Episodes
July 27, 2026
Talk Your Book: Is Crypto Dead?
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Grayscale's Krista Lynch to discuss: the current sentiment surrounding crypto, Hyperliquid, building out the crypto infrastructure, what happened to Ethereum, stablecoins and ...
474
July 22, 2026
Say Bubble One More Time. I Dare You! (EP. 474)
On episode 474, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the bloodbath in certain tech stocks, investor behavior in South Korea, a normal market environment, the Mag 7 shine has worn off, Nike lost its moat, why we don't have recessions anymore, boomers aren't downsizing, stocks vs. housing as an investment, Netflix is crashing, m...
July 20, 2026
Talk Your Book: Private Credit’s Next Act
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Alona Gornick from Churchill from Nuveen to discuss: credit market cycles, an update on private credit, investing in the middle market and more. Find complete show notes on ou...
473
July 15, 2026
Will the Fed Buy Stocks? (EP.473)
On episode 473 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: hyperscalers vs. semiconductors, 10 reasons to be bearish, Nvidia is cheap, analysts are good at forecasting earnings, why small caps are booming, investors still chase performance, why the stock market is more important now, the AI doomers are wrong (for now),...
July 13, 2026
Talk Your Book: Do We Need the Federal Reserve?
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Alex Morris from F/m Investments to discuss: the Fed, what the bond market is telling us, the debasement trade, Kevin Warsh and more. To learn more about F/m Investments and our ETF...
472
July 8, 2026
10 Reasons to be Bullish (EP. 472)
On episode 472 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: why the vibecession is over, experience vs. expertise, reasons to be bullish, reasons to be bearish, small caps on are fire, market concentration, Samsung's ridiculous profits, retail investors are moving markets, owning the biggest stock, it's expensive to liv...
July 6, 2026
Talk Your Book: How SpaceX Got Into the Nasdaq 100
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Invesco's Paul Schroeder to discuss: the Nasdaq 100, index methodology, tech fundamentals, fast entry timelines for IPOs and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s...
471
July 1, 2026
Is Debt Fueling the Rally? (EP. 471)
On episode 471 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: all-time highs in margin debt, the small cap rally, the hyperscaler dilemma, why Micron is up so much, everything is outperforming the Mag 7, concentration is normal, no signs of a recession, rich people everywhere, the pizza bear market and more. This episode...
June 29, 2026
Talk Your Book: Investing in the Power Grid
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Ryan Issakainen from First Trust to discuss: investing in the buildout of a new power grid, AI bottlenecks, data centers, thematic ETFs and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... ...
470
June 24, 2026
Everything is Outperforming the S&P 500 This Year (EP. 470)
On episode 470 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: why diversification is working again, how AI is creating more winners and losers in the stock market, why the Mag 7 is underperforming, the triple-digit club, why investors are holding more cash, rich people who complain too much, what makes America great, AI is di...
June 22, 2026
Talk Your Book: AI Is Not a Bubble
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Dr. Ankur Crawford from Alger to discuss: what everyone is getting wrong about the AI trade, why this technology is different, letting the market tell you if you're wrong or right, and how to man...
469
June 17, 2026
How Much is $1 Trillion? (EP. 469)
On episode 469 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the desire to call an AI top, the SpaceX IPO frenzy, taking profits, why value is beating growth, why EM is beating the US, the markets were right about the war, agentic trading, 3% mortgages vs. 4% inflation, the politics of AI, the Rule of 55, a Knicks title for Mich...
June 15, 2026
Talk Your Book: The Case for Investing in Emerging Market Bonds
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Eric Fine from VanEck to discuss: how emerging markets have changed, geopolitical risk, currencies, AI and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s ...
468
June 10, 2026
The Teflon Economy (EP. 468)
On episode 468 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: NBA Finals ticket prices, AI's lack of impact on the labor market, one day of carnage in the stock market, prices drive the narrative, the Mag 7 is underperforming, tech is eating the stock market, the SpaceX IPO, the first $1 trillion ETF, the retail trading boom, the cry...
June 8, 2026
Talk Your Book: Diversification in Private Assets
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Danielle Singer from Invesco and Ben Linder from LGT Capital Partners to discuss: investing in private markets, portfolio construction, illiquidity and more. Find complete show n...
467
June 3, 2026
The Biggest Short Squeeze of All-Time (EP. 467)
On episode 467 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: peak FOMO, chip stocks going nuclear, 1990s stock market flashbacks, trillion dollar IPOs, the AI trade is global, the bear case, a tale of two bull markets, bad luck in the real estate industry, South Korea's boom, movies are back and more. This episode is sponsored by: Inve...
June 1, 2026
Talk Your Book: Why Rising Rates Won't Hurt You Anymore
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Ben Barber from Franklin Templeton to discuss: investing in municipal bonds, how to think about rising rates, misunderstandings of the muni bond market and more. To learn more about Frankl...
466
May 27, 2026
A Fire Alarm For Interest Rates (EP. 466)
On episode 466 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the SpaceX IPO, index fund bag holders, the pros and cons of rising bond yields, the markets got the war right, how consumer sentiment broke, the Bezos tax plan, AI optimism, did crypto miss its moment, the coming renovation boom, dad books and more. This episode is spon...
May 25, 2026
Talk Your Book: Investing in the Rise of the Robots
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Derek Yan from KraneShares to discuss: the investment opportunity in humanoid robots, how far away we are from a more robotic world, the implications for investors, workers, an aging population and more...
465
May 20, 2026
The Fat Pitch For Bears (EP. 465)
On episode 465 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: what can stop the stock market, Nvidia is too big, the boy who cried wolf predictions, market timing reminders, Michael Burry crash calls, AI portfolio strategies, AI is the new Netflix, the robots are coming, rich people who aren't happy, Harrison Ford, Martin Short and more. Th...
May 18, 2026
Talk Your Book: Is the Nasdaq 100 in Another Bubble?
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Mark Marex from Nasdaq to discuss: the differences between now and the dot-com bubble, the fundamentals of the Nasdaq 100, AI's impact on the stock market and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben...
464
May 13, 2026
This Won't End Well (EP. 464)
On episode 464 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Ben's new book Risk & Reward, an epic melt-up in the stock market, semiconductor stocks going berserk, why this isn't a bubble (yet), South Korean stocks, AI portfolios & advisors, why young people are so angry, soccer dads & crypto, longevity risk and more. This episode is sponsored...
463
May 6, 2026
The Stock Market Is Doing Something We’ve Never Seen Before (EP. 463)
On episode 463 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Paul Tudor Jones on market valuations, how many people own stocks, mind-boggling numbers from the hyperscalers, a lost decade for bonds, why higher gas prices sting, some macro prediction rules, government debt levels, Jevon's Paradox, prediction market winners and losers and much more. ...
May 4, 2026
Talk Your Book: Animal Spirits Live with F/m Investments
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Alex Morris from F/m Investments for a live show recorded in Washington D.C. that covers inflation, the Fed, AI, tax alpha and much more. Definitions of terms from the episode - AG Index: Evaluates the performance...