The Penta Podcast Channel

On Today's Macrocast, Stratton Kirton, managing director at Penta, joins Brendan and John of Markets Policy Partners to discuss the latest developments in the domestic and global economy. The group starts  by examining the current state of the U.S. retail market, noting that the pandemic trend of a preference for services and experiences over goods persists. The group also previews some of the retail sales trends likely to occur during the holiday shopping season.  Stratton, John, and Brendan also discuss the latest in the crypto industry, including the current perception of the sector in D.C. and how regulators may handle crypto in the coming months. The conversation ends with a section about the state of the global economy following the COP27 and G20 meetings. 

In this edition of What's at Stake, Penta Senior Director Rebeca Buck and Managing Director Michael LaRosa sit down with Cody Keenan, former Director of Speechwriting for President Obama and author of "Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America." Cody speaks about his experiences in the Obama White House during some of the administration's most pivotal days. Ten days in particular saw several historic moments unfold, including the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, and landmark Supreme Court decisions on marriage equality and the Affordable Care Act. Cody draws connections from President Obama's style to those of President Biden and others. Cody also shares advice for aspiring speechwriters and political operatives. How do you keep it together when the leader of the free world is your boss? And what was it like to write some of President Obama's most memorable speeches? Tune in to find out.Check out Cody Keenan's new book here.Read more about Cody here.

In this edition of the Macrocast, Tony bids farewell to the show and tackles a busy week of macroeconomic and political news with John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners. The group discusses the implications of the midterm elections for financial markets and breaks down the October CPI data, which comes as a relief to inflation-battered investors. Plus, Tony, John, and Brendan predict what's next in the world of crypto following the stunning collapse of FTX.Find the October CPI data here.Read more about Markets Policy Partners here.

In this special midterm edition of What's at Stake, Penta Partner Andrea Christianson discusses Tuesday's election results with Senior Partner and former Senior Advisor to national Republicans, Kevin Madden and Managing Director and former Press Secretary to First Lady Jill Biden, Michael LaRosa.  The group kicks off their discussion by analyzing the results of the election, including the absence of a "red wave," split ticket voting in several states, and the way voters thought about their choices between candidates. With Republicans likely to gain a slimmer majority than they had hoped for in the House of Representatives, Andrea, Kevin, and Michael discuss the implications of the results for Rep. Kevin McCarthy's agenda. Finally, the group looks ahead to the future. While the midterm votes are still being tallied, the 2024 election is essentially underway.

This week on What's at Stake, Penta's Bryan DeAngelis sits down with president Matt McDonald and partners Alberto Lopez Valenzuela and Christina Pearson to unpack the group's experience at last week's Fortune CEO Initiative conference in Palm Beach, FL.  The group starts by discussing their favorite moments from the conference. They note how businesses have grown comfortable operating in uncertainty, and how ESG remains top-of-mind across sectors. The group also touches on the need to integrate ESG measurement into core corporate strategy as companies look for a more holistic way to measure their impact.  Matt also recaps the roundtable discussion at the conference, which explored how businesses should understand their stakeholder landscape on a deeper level  to more effectively respond to demands, both during crises and on an ongoing basis. Bryan, Christina, and Alberto expand on how understanding the needs of investors, policymakers, employees, and consumers allows businesses to maintain a values-based, nuanced approach to communications across their company. Learn more about the Fortune CEO Initiative here.

On this week's edition of the Macrocast, Tony and Brendan are joined by Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights. The trio first discusses today's jobs report and this week's 0.75% rate hike from the Federal Reserve, pondering what the path ahead is for Chairman Powell and the rest of the FOMC. They then have a lively conversation about the dangers of the debt ceiling. Tune in! SW4 Insights About Page Markets Policy Partners Five Minute Macro Penta Groups October Jobs Day Fact Sheet

This week on What's At Stake, Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale, joins Penta’s Bryan DeAngelis to discuss the latest happenings at Grayscale, the world's largest digital currency asset manager, in addition to the cryptocurrency industry more broadly.  Bryan and Michael open on Grayscale's inception and the firm's active presence in D.C., including the significant time Grayscale has spent educating Washington about crypto.  Michael recounts Grayscale's history with the SEC: the years of successful collaboration with the Commission followed by the Commission's decision this summer to reject Grayscale's application to convert its signature fund, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, into an exchange-traded fund (ETF). In order to protect its investors, Michael explains, Grayscale was left with no choice but to file suit against the SEC. Michael and Bryan also discuss the state of U.S. crypto regulation more broadly. How the lack of regulatory guidance is pushing innovation outside the U.S., reducing benefits to the U.S. economy such as new jobs and tax revenue. Despite these frustrations, Michael explains that Grayscale has seen a substantial increase in awareness and engagement from  policymakers since they became active in D.C. five years ago.   Bryan and Michael also share top insights from new research Grayscale released with Harris Poll, including survey results that found that a majority of voters in both parties agree that cryptocurrencies are the future of finance. The poll also found that there is strong consensus among surveyed voters on the desire for greater regulatory clarity, as well as the importance of lawmakers staying informed about crypto. Read a Q&A about the Grayscale lawsuit here. Read the Harris Poll survey results here. Read about the launch of the Grayscale Digital Infrastructure Opportunities LLC here. 

On this week's Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan are joined by John Dick from Civic Science. The group discusses the stronger-than-expected GDP report and price indices and unpacks this week's Economic Sentiment Index, which showed resilient consumer spending and rising economic sentiment. They also dive into poor earnings performance across the tech sector and share what to watch with Europe and Canada's central banks in the coming weeks. Check out this week's Economic Sentiment Index here. Learn more about Markets Policy Partners here.

In this special edition of the Macrocast, Bob Dewey and Brendan Walsh from Markets Policy Partners interview Lyn Alden, an investment research analyst and one of the most interesting up-and-coming voices in finance. During the conversation, Alden discusses why "financial repression" from the Federal Reserve is likely in coming years, the direction of Bitcoin relative to other cryptocurrencies, and the state of energy markets. This episode is perfect for anyone looking to learn more about the complexities of today's financial markets. Read Alden's research here.

On today's Macrocast, Tony, Brendan, and John focus on the latest in the U.K. following Liz Truss's resignation. The U.K. economy has experienced "six weeks of woe," including  dismal retail sales numbers today. Despite the U.K. economy's relatively small size, its performance continues to have an outsized impact on global economic forecasts. Inflation, in the U.K., the U.S., and globally, is also top of mind this week, as well as what the Fed's next move might be to counter it.