Adventures In Finance: A Real Vision Podcast

Born into a family of cotton traders, Alexander Stahel is a natural when it comes to commodities. Alexander grew up in Switzerland before he migrated to the U.K. to begin an investment banking career. Now the chief investment officer at Burggraben Holding, the Zug, Switzerland-based firm he founded, he’s focused on finding great value in a few public and private companies. In this episode of My Life in Four Trades, Alexander explains why – just like golf – trading is not a “perfect” game. He also talks about how to avoid blind spots and shares his forecast for the energy space. Never miss an episode of My Life in 4 Trades - subscribe here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stocks surged into the weekend, with all three major U.S. equity indexes up more than 2% two hours ahead of Friday’s close. “The market isn't rallying on hopes of a pivot,” tweeted Michael Gayed. “It's rallying on bond-market stabilization.” Michael, the publisher of The Lead-Lag Report, joins Andreas Steno Larsen for today’s Daily Briefing to elaborate on his contrarian “melt-up” thesis and to talk about sentiment and other technical factors such as breadth and seasonality. “I don’t believe the end of the world is here,” Michael added. “This year, the market has conditioned people to think it will do nothing but go lower.” We also share a preview of “the most important interview in the history of Real Vision,” as Raoul Pal put it, featuring Emad Mostaque and his vision of artificial intelligence of, by, and for the people. Watch the full conversation between Emad Mostaque and Raoul Pal here: https://rvtv.io/3SGhTSU.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The European Central Bank announced a second 75-basis-point interest-rate increase in as many months on Thursday, meeting economists’ expectations with inflation riding at a record-high 9.9%. The euro weakened against the dollar, even as Treasury yields softened, as investor concern about future growth seems to be intensifying. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy expanded at an annualized pace of 2.6% during the third quarter. Global Markets Editor Weston Nakamura joins Maggie Lake live in Real Vision’s New York studio for a special edition of the Daily Briefing to talk about the new “widow-maker” trade and the dilemma central bankers face, illustrated by the Bank of Japan’s money-printing into the Ministry of Finance’s yen-buying. Weston discusses in greater depth the emerging conflicts between governments and their central banks here: https://rvtv.io/3DhzACD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More central banks are signaling turns away from tightening as concerns about growth have begun to overwhelm fears of inflation, with the Bank of Canada cutting its policy rate by a smaller-than-expected 50 basis points today. It’s notable that the Canadian dollar rallied against the U.S. dollar. On the fiscal front, Japan has prepared a 67.1 trillion yen stimulus package. Oh, and Google’s and Microsoft’s earnings reports are dragging the Nasdaq Composite toward a 2% loss. When he last visited the Daily Briefing, Darius Dale pointed out that there’s no recession until we see an inversion of the three-month/10-year yield curve – well, it was very small, but that did happen yesterday. So, what now? Darius, the founder and CEO of 42 Macro, joins Andreas Steno Larsen to talk about all that and more. We also hear from Lee Robinson about Jerome Powell’s sensitivity to Paul Volcker’s record on fighting inflation. Watch the full conversation featuring Lee Robinson and Nick Lawson here: https://rvtv.io/3FifJWE. Learn

“Markets are rallying right now based on a massive overshoot in technicals and sentiment,” explained Mark Ritchie II in a note today. “The bears overplayed their hand, and the bulls are trying to push back.” Ritchie II, a managing partner at RTM Capital, joins Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about the factors driving this equity rally, whether it’s durable, what the Federal Reserve will do from here. “The market is trying to look through to the end of the Fed tightening cycle,” Ritchie II added, “and that’s the $64 million question.” We also hear from Lee Robinson about the emergence of “so many interesting distressed ideas” amid ongoing market turmoil. Watch the full conversation featuring Lee Robinson and Nick Lawson here: https://rvtv.io/3FifJWE.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Xi Jinping strengthened his hold on power and took definitive steps to reverse a half-century of open relations with the West at last weekend’s National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, triggering a steep sell-off of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks. The major equity indexes were all well in the green through midday – “Powder dry kind of day… yields up, VIX up, dollar steady – action sloppy,” is how Michele “Mish” Schneider, the Director of Trading Research and Education at MarketGauge.com, described it on Twitter. Maggie Lake welcomes Mish for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about what she’s looking at as earnings season kicks into high gear, inflation, commodities, and the dollar. We also hear from Victor Shih on President Xi Jinping’s motivation for closing China. Watch the complete conversation between Victor Shih and Maggie Lake here:https://rvtv.io/3gFAdOR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of My Life in Four Trades, Jeff Dorman, a co-founder and the chief investment officer of Arca, gets personal with Maggie Lake. Jeff explains why he quit traditional finance, shares the lessons he had to learn and unlearn after years of working on Wall Street, and talks about how he’s become a calculated risk-taker. After trading at leading TradFi firms such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Citadel, Jeff moved to Los Angeles for a new blockchain-powered career and to find a work-life balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The market is all set for a 75-basis-point rate-hike in November, though San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly stoked an equity rally on Friday when she said the central bank should try to avoid an “unforced downturn” by over-tightening. The U.S. dollar softened against major currency pairs, including the Japanese yen in spectacular fashion, and Treasury yields also declined. Saudi Arabia and China are forging new ties over crude oil, as the geopolitical-macroeconomic landscape continues to shift. Ash Bennington welcomes Warren Pies, the founder of 3Fourteen Research, to talk about what the Fed will look at as it determines policy from here, the key factors driving inflation right now, and the state of the global energy market. We also hear from Victor Shih about China’s priorities for the next five years and its changing position in the global economy. Be sure to tune in on Monday, October 24th to watch the conversation between Victor Shih and Maggie Lake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note surged to a fresh cycle high of 4.18% on Thursday, as stocks struggled to hold gains amid more hawkish talk from Federal Reserve officials about inflation. Across the pond, the British pound has returned to pre-mini-budget level, the gilt market has calmed, and Liz Truss has resigned as the shortest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in history. And Elon Musk might someday own Twitter, but his electric car business posted weak earnings. Tom Thornton, the founder of Hedge Fund Telemetry, joins Ash Bennington for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about how he’s approaching the markets these days, the bullish pattern developing in crude oil, and Tesla’s disappointing quarter. We also hear from Christopher Dembik about the U.K.’s devolution into an emerging market. Watch Ash Bennington’s full interview with Christopher Dembik here: https://rvtv.io/3CINMEc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The yield on the two-year U.S. Treasury note climbed to its highest level since 2007 on Wednesday, as investors priced in the probability that the Federal Reserve will maintain a hawkish policy stancy until there are meaningful signs of an easing in core inflation. The impact of higher interest rates is already being felt in key areas of the economy, such as the U.S. home mortgage market, where applications for both new purchases and refinancing have plummeted and builder sentiment has sagged to 25-year lows. Inflation in the U.K., meanwhile, reached its own 40-year peak, up 10.1% from a year ago. “King Dollar ... Reign of Terror!!” is the headline on Greg Weldon’s latest market commentary, and he has a point. Weldon, the CEO of Weldon Financial, joins Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about the effects of a strong U.S. dollar on markets. We also hear from David Rosenberg about the down-the-line impact of the Fed’s massive liquidity withdrawal and what we could be facing come 2023. Watch the full

All three major U.S. equity indexes were up more than 1% through midday Tuesday, as energy stocks hit a 52-week high relative to crude oil futures. That’s a data point Maggie Lake is sure to raise with Tony Greer, the founder of TG Macro, during today’s Daily Briefing, with reports that President Joe Biden is considering further sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to offset critical supply shortages. Meanwhile, the Bank of England denied a Financial Times report that the central bank would delay its program of gilt sales, as fragmentation of monetary policy in response to economic pressures continues to roil bond and forex markets. Maggie and Tony will also talk about commodities, positioning, and the broader market trend. We also hear from Raoul Pal and Julian Brigden on the state of the real estate market. Pro Macro subscribers can watch the complete Insider Talks featuring Raoul and Julian here: https://www.realvision.com/shows/insider-talks/videos/macro-pro-insider-talks-october-2022-live-mXN3?tab=

“The U.S. Dollar Index is on the verge of actually looking weaker,” noted Dave Floyd around midday today. “Key levels are 112.50 and 112.21. A close below here and we’re looking at 109.64.” Is the prospect of a softer dollar sufficient to explain a near-4% rally for the Nasdaq Composite, a 3% gain for the S&P 500, and a 2% rally for the Dow Jones Industrial Average? Dave, the founder of Aspen Trading, joins Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about today’s rally and what’s driving it, how he traded it, and using tools such as position-sizing to manage risk in a volatile market. We also hear from Brent Johnson about his “dollar milkshake” theory. Watch the full conversation featuring Brent Johnson and Ash Bennington here: https://rvtv.io/3gfDdkq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warren Mosler, an American economist and entrepreneur, is perhaps the leading proponent of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). But what is MMT? And how can it help us understand what’s happening at a macro level right now? Mosler explains it all to Harry Melandri on another riveting episode of The Next Big Trade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s nothing ordinary about Bill Browder’s life. After earning an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1989, he moved to Russia with the intention of becoming the “biggest capitalist in Eastern Europe.” Bill’s dream manifested with the opening of the Hermitage Fund, which became the best-performing hedge fund in the world. In this captivating episode of My Life in Four Trades, the venture capitalist turned political activist joins Maggie Lake to share the distinct highlights and harrowing downsides to his success: taking on and taking down business oligarchs of the old Soviet republics, the tragic death of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, and his emergence as Vladimir Putin’s No. 1 enemy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The situation in the U.K. is going from bad to worse, with Prime Minister Liz Truss now in danger of losing her own job after firing her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng and short-circuiting her own economic package mere weeks into her tenure. U.S. equities drifted lower Friday in the aftermath of Thursday’s historic reversal, as retail sales for September stagnated due to the effects of inflation. But the issue is the U.K. What the heck is going on? And is it merely the first sign of a major global economic crisis? Jim Bianco, the founder and president of Bianco Research, joins Ash Bennington to talk about the wild price action in U.S. equities, the sacking of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and, as we head into the weekend, what to expect from traditional markets on Monday. And be sure to check out Real Vision’s newest series, The Collectors where we’ll emphasize the fun and the adventure of deploying your hard-earned money! You can watch the first episode here: https://rvtv.io/3ToL7Gu. Learn more about you

Real Vision Co-Founder & CEO, Raoul Pal, answers the internets questions and covers everything from macro & crypto to wine, scuba diving, food and art! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Within three hours today, S&P 500 futures swung from a 3.9% decline to a 3.9% rally. “It's pretty incredible,” tweeted Jared Dillian shortly after noon, “to watch people get fooled by the market over and over again. It's not hard – when there's no one left to sell, they cover.” Weston Nakamura has a more global perspective on the reversal, noting that the U.K. and the pound as well as Japan and the yen still linger as potential crisis points. Jared raised an interesting point in today’s edition of The Daily Dirtnap: that we’re in “a bubble of bearish sentiment.” Weston and Jared join Maggie Lake to talk about the significance of today’s price action. The violent reversal was surely concerning, hardly the sign of a healthy market. Jared, Weston, and Maggie unpack the reaction to the most recent U.S. inflation data and what it means for central bankers and global financial markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Producer Price Index for September came in hotter than expected, as investors brace for the Thursday morning release of Consumer Price Index data. Minutes to the most recent meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee reveal a central bank as determined as ever to “stay the course” toward “restrictive rates in the near term.” With cracks in the global financial system getting bigger by the day, Maggie Lake welcomes Cem Karsan, the founder of Aegea Capital Management, to talk about the significance of the monetary regime change and to answer one simple question: How do we play this volatility? We also hear from ZipRecruiter.com Chief Economist Julia Pollak about the enduring strength of the U.S. labor market. Watch the full conversion between Julia Pollak and Maggie Lake here: https://rvtv.io/3MoBEwJ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bank of England intervened in the U.K gilt market for the second time in two days Tuesday, with the following warning: "Dysfunction in this market, and the prospect of self-reinforcing 'fire sale' dynamics pose a material risk to UK financial stability." Real Vision Macro Analyst James Helliwell joins Maggie Lake at the top of today’s Daily Briefing to talk about the BofE’s latest move and what kind of signal it is for a global financial system where conditions are already tight and tense. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund cut its global economic growth forecast on inflation’s negative effects, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and China’s broad-based slowdown. Maggie welcomes Komal Sri-Kumar, the president of Sri-Kumar Global Strategies, for a discussion of central bank policy and where there may be opportunities for investors who aren’t distracted by a hawkish Federal Reserve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stocks opened to the downside but trended higher throughout the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average peaking into positive territory in the early afternoon, as investors prepare for Thursday morning’s release of Consumer Price Index data for September. The up-and-down action surely reflects confusion: Market internals and sentiment data are actually bullish, but policymakers are raising the degree of difficulty. “In normal times,” writes Geo Chen in his most recent Substack post, “trading global macro is like playing 5-dimensional chess, which is hard enough. Today, with the added variables of geopolitics and central bankers on a mission, we are playing 10-dimensional chess.” Geo, the editor of Fidenza Macro, joins Maggie Lake to talk about what markets are telling us. We also hear from George Whitehead about what might make the Federal Reserve lift its foot from the monetary tightening brake. Watch the full conversation featuring George Whitehead and Larry McDonald here: https://www.realvision.com/shows/mak