Adventures In Finance: A Real Vision Podcast

Managing editor, Ed Harrison, joins Real Vision’s Tyler Neville to break down his ideas around secular stagnating markets, demographics, and pensions. Tyler discusses how mega corporations are no longer playing to win, but playing to not lose and how the Fed’s monetary policies, especially in response to the pandemic, entrenches calcified companies, rendering the zombification effect. Ed and Tyler also examine how markets no longer reward innovative ideas with capital, but rather have converted into a debt refinancing mechanism and encourages a rentier market. They wrap their discussion by exploring how lack of funding will push pensions to go risk-on, whether Tesla can be likened to Amazon, and what may be coming to markets next. In the intro, Nick Correa shares the state of Kentucky recently filed lawsuit against Blackstone and KKR and how this highlights the extreme weaknesses and woes of the pensions industry at large. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Managing editor, Ed Harrison, hosts Jim Bianco of Bianco Research to discuss the Fed and Judy Shelton’s recent nomination, the significance of flows, and his forward look on markets and the economy. Bianco and Harrison first analyze the extreme opposition of Shelton’s nomination as a Fed Governor and consider how the Fed has been a domineering force in supporting markets for the past few months. Bianco then breaks down the types of retail investors and why their influence can prove to be powerful in driving market movements. They end their discussion by talking about the recent rally in gold and silver, and Bianco’s perspective on the bifurcation of markets and the economy, whether stimulus can be effective forever, and the damaged psyche of consumers. In the intro, Nick Correa gives an overview of the status of the US’s new relief bill and how the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program will end sooner than most Americans believe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor Ash Bennington joins managing editor Ed Harrison to talk about how EU leaders have closed in on its landmark recovery deal. Ash and Ed examine how European political dynamics have shifted and why this may not really be Europe’s “Hamiltonian moment.” They look at how federalism has played out in the US, how the EU differs in its makeup, and what existential threats the EU faces should their efforts fail. They wrap up their discussion with the unique threats the EU may face with coronavirus should it boomerang back to Europe. In the intro, Nick Correa covers the EU recovery deal’s details and shares some of the difficulties in reaching a deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor, Ash Bennington, hosts managing editor, Ed Harrison, to analyze the economic news of the day. Ed and Ash examine the recent jobs figures, and Ed describes why he believes the current jobless claims may be significantly underreported. They also discuss gold, and analyze ongoing progress of the EU recovery deal. In the intro, Jack Farley places in context recent movements in the dollar, yen, and euro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real Vision Managing Editor Ed Harrison talks to Richard Koo, Chief Economist at Nomura Research Institute. Koo is famous for his work on balance sheet recessions, a rare type of recession where drastic liquidity injections fail to increase the money supply because they remain trapped in the financial system, as there's no low demand for loans since companies focus on minimizing debt rather than maximizing profits. He and Harrison discuss this framework in detail, and use it to analyze our current economic crisis the world faces. Koo draws a contrast between the traditional balance sheet recession, where a bursting of a debt-financed bubble causes a collapse in asset prices and an emergence of debt overhang, with what he refers to as a "pandemic recession," where an exogenous collapse of economic activity leads to disappearing income and a tightening of financial conditions. Koo and Harrison also discuss the various toolkits available to central banks and fiscal authorities worldwide, and Koo shares what he t

Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Program at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, joins Ash Bennington to explain what the Department of Defense's coronavirus vaccine research project is doing to combat the pandemic. Dr. Modjarrad breaks down the different factors that have culminated to increase the difficulty of creating a vaccine. He shares details on the vaccine that his research group is creating with nanoparticles that bind to the virus itself. Finally, he answers questions like, "how long will vaccine deployment take?", "what effects do mutations have on the success of vaccines?", and "how does one protect themself from COVID-19?" from the perspective of an infectious disease doctor on the inside of the scientific effort to mitigate this deadly pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real Vision CEO Raoul Pal is joined by senior editor Ash Bennington to reflect on weakness in the banking sector and the odd flatness that has characterized the market for the past month. Raoul gives a taste of “Afterhours with Raoul,” in which he goes over how to build a macro framework and size position. Raoul and Ash also explore whether the Fed is suppressing volatility and take a look at CLOs through the lens of the most recent episode of Ahead of the Curve. In the intro, Jack examines Netflix’s plunge and the 30-year mortgage rate reaching an all-time low. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor Ash Bennington joins managing editor Ed Harrison to discuss the latest jobless claims numbers and its particular significance this week. They start off by discussing Ed’s latest interview with Robert P. Murphy and Austrian economics. They then distinguish the difference between non-seasonally adjusted data and seasonally adjusted data and why that’s critical to understand the news coverage of this week’s jobless numbers. Ed and Ash end their discussion on Bank of America’s earnings, why several major US banks have had mixed results this week, and what it says about the embedded inequalities in the system. In the intro, Peter Cooper discusses California Resources and why their bankruptcy is a foreshadowing for companies who are in trouble and are tapping into credit markets to carry them through the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In these unprecedented times of economic stress, the mainstream playbook has been tossed out the window as fiscal and monetary authorities continue to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the problem of synchronized global economic downturn. In this interview with Ed Harrison, heterodox economist Steve Keen argues that, although some of these policies are headed in the right direction, many are completely missing the core issue – ungodly levels of private sector debt. Together, Keen and Harrison discuss common misconceptions about private debt, MMT, and the circumstances where ballooning public debt led to hyperinflation. They also break down Keen's argument that the exogenous nature of the COVID crisis might improve the palatability of a much-needed private debt jubilee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor Ash Bennington joins managing editor Roger Hirst to discuss the latest developments in markets and macro. Bennington and Hirst consider the divergence of large-cap stock indexes and small-cap stock indexes, the DXY falling with the dollar weakening, and how the momentum of US equity markets is slowing due to Fed balance sheet tightening. They also dive into banking and explain why the recent earnings reports for some of the US’s large banks reveal the bifurcation of the real economy and financial markets. In the intro, Peter Cooper talks about Goldman Sachs’ 2020 Q2 earnings and explains why it exceeded expectations by a wide margin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor Ash Bennington joins managing editor Ed Harrison to discuss Q2 earnings for banks such as JPMorgan and Wells Fargo and use it as a barometer to talk about market cycles. Ash and Ed consider how the abysmal results in financials can cloud our understanding of where markets are at in the cycle. They also break down the sector weightings in the S&P 500, examining how severely underrepresented certain industries are and how that is distorting equity market performance. They also ponder the ways in which the system is currently “rigged,” the sorts of inequities that arise out of it, and how the pandemic is exposing it all. In the intro, Peter Cooper discusses the Q2 earnings for JPMorgan, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo, and analyzes how effective the Payroll Protection Program has been in supporting small businesses in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor Ash Bennington hosts Ed Harrison for a conversation about life and markets during coronavirus. Using Tesla as a jumping off point, they take an existentialist turn and explore what might bring people to speculate on a stock that, by all traditional metrics, is extremely overvalued. Ed proffers that people who take a gamble on Tesla and other retail favorites do so out of a sense of desperation in order to feel a sense of control, at a time when they feel powerless. Ash provides additional color on Ed’s theory by analyzing the impact of fiscal stimulus. Ed and Ash also they frame their thinking through today’s interview with Mark Blyth and Eric Lonergan. In the intro, Jack Farley explores the coming “fiscal cliff” in the U.S., and puts Tesla’s extreme price action in context. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Richard Werner joins Hugh Hendry, founder and former CIO of Eclectica Asset Management, for a deep-dive into the world of central banking. They explore the process of credit creation and examine the fundamental role it plays in inflating asset bubbles, the popping of which can wreck whole economies but can be very good for central bankers. They analyze the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) remarkable record of credit expansion, including its use of lending quotas, through the lens of Werner’' renowned book, "Princes of the Yen," which was a number one bestseller in Japan. They also look at the ongoing efforts of the Fed and the European Central Bank (ECB) to provide liquidity during this unprecedented global crisis at all costs, particularly debt monetization and quantitative easing (a term Werner himself coined), which Werner suggests could lead to a widespread bank nationalization – or a "Sovietization" of the banking sector, as he says. Werner argues that the ECB is undemocratic and that it bears a closer si

By both surprise and necessity, Modern Monetary Theory is here at our doorstep. And with neither major party remaining as the party of 'fiscal responsibility', it seems there is little standing in the way of MMT becoming the premise for US government spending initiatives. That’s why it is more important than ever to understand the thinking behind MMT and the common misconceptions surrounding it -- and to prepare your portfolio for its increased acceptance by politicians who view it as an invitation to spend. In this interview with Marshall Auerback of the Levy Economics Institute, Stephanie Kelton breaks down the arguments put forward in her new book, "The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy". Together they discuss why MMT does not give governments carte blanche to spend indiscriminately. Kelton also articulates why comparing government debts to private debts is flawed. She explores the varying gradations of monetary sovereignty as it relates to constraints on countries

Is the idea of a V-shaped recovery dead? Real Vision CEO Raoul Pal and senior editor Ash Bennington explore that question in depth through the lens of the virulent reemergence of COVID-19 in the U.S. Raoul and Ash break down the alarming rise of cases coming out of many states and analyze the effect that this ominous second wave will have on markets. They also discuss Ash’s seminal interview today with Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Raoul is firm in belief that the human reaction function is what matters and that the virus’s effect on behavior is more significant than the virus itself. Raoul concludes that caution is prudent in these uncertain times and that the bond market is sending the clearest signal to investors. In the intro, Peter Cooper examines market news and coronavirus data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real Vision managing editor Ed Harrison hosts Real Vision's Tyler Neville to discuss the ever-expanding chasm in markets between fundamentals and flows. Drawing upon his experience on the buy-side, Tyler analyzes how market forces such as commission free trading and the widespread adoption of passive ETFs have distorted price discovery, and he and Ed explore whether this means that the bull market mania could last longer than the bears expect. Ed is skeptical and argues that the pain on Main Street must eventually move to Wall Street as well. Ed and Tyler also explore how macro tailwinds such as demographics affect the pension system. In the intro, Peter Cooper looks at job destruction that's currently happening in several different countries and what the long-term effects the pandemic may have on employment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior editor Ash Bennington joins managing editor Ed Harrison to discuss the latest developments in markets, macro, and coronavirus. Ash and Ed first dive into recently released interviews with Stephanie Kelton and with George Magnus and share their takeaways from those pieces. They also talk about how flows are buoying equities, the “summer lull” that is occurring in markets, and the developing macro picture that could pull the rug out from underneath unsuspecting investors in the next few months. In the intro, Peter Cooper explains how coronavirus has affected millions of Americans’ living situations and what lies ahead for both renters and homeowners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Managing editor Ed Harrison joins Dan Russo, CMT, chief market strategist at Chaikin Analytics, to discuss the latest developments and trends in markets. With his blend of technical and fundamental analysis, Russo shares where he’s seeing relative strength in equities and explains why understanding the macro picture and the interconnected relationships of various asset classes is important for equity traders. Russo and Harrison also dive into currencies, bonds, and the macro trends, especially as it pertains to inflation. In the intro, Peter Cooper talks about remittance and why it’s a critical piece of puzzle for the global economic recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Wiethe joins managing editor Ed Harrison to discuss sentiment, the 2020 election, and forward earnings and what sort of impact that will have on markets in the coming months. Max and Ed first break down Peter Atwater’s interview from last week on Real Vision, examining his thoughts on current market sentiment and US politics, which then leads them to consider what a Democratic sweep would mean for fiscal policy and how MMT policy would affect equities. They also talk about the growing consensus around the Fed’s indirect influence on equities, what variables would challenge the narrative of the Fed’s omnipotence, and how the growing number of companies suspending EPS estimates makes the future that much more unclear. In the intro, Peter Cooper shines a light on Warren Buffett's recent purchase of major natural gas pipelines from energy giant Dominion Energy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At few moments in history have the policies of global central banks been as important as they are today. Former central bank insider and senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, William White, tells Santiago Capital's Brent Johnson just how we’ve gotten to this point. Dr. White puts forward the nuanced view that he is glad policymakers have implemented certain tools to lessen the impact of the crisis while also driving home the point that at best we are kicking the can down the road. The pair also discuss central bankers' recent abdication to fiscal authorities, the political limitations of policy tools supporting foreign markets, and the fate of the global dollar system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices