

Unhedged
Financial Times & Pushkin Industries
Katie Martin, Robert Armstrong and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind what’s happening in finance right now. Every Tuesday and Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 6, 2023 • 30min
Introducing Hot Money: The New Narcos
An investigation into a powerful international drug trafficking organization, the Dubai Super Cartel, that leads to a murder in Holland. Explore the extravagant lifestyles and ordered assassinations of the cartel, and the impact of organized crime on global affairs. Delve into the mystery surrounding the shooting, the arrest of a wanted murder broker, and the lonely secret life of the murder victim.

Dec 5, 2023 • 18min
Gold just set a record. Why?
Explore the recent surge in gold prices, questioning the reasons behind it. Discuss the inverse relationship between real rates and gold prices. Examine the merits of gold as an investment. Explore the idea of owning physical gold as an asset and associated risks. Discuss backlash against ESG investing and skepticism towards it. Analyze the US job market and anticipate a decline in job creation.

Nov 30, 2023 • 18min
Down the liquidity hole
Exploring the theory of liquidity in the economy and its impact on stock prices. Discussing the injection of cash into US financial markets and the resulting effect on investor portfolios. Questioning the predictive power of liquidity theory. Examining the influence of liquidity on the stock market rally and the importance of balance. Remembering Charlie Munger and discussing long and short positions.

Nov 28, 2023 • 18min
Have rates peaked?
In this podcast, the hosts discuss the market's rally on expectations of the Fed's rate pause, explore whether rates have peaked, and the positive market reaction to decreased interest rates. They also dive into Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon's DJ career, reflect on the ambivalence towards predictions, and discuss the challenges of timing and liquidity in the US financial system.

Nov 23, 2023 • 18min
What the London Stock Exchange really trades
London Stock Exchange focuses on selling data rather than listing stocks, raising questions about the future of global markets and London as a finance hub. Challenges for LSE in competing with Bloomberg and attracting tech companies. Hosts share their long and short positions on B&B coin and UK government bonds.

Nov 21, 2023 • 15min
The zombie companies
This podcast discusses the rise of 'zombie companies' in a high-interest rate environment, the risks of widespread defaults and bankruptcies, the increasing stress in the market, and the potential economic impact. It also explores the danger of rising interest rates, bubbles, and zombie companies, as well as the aftermath of Open AI's decision and the concerns about its governance structure.

6 snips
Nov 16, 2023 • 16min
What does Walmart know?
On this episode, the hosts discuss Walmart's concerns about the health of the consumer and what it means for the economy. They also explore the strength of the American economy, predict inflation, and analyze the need for demand growth. Additionally, they touch on the topic of truth discernment and reveal a surprise about computer-generated avatars.

Nov 14, 2023 • 20min
Big Tech roundup: Tesla, Nvidia, Apple and more
The hosts discuss the performance of dominant tech stocks including Nvidia. They talk about Nvidia's recent earnings, stock volatility, and competitive pressures in the AI chip market. They also discuss CEO relationships, growth rates of Microsoft's cloud division, and skepticism and competition in the electric vehicle market, specifically regarding Tesla. The hosts speculate about a film on Elon Musk's life story and share their portfolio performance and favorite things about Chicago and other cities.

Nov 9, 2023 • 14min
A drastic solution to exploding US government debt
Exploring the explosion in government debt, the podcast discusses the idea of using yield curve control as a solution. It also highlights concerns about the US debt and fiscal policy, and the potential consequences of a big increase in long-term treasury yields. The impact of inflation, hope for a political resolution, and a personal anecdote about exponential growth are also discussed.

Nov 7, 2023 • 27min
Pub quiz showdown: Alphaville vs Unhedged
Finance trivia showdown between teams from Alphaville and Unhedged newsletters. Topics include orange juice futures, age comparison, guessing the number of stocks in the S&P 500, a pub quiz showdown answering questions about government debt and the Bank of Japan's intervention, and guessing the price of Dogecoin.