The Penta Podcast Channel

Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II passed and became the second longest-serving monarch in modern history. In this edition of the Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan talk about the political and economic changes that occurred during her 70-year reign.  To wrap up the show, the trio dives into Chairman Powell's speech at the CATO institute, the Fed's whatever it takes approach to conquer inflation, and their prediction for next week's CPI data. 

In this edition of the Macrocast, HPS Partner Matt McDonald joins Tony, John, and Brendan to analyze the August jobs report. According to the most recent numbers, unemployment is up, but that's not bad news: As Matt explains, the increase in labor force participation and the addition of over 300,000 jobs bodes well for the economy. Plus the group goes beyond the "quiet quitting" headlines to discuss what the phenomenon really means for workers and their managers. Will workers stagnate without going the extra mile? Or are they simply taking more time for what matters most to them?  One thing is for sure: Many workers are still spending more time at home, even as remote work recedes from its pandemic high. To close, the group discusses what workers might be doing with the extra time at home.Read this week's Five Minute Macro report from Markets Policy Partners here. Learn more about career opportunities at HPS, including associate and analyst roles, here.

In this edition of HPS Insights, HPS senior director Rebecca Buck interviews NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent and former MSNBC "Road Warrior" Ali Vitali about her new book, "Electable: Why America Hasn't Put a Woman in the White House . . . Yet."  Drawing on her experiences covering the 2020 presidential campaign, Ali discusses the unique hurdles women face in running for the highest office in the land. Ali and Rebecca reflect on how more women running for the presidency has changed the national conversation on historically overlooked issues like child care and paid parental leave.  What will it take to finally elect a woman to the presidency? And why hasn't it happened already? Listen to the show to find out.   Order find Ali Vitali's book here. Follow Ali on Twitter here. Read more about Ali here.

On today's Macrocast, HPS' Matt McDonald, John Fagan of Markets Policy Partners, and John Dick of Civic Science recap Fed Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole speech. The group examines Chair Powell's speech from different angles, arguing that a 9 minute speech shows not only that the Fed didn't want to share any new information, but also signals a "grim determination to carry on" with recent policy decisions. Consumer economic sentiment was also a focus of the conversation, as John Dick provided highlights from Civic Science's latest data, discussing the changes to consumer sentiment over the past several weeks. John, John, and Matt also cover the Administration's recent student loan relief plan and the potential economic impacts of this historic move.   Watch Fed Powell's Jackson Hole speech. Read HPS' most recent GDP analysis and HPS and Civic Science's latest economic sentiment analysis.

On today's Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan discuss the divergent central bank strategies around the world and what that means for inflation and consumers. They also briefly preview the Jackson Hole Symposium next week. Later in the program, Hamilton Place Strategies' Maura McDonough and Meredith McCleary join the show to discuss quirky economic indicators, such as the Lipstick and Champagne Indexes.

In this week's episode of HPS Insights, Alberto Lopez Valenzuela, Founder and CEO of the reputation intelligence, analysis, and media monitoring company alva, joins HPS Partners Bryan DeAngelis and Matt McDonald for a conversation on alva's technology, the importance of business leaders having access to quality data, and reputation management more broadly. The group chats about how the markets and the current political landscape increasingly require companies to consider the factors that impact their reputations, including social media and the growing lack of trust in institutions.    Drawing from his background in intelligence, Alberto notes that there is a significant demand for quantification of intelligence for businesses. alva's stakeholder intelligence tools, currently five offerings that allow alva to understand, predict, and mediate reputational challenges, emerged from that thesis. alva's tools serve clients by monitoring and analyzing data from all media types to help them better understand and respond to reputational issues. Specifically, alva's approach can help the leadership of a business understand how their company is being portrayed by key stakeholders in order to determine if changes need to be made. The group also talks about how ESG issues have become key for business leaders as businesses and investors have increasingly embraced stakeholder capitalism. alva has developed new models to analyze ESG and is, among other things, looking into how much policymakers and other key stakeholders care about ESG issues. Alberto argues that whether or not ESG is a company's top priority, it should be transparent about its aims, its goals, and what it wants its impact to be. Learn more about Alberto and alva's work, and get a copy of Alberto's book here. 

On the latest episode of HPS Insights, HPS Partner Christina Pearson, Senior Director Jesse Coster, and Director Julia Decerega join HPS Partner Bryan DeAngelis, to discuss all things environmental, social and governance (ESG).  Bryan, Christina, Jesse and Julia break down the meaning of ESG and explore its evolution from corporate social responsibility (CSR). The group chats about how global events, including the impacts of the climate crisis, the pandemic, and social unrest in 2020, have increased calls for company action on ESG issues. They also discuss the growing importance of ESG to companies amid the backdrop of stakeholder capitalism, underscoring how companies are increasingly leaning into ESG work as they strive to create value for all stakeholders–across investors, customers, employees, and regulators.  Drawing from their experience working with clients across industries, the group explores the current ESG landscape and how companies are embracing this concept. Specifically, Bryan, Christina, Jesse, and Julia discuss how companies are at different points in their ESG journeys– and businesses face different challenges and opportunities to set ESG commitments and report on progress across industries. The group also talks about changing regulatory frameworks, including the potential implications of the Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC) current rulemaking to standardize climate disclosures. Additionally, the group discusses how businesses are integrating ESG into their business models, as well as best practices for companies entering the space. 

On today's Macrocast, John and Brendan are joined by Matt Dell Orfano, founder of Telamonius Ventures, to discuss the latest CPI and PPI numbers and what they mean for the macroeconomic outlook for the rest of the year. The group closes with a discussion of corporate earnings in the face of an increasing number of economic headwinds.

In this episode of HPS Insights, Meghan Pennington interviews HPS' JinAh Kim, Lizzie Johnson, and Jack Martin about the latest iteration of their Capital Chatter: A Quarterly Analysis of Congressional Tweets project. In the second quarter of 2022, Congressional Twitter accounts posted 131,311 tweets—a 3% decrease from the first quarter. With the November elections fast approaching, the economy is top of mind for everyone, including members of Congress. In today's episode, supply chain shortages, inflation, crypto, and the distinct messaging around all these topics from Democrats and Republicans take the center stage. Tune in to learn all about their insights.

Starting your first job out of college is a stressful and often daunting experience, one made even more so by COVID-related remote work. On this episode of HPS Insights, guest host and HPS associate Jack Eichner sits down with fellow associates Matisse Rogers and Will Newell to talk about how the workforce's newest generation is handling office life, adjusting to new roles, and building relationships in the workplace.  The group discusses  how they navigated the steep learning curve of your first six months in a new job, emphasizing the need to absorb as much as possible and take ownership of your progress. They talk about the importance of asking for help, learning how to work with different types of people, and more.  Matisse, Will, and Jack also touch on to their differing experiences with remote work through joining HPS at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group focuses on the importance of in-person collaboration and friendships to their professional and personal lives and shares advice for making the most out of your first few years in the workforce.  Show notes:  HPS Insights: Succeeding in Your First Job Fortune: Gen Z actually doesn't want to work from home The New York Times: The Magic of Your First Work Friends