The Penta Podcast Channel

In the final Macrocast of 2022, Penta Partner Stratton Kirton joins Brendan and John of Markets Policy Partners to look back on a jam-packed year of macroeconomic events. The group reviews the historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and discusses the continuing economic toll of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, before turning to their predictions for the coming year, including the likelihood of a soft landing for the U.S. economy.

On today's episode of What's at Stake, Penta Partner Stacy Kerr and Senior Partner Mike Berland recap Penta's collaboration with Axios to put on the first ever Axios Communicators event last week in New York City. One of the major themes coming out of the event was the evolving role of the chief communications officer (CCO). Stacy and Mike discussed how chief executives are increasingly leaning on their CCOs to provide input into how their companies' stakeholders will react to business decisions. Mike and Stacy also dive into how companies are increasingly leveraging data to understand their stakeholders and help them make more informed decisions, as well as how Penta's intelligence tools can help.

On today's Macrocast, Penta Managing Director Jonathan Graffeo is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners, and Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights. It's been a big week in macroeconomic news! The group responds to the Federal Reserve’s Wednesday rate hike—the seventh this year—and discusses the outlook for retailers. Read the latest CPI report here, and learn more about SW4 Insights here.

On this edition of What's At Stake, Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Julia Decerega and Rustin Finkler, two directors at Penta Strategy, and Meredith McCleary, an associate and podcast producer at Penta, to discuss the economics, geopolitics, and business challenges of the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup. Controversy has dogged this World Cup from the moment former FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced in 2010 that Qatar would host it in 2022.  The group not only breaks down the money behind the biggest event in soccer, but also tackles the stakeholder risks and opportunities for businesses looking to sponsor  similar events. How are advertisers and other businesses navigating these challenges? And what should business leaders take away from their experiences? The group discusses the main criticisms of the tournament, the economic payoff of hosting the World Cup, and the cost of hosting similar events. Plus, the group shares hopes and predictions for the future of American soccer fandom when the World Cup comes to North America in 2026.

On today's Macrocast, Penta President Matt McDonald is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners and John Dick, CEO of CivicScience. The group first explores the Economic Sentiment Index, before diving into last week's banking conference, treasury yields, oil prices, and likelihood of a recession in 2023.

On this edition of What's At Stake, Penta Strategy Managing Director Stratton Kirton is joined by Vincent Smith, a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Montana State University and Director of Agricultural Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Jerry Hagstrom, a columnist at National Journal and Executive Editor of the agricultural news service The Hagstrom Report, to discuss the upcoming Farm Bill.The Farm Bill sets the national priorities for agriculture, conservation, nutrition, and forestry policy. A new bill is debated every five years, with the next deadline in 2023. Hagstrom and Smith both discussed how the next Congress will put its stamp on the Farm Bill, along with some of the large economic and political dynamics affecting the agricultural sector today.The trio also discusses some of the various policy areas not tied to agriculture that could be impacted by the Farm Bill, including CFTC oversight, potential crypto regulation, and foreign aid. Tune in to a jam-packed episode on a significant topic that is too often ignored.Read more of Jerry Hagstrom's work at The Hagstrom Report here.Check out Vincent Smith's recent writings for AEI here.

On today's Macrocast, Penta President Matt McDonald is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners and Matt Dell Orfano, Founder of Telamonius Ventures. The group first dives into November's job numbers, offering differing interpretations of what the data means for the state of the economy. The group then discusses the holiday shopping season and the outlook for the retail sector. Read Penta's GDP fact sheet for Q3 2022 here.

In this episode of What's at Stake, Bryan hosts Penta managing directors Stratton Kirton and Jonathan Graffeo, as well as senior associate Matthew Robbins, for a conversation on an eventful November for businesses and policymakers.ESG is top of mind for many business leaders, with sustainability issues featuring prominently at the G20 summit and the election of a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, an underwhelming COP27 conference raises important questions for businesses trying to tell their ESG stories: How are stakeholder attitudes about sustainability changing? And how should businesses tell their ESG stories in an evolving landscape?As Stratton, Jonathan, and Matthew explain, media and public attention to environmental issues is growing, even as advocates express disappointment at the lack of new actions announced at COP27. Jonathan breaks down how businesses can communicate their ESG priorities in a way that resonates across the ideological spectrum. Plus, the group discusses "the three Ms" of stakeholder engagement: measure, message, and monitor.Read Penta's new analysis on media coverage and partisan sentiments on ESG issues here.

What's at stake: a Penta podcast is taking a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return with new content next week. In the meantime, tune in to one of our favorite episodes so far, released shortly after Penta's launch earlier this fall. The episode features a conversation between Penta leaders on the informational landscape for business leaders as they navigate complex stakeholder challenges. How do businesses understand what their stakeholders–be they employees, policymakers, shareholders, or others–want? What do stakeholder pressures look like today, in an era of growing concern for ESG issues and macroeconomic headwinds?

On this special edition of the Macrocast–published on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving–Penta Managing Director Jonathan Graffeo joins John and Brendan to discuss how prepared retailers are for Black Friday, whether shoppers will show up amid high prices, and what the Fed is doing to cool inflation. Plus, the group explores the potential macro implications of a brewing freight rail strike and a looming debt ceiling fight.