Adventures In Finance: A Real Vision Podcast

The Consumer Price Index increased 8.5% in March compared to a year earlier, another new 40-year-high following a 7.9% annual gain in February. Energy and agriculture markets remain the critical areas of focus, each of them adversely impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. equity indexes surged on a slower-than-expected 0.3% month-over-month CPI increase, and many economists see this as a potential peak in this inflationary period. The Federal Reserve has left the door open for a 50 basis point increase to its federal funds rate target, and “quantitative tightening” is set to commence in May. But there’s little to suggest inflation will recede toward the central bank’s 2% target anytime soon. Tony Greer, founder of TG Macro, joins Warren Pies, founder of 3Fourteen Research, for today’s Real Vision Daily Briefing to discuss commodities, inflation, central bank policy, and financial markets. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3JtPfzO Learn more about your ad c

The Consumer Price Index for March is going to generate a lot of headlines when it’s released on Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET. That’s still the No. 1 issue confronting policymakers and investors, and, given the constraints on energy and agricultural commodities exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that’s likely to be the case for some time. Will the Federal Reserve tighten policy to the point of economic recession? Matt Peron, Director of Research at Janus Henderson Investors, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about where we are in the market cycle, inflation, and the merits of dividends. At the top of the show, Ash Bennington shares an update on cryptocurrency markets in the aftermath of the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3rejLHK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did Rick Rule learn from renowned investor, Warren Buffett? He shares that with Maggie on a bonus edition of My Life in 4 Trades Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary trader, Rick Rule, joins Maggie Lake on the debut episode of My Life in 4 Trades to discuss his journey investing in natural resource securities, the companies he has financed across the globe, and the most important lessons he’s learned along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. dollar index hit 100 for the first time in two years on Friday, surging on the prospect of a more aggressive monetary tightening cycle on top of an increasingly fraught geopolitical landscape. Signs of inflation abound, even as the Federal Reserve asserts its hawkishness at every opportunity. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s food price index jumped nearly 13% in March to a new record high, with disruptions to global trade flows, specifically passage through the crucial Black Sea, fueling fears of food shortages. And prices for agricultural commodities continue to rise. U.S. equity indexes were mixed two hours before Friday’s close of regular trading, with tech stocks giving back much of what was gained on Thursday. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note touched a new three-year high. Jeremy Schwartz, Global Chief Investment Officer at WisdomTree Asset Management, joins Warren Pies on today’s Daily Briefing to discuss the U.S. dollar, supply chain disruptions, and inflation. Want to s

WTI gave back early gains today, as member-states of the International Energy Agency agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from storage in a follow-up move to President Joe Biden’s plan to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for 180 million barrels. There are also questions about whether eurozone authorities will be able to keep Russian oil off the market. Chinese officials provided more rhetorical support for stepping up monetary stimulus for the economy to boost consumption at an “appropriate time,” acknowledging that domestic and global risks are now more significant than previously forecast. Minutes from the March meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee show the U.S. central bank plans to begin to run off its $9 trillion balance sheet at a $1 trillion per year annualized pace beginning in May. And St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said today he’d like to see a 3.5% fed funds rate by the second half of 2022 and favors a 50-basis-point hike at the FOMC’s meeting next month. Darius Dale, found

Minutes to the Federal Open Market Committee’s March meeting reveal that the U.S. central bank plans to begin reducing its balance sheet as soon as after the FOMC’s May meeting. Policymakers discussed monthly caps for asset runoffs, $35 billion for mortgage-backed securities and $60 billion for Treasuries. The plan includes a phase-in period of three months, or modestly longer, but the monthly total cap of $95 billion is significantly higher than the last time the Federal Reserve tried to shrink its balance sheet. The Fed’s hawkish tone was underscored by the fact that multiple members conceded that at least one rate hike of 50 basis points may be warranted and that they might have voted for one of that magnitude in March but for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presenting a new challenge to growth. U.S. equity markets slipped further into the red following the minutes’ release, while the yield on the 10-year Treasury note jumped to a three-year high. Real Vision is in San Diego for this week’s Macro Experience e

With the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s March meeting set for release on Wednesday, financial markets continue to search for direction. Kansas City Fed President Esther George said today a faster pace of rate increases may be warranted, with 50 basis points on the table for May. Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard noted the central bank will raise interest rates steadily and will begin reducing its balance sheet as soon as next month. Brainard, normally a dovish voice, also noted that balance-sheet reduction could proceed “at a rapid pace.” U.S. equity indexes lingered in the red at midday, as bond prices sagged on Brainard’s comments. The question now is how aggressively the Fed will move after having indulged the “transitory” fantasy too long. Real Vision is in San Diego for this week’s Macro Experience event, where we continue to meet face to face with some of our favorite guests. Mish Schneider, Director of Trading Education at MarketGauge.com, joins Maggie Lake to talk about the Fed’s

Today marks 40 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. U.S. equity indexes hold solid gains as we near Monday’s close in New York, with Asian and European stocks having already ended normal trading sessions well in the green. Energy commodity prices continue to react to developments in Eastern Europe, with crude oil rising today on reports the European Union is planning to impose more sanctions on Moscow. A key section of the U.S. Treasury yield curve remains inverted after the two-year exceeded the 10-year last week. The issue of inflation and the question of recession loom ahead of Wednesday’s release of the minutes from the March meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee. Meanwhile, shares of Twitter soared 30% after Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed in a regulatory filing that he’s taken a 9.2% stake in the social media company. Real Vision is in San Diego for this week’s Macro Experience event, where we’ll have a chance to meet face to face with some of our favorite guests. Thomas Thornton, founder of Hedge Fun

In the wake of the pandemic, Jim Bianco believes that “there is a wholesale change underway in the economy.” But is it all doom and gloom from here? Not necessarily. We appear to be in a period of transition, which, historically, has also been a catalyst for economic progression. Bianco introduces Martin Fleming, Michael Drury, and Sal Mercogliano to discuss the changes we’re experiencing today, how they're impacting the economy, and what the future could begin to look like. Recorded on March 13, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Positioning for a crisis is no easy feat but Mike Green was one of the few traders that was able to profit during the pandemic while others were left asking the same question: “what the hell is going on?” While Green was positioned well for the pandemic, it wasn’t all plain sailing. Just what are the psychological aspects of trading in situations like these? In addition to describing his philosophy at the time, Green reveals his state of mind during the pandemic and some of the methods that helped him stay level-headed while “constantly” second-guessing trades during a period of rampant uncertainty. Filmed on January 20, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Real Vision co-founder and CEO Raoul Pal joins Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about volatility across markets, the economy, and geopolitics. Stocks closed out their first losing quarter in two years on Thursday, and U.S. bonds had their worst three-month period in more than 40 years. The eurozone’s inflation rate jumped to another record high in March. Although prices dipped for the fifth straight day today, crude oil is 44.7% higher than it was a year ago, up 32% in February alone. The U.S. economy once again added more than 400,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6%, but companies across many industries say they’re struggling to find workers. And war continues to rage in Eastern Europe. What’s Raoul’s take? Get your questions ready, and drop them on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3x1pDYm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden announced a plan to release from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months as part of the federal government’s effort to fight inflation. Releasing 180 million barrels from the SPR is an unprecedented step. But it’s unclear whether it will have a meaningful impact on oil prices. Earlier Thursday, OPEC+ ratified a 432,000 barrel per day production increase as of May, but that increase is in line with the cartel’s plan; it is not responding to oil consumers’ calls for significant output boosts. Oil investors everywhere seem to be holding the line for only gradual production increases, despite the ongoing crisis in Eastern Europe. Bart Melek, Global Head of Commodity Markets Strategy at TD Securities, joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to discuss the global crude oil market, current constraints on production and supply, and inflation. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3IV7RbE Learn more about you

The Japanese yen, long a safe haven, is not reacting to crisis this time around the way it has in the past. In fact, the yen just broke through a key long-term level of technical support and is trading at six-year lows versus the U.S. dollar. But Governor Haruhiko Kuroda continues to defend the Bank of Japan’s yield cap, in place to sustain accommodative monetary policy, despite broader risks to the domestic situation. Our man in Japan, Weston Nakamura, joins Maggie Lake to assess the global implications of the country’s continuing efforts to stimulate growth in the world’s third-largest economy. Then, Maggie welcomes Darius Dale, founder and CEO of 42 Macro, to talk about the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, the impact of tighter policy on the housing market, and the employment situation in the U.S. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/36Zk3uw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although no formal agreements have been reached, Moscow has said it will redeploy troops and reduce military activity around Kyiv, and Ukraine has said it will adopt a neutral stance in exchange for a Russian ceasefire, stoking optimism the end of the war in Eastern Europe is in sight. Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met face-to-face in Istanbul Tuesday, with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying the discussions had yielded the most significant progress to date. Equity indexes in Europe closed higher across the board, and U.S. stocks are holding solid gains two hours shy of the close of regular trading in New York. Meanwhile, the bond market is on course for its worst quarterly loss on record after the Federal Reserve launched its monetary tightening efforts this month and signaled the potential for more aggressive hikes. With tensions seemingly easing in Eastern Europe, inflation remains the major threat to global growth. Tony Greer, founder of TG Macro, joins Warren Pies to talk about the marke

As Jared Dillian puts it, when the prices of things we need are going higher and the prices of things we want are going lower, “it creates economic misery.” Things we need include fossil fuels and agricultural commodities. Things we want include stocks and bonds. In 2022, with stock and bond prices falling and commodity prices rising, wealth has evaporated, and the cost of living has increased. And the thing is, to seriously take on rising prices, the Federal Reserve is going to have to accelerate its monetary tightening cycle. “In order to stop inflation,” writes Dillian, “the Fed will have to engineer a recession.” We’re starting to see indications from sections of the yield curve that a downturn is imminent – for example, the yield on the five-year U.S. Treasury note exceeded the yield on the 30-year bond earlier today. Stocks, meanwhile, have enjoyed a two-week rally. Is there a way out for the Fed that doesn’t include recession? Dillian, author of The Daily Dirtnap, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for to

Raising capital for small companies is a difficult and time-consuming process — legendary entrepreneur Ross Beaty, chairman of Equinox Gold, emphasizes the importance of having tenacity and adaptability to change strategy when things don’t pan out. From a lifelong journey of building up businesses and investing, he chats with his long-time friend and fellow investor Rick Rule, president and CEO of Rule Investment Media, to share the lessons Beaty learned in the energy and mining space. The pair examine the changing capital and scale requirements of companies today in a market where long-term value creation is of utmost importance. Filmed on October 6, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russell Clark, one of Real Vision’s favorite guest-personalities, returns for another engrossing conversation with Raoul Pal. Russell always brings fresh perspectives, and Raoul is always keen to draw on his current thinking to help make sense of what’s happening around us. In short, Russell’s current sense is that everything has changed. In a far-ranging conversation, Russell and Raoul weigh the impact of innovations such as extracting oil and gas from shale, the ongoing center-of-gravity shift from capital to labor, and the vulnerabilities of centralized risk management. Russell notes that clearing houses are now the center of trading activity; they price risk differently than central banks, and he describes how that works and how that doesn't work. “The collateral,” says Russell, “can never go bust.” The world is changing, rapidly. This is a great way to catch up. To read more of Russell's work, visit www.russell-clark.com. Recorded on March 1, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c

Inflation is at four-decade highs in the U.S., and supply constraints caused by the war in Eastern Europe only increase upward pressure on crucial commodities. The Federal Reserve is laser-focused on the issue, to the point where futures markets are now pricing in more than nine rate hikes in 2022. And the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note hit a two-year high on Friday, reaching 2.503% on expectations of aggressive tightening ahead. Still, the Fed is sticking with a relatively robust growth forecast. Investors are clear on the Fed’s path. It remains to be seen how Chinese policymakers will respond to threats to growth and stability. As the world continues to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it becomes clearer that major shifts are in process. Will the Chinese yuan ever overtake the U.S. dollar in the global currency hierarchy? What role could Bitcoin play in a revamped global system? More immediately, are we on the verge of a global liquidity crisis? Michael Howell, managing director at CrossBor

The Federal Reserve was already staring down an inflation problem well before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine. One month into the war, there’s no clear end in sight. And constraints on key commodities will continue to drive prices and spur the creation of new supply chains. The Fed launched its tightening cycle with a 25 basis point increase to the fed funds target rate. The futures market is now pricing in a 50-basis-point move in May. Equity markets remain volatile. But the most interesting action may be in the bond market, where prices are falling faster than they have in decades as investors account for the Fed’s absolute focus on showing its commitment to fighting inflation. President Joe Biden is in Brussels to meet with NATO counterparts about Russia and Ukraine. But there are no easy answers for that conflict. However, Thomas Thornton, founder of Hedge Fund Telemetry, is here with Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to talk about the Fed, the bond market, Bitcoin, and finding