese sanctions against American companies. Read Penta's latest ESI report here.

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.