Episodes

July 30, 2025

This Is the Dumb Money (EP. 423)

On episode 423 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss an AI bubble floor under the market, when to sell NVDA, strategies that don't work anymore, how the housing mar...
July 28, 2025

Talk Your Book: How to Hold the Biggest Winners

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Bill Mann, Chief Investment Strategist at Motley Fool Asset Management to di...
July 23, 2025

What is Upper Middle Class? (EP. 422)

On episode 422 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss: why stock market returns can't be 15% per year forever, putting the Mag 7 into context, small caps are cheap, ...
July 21, 2025

Talk Your Book: How We Got a Bitcoin ETF

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Dave LaValle, Senior Managing Director, Global Head of ETFs at Grayscale Investm...
July 16, 2025

There Are Too Many Rich People (EP. 421)

On episode 421 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss a nervous stock market rally, U.S. corporate exceptionalism, how the stock market bottoms, the worst decade ever fo...
July 14, 2025

Talk Your Book: Option Income Is So Hot Right Now

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Garrett Paolella, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of NEOS Investments to discuss los...
July 12, 2025

I Want To Be An Advisor, What Do I Do?

On this special episode of Animal Spirits at the Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss best practices on starting a career in the modern world of fin...
July 9, 2025

A 25 Year Bull Market (EP. 420)

On episode 420 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss faster recoveries in the stock market, the potential for an even longer bull market, pros and cons of deregulation, zoo...
July 7, 2025

Talk Your Book: Autocallable Income

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Matt Kaufman, Senior Vice President and Head of ETFs at Calamos to discuss the Calamos A...
July 5, 2025

Talk Your Book: How Public’s Winning the Great Wealth Transfer

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ and ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ are joined by Leif Abraham, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Public to discuss updates in fintech, the brokera...
July 2, 2025

The Top 10 Risks to the Stock Market (EP. 419)

On episode 419 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss recession hypotheticals, all-time highs in the stock market, the death of the permabear, international outperformance, a cr...
June 30, 2025

Talk Your Book: What Even Is Infrastructure?

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Scott Litman, Portfolio Manager at GCM Grosvenor to discuss types of infrastructure investme...
June 25, 2025

The Nothing Ever Happens Market (EP. 418)

On episode 418 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss why investors are ignoring scary headlines, war vs the stock market, a slowdown in the labor market, not every bad thing is...
June 23, 2025

Talk Your Book: Turning Capex Into Cashflow

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Sean O'Hara, Director at Pacer Financial and President at Pacer ETFs to discuss why free cash fl...
June 18, 2025

We Have to Talk About Sports Betting (EP. 417)

On episode 417 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss valuations not mattering, volatility is the new normal, all-time highs in rich people, bubble behavior in AI, gambling is off a...
June 16, 2025

Talk Your Book: Investing in High Yield Munis

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Steve Hlavin, Portfolio Manager at Nuveen to discuss the muni market structure, the best states for ...
June 11, 2025

A Bubble is Coming (EP. 416)

On episode 416 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss the stock market bet of the century, the most interesting market environment ever, positive trends in retirement saving, Europe is ...
June 9, 2025

Talk Your Book: Where to Find Higher Dividend Yields

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Todd Mathias, Head of U.S. Product Strategy & Development at Franklin Templeton to discuss US outperform...
June 7, 2025

Talk Your Book: The Joneses Aren't That Happy

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ speak with Daniel Crosby about his book, The Soul of Wealth . Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s ⁠...
June 4, 2025

Will AI Take All Our Jobs? (EP.415)

On episode 415 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss why technical analysis matters in a downturn, why stockpicking is so hard, do we need a recession, Jamie Dimon is worried about gov...
June 2, 2025

Talk Your Book: Valuation Still Matters

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Scott Blasdell, Portfolio Manager and Don San Jose, Chief Investment Officer of the U.S. Value Team at J.P. ...
May 28, 2025

Most Stocks Suck (EP.414)

On episode 414 of Animal Spirits, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠ discuss long-term bond yields rising, why government debt won't fall, where all the dry powder is coming from, how often you should expect bear...
May 26, 2025

Talk Your Book: Investing in Goldminers

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ and ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ are joined by Ima Casanova, Portfolio Manager for the active gold and Precious Metals Strategy and Senior Analyst for the ...
May 24, 2025

Talk Your Book: The Nasdaq 100 of Crypto

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Samir Kerbage, CIO of Hashdex to discuss price action in 2025, narratives around price action, how the index is ...