Episodes

On episode 371 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: how small cap stocks got so cheap, how to improve your chances of outperforming the market, why investors are rushing into bonds, Americans make more money than you think, good news on gas prices, how the Fed can help the housing market, the best way to eat potatoes, the downfall of Nike, IMAX theaters, and much more!This episode is sponsored by YCharts and CME Group.Subscribe to the YCharts Advisor Pulse, and remember...

On today's show, we are joined by Jay Jacobs, U.S. Head of Thematic and Active ETFs to discuss BlackRock's favorite Mega Force themes to invest in, investing in the reshoring theme, IBIT trading volume, the Ethereum ETF launch and Ethereum use cases, getting cash off the sidelines, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any f...

On today's show, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Kristof Gleich of Harbor Capital and Scott Colson of Irrational Capital to discuss how the Human Capital Factor was discovered, what is being measured to quantify the Human Capital Factor, how advisors are utilizing this fund, the importance of portfolio construction when utilizing factors, and much more.Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel f...

On episode 370 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: why the stock market doesn't care who the president is, the U.S. stock market is having a boring year, the biggest winners in stock market history, the economics of a martini, the best comedy movies of all-time, the broken beer bottle economy, Nvidia employees are rich, and much more!This episode is sponsored by Global X and Fabric by Gerber Life.Visit https://www.globalxetfs.com/ to explore a lineup of more than 90 ET...

On today's show, we spoke with Matt Middleton, Founder and CEO of Future Proof to discuss changes and updates to Future Proof 2024, breakthru meetings and experiences, the updated fintech demo alley, who should attend Future Proof, Third Eye Blind, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, questions, recommendation...

On episode 369 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the two types of Fed rate cuts, a positive outcome from high inflation, the stock market was right again, the number of millionaires worldwide, Wingstop vs. Chipotle, how many renters could afford to buy a home, how much it costs to build a new house, why private markets aren't in a bubble, Kevin Bacon movies, and much more!This episode is sponsored by YCharts and CME Group.Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional...

On today's show, Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick spoke with Eric Crittenden, CIO of Standpoint Asset Management to discuss adjusting for bias within data analysis, defining holding periods for trend following strategies, multi-asset strategies vs managed futures, simplifying the trading process when trend following, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspi...

On episode 368 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: why the stock market never really changes, why this is the hardest it's ever been to beat the market, the travel boom rolls on, Boomers are having fun in retirement, young people are making money, the economy is slowing, Bitcoin ETFs are like 401k plans, people love guaranteed income, the new season of The Bear, and much more!This episode is sponsored by NEOS Investments and Fabric by Gerber Life.NEOS has set out to en...

On today's show, Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick are joined by Ben Santonelli, Lead Portfolio Manager of Polen Capital's Credit Opportunities Strategy to discuss how interval funds work, navigating interest rate increases within your bond allocation, how Polen Capital is actively managing bonds, the biggest risk to high yield bonds, how Polen Capital values businesses, thoughts on why spreads have remained tight, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of...

On today's show, Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick are joined by Coby Lefkowitz, Partner at Backyard to discuss why homebuilding has slowed, why building houses has become such a complex process, thoughts on start-up cities, Private Equity is not buying up all single family units, solutions to the housing crisis, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@...

On episode 367 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: U.S. domination of the world stock market, how credit spreads work, how the 401k revolution changed the stock market, Americans are rich, an economic slowdown is here, the U.S. labor force is huge, everyone wants to travel, the $5 meal deal inflation indicator, and much more!This episode is sponsored by YCharts and CME Group.Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free YCharts tri...

On today's show, Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick are joined by Hamilton Reiner, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, and Head of US Equity Derivatives at JPM Asset Management to discuss active strategies combined with option overlays, why limiting outcomes improves investor experience, how J.P. Morgan constructs option strategies, how volatility affects yield for income strategies, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s...

On episode 366 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the biggest difference between bull and bear markets, cyclical vs. secular bull markets, what's wrong with Europe, Gen Z is obsessed with the stock market, spending on concerts, everyone is moving to the south, how the Fed can help the housing market, when to honk your horn, spending on groceries, and much more!This episode is sponsored by Global X and CME Group.Visit https://www.globalxetfs.com/ to explore a lineup of...

On today's show, Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick are live from Charleston, joined by Kathleen McCarragher, a Portfolio Manager for Jennison Associates and Harbor Capital to discuss market concentration within the S&P 500, how growth managers combat high-flying stocks within the index, how interest rates affect valuation, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at anim...

On episode 365 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: why it's finally time for the Fed to cut rates, when valuations will matter again, the best hedges against an AI boom-bust cycle, what would cause housing prices to fall, no one moves anymore, how tragedy can provide some perspective on your finances, bull markets lead to lower crime rates, bad drivers, and much more!This episode is sponsored by YCharts and CME Group.Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subsc...

On today's show, we are joined again by Bob Long, CEO of StepStone Private Wealth to discuss the basics of private credit, how the Dodd-Frank Act affected the banking industry, what types of deals StepStone is pursuing, why private credit earns higher yields, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, questions, rec...

On this special episode of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Ryan Sean Adams and David Hoffman, of the Bankless podcast, to discuss: crypto cycles, Bitcoin vs Ethereum, crypto entering politics, and much more!This episode is sponsored by Public. Make your savings work harder and earn an industry-leading 5.1% APY with a high-yield cash account on Public. Visit https://public.com/ to learn more!Sign up for The Compound newsletter and never miss out: thecompoundnews....

On episode 364 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: our trip to Charleston, slowing vs. normalization of the economy, the loneliness of the American worker, Fed rate cuts, getting rich fast, degens trading options, car deals are coming back, the true cost of home ownership, in defense of credit card reward hunting, the poor man's Tom Cruise, and much more!This episode is sponsored by Nasdaq and Fabric by Gerber Life.To learn more about Nasdaq's ETF listing process, visi...

On today's show, we spoke with Chris Floyd, VP and Portfolio Manager for Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions to discuss how rates affect high-dividend paying companies, the low volatility aspect of the portfolio, utilizing REITs as an income driver, systematic approaches to screening out negative factors vs concentrating on positive factors, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to ...

On episode 363 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: what happens if the AI bubble bursts, 200 years of stock market concentration, how to find lower insurance premiums, the bottom 50%, the fentanyl of private markets, assets & debt across generations, middle age conversation starters, and more!This episode is sponsored by YCharts and CME Group.Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free YCharts trial through Animal Spirits (new cu...

On today's show Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick are joined by Sal Gilbertie, CEO of Teucrium to discuss the cost of production and commodities, how inflation affects the cost of production, how investors are utilizing Teucrium products, what's going on in cocoa, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, questions, ...

On episode 362 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the great Bill Walton, how many people own stocks and houses in America, how the internet and outrage culture broke surveys, 401k millionaires, what inflation means now, the Home Alone house is on the market, the best personal finance traits, and more!This episode is sponsored by Franklin Templeton. To learn more about the Franklin Income Focus ETF (INCM), please visit: https://www.franklintempleton.com/investments/opti...

On today's show, Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick are joined by Kyle Brown, CEO, President, and CIO of Trinity Capital to discuss how the Trinity Capital structure works, how venture debt investing works, understanding execution risk vs technology risk, Trinity's 5 income-generating businesses, risks involved, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@th...

On episode 361 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: losing a family pet, the S&P 500 is not the economy, everything is up this year, the stock market is NOT a casino, wages are cumulative just like inflation, consumers keep consuming, ETH ETFs, the Ben Carlson streaming bundle, and more!This episode is sponsored by Franklin Templeton. To learn more about the Franklin International Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF (DIVI), please visit: https://www.franklintempleton.com/invest...