Episodes
May 13, 2020
Fallen Angels (EP.145)
We discuss why stocks aren't doing better in countries with a better virus response, why portfolio managers hate the Fed, how are the airlines going to survive, finding some gray area in the crisis data, food delivery price gouging, white-collar...
May 6, 2020
Whatever It Takes Squared (EP.144)
On this week's show we discuss Warren Buffett's annual meeting, why Berkshire didn't buy anything, crisis buzzwords, the death of commodities, retailers going out of business, the rise in credit card debt, comedy Oscars and much more. Find complete...
May 1, 2020
A Noob Whale Picker's Market (EP.143)
We discuss how hard it is to outperform the market, why investors need to be more open-minded, how the crisis will impact millennial home-buying, how the Fed is redefining central banking, Occam's razor on interest rates, how inflation impacts growth...
April 29, 2020
Capitalism As We Know It (EP.142)
We discuss why credit card payments will be the first thing to go for people with financial problems, why so many people prefer real estate as an investment, colleges, and gyms are in trouble, people who will leave big cities, how a crisis can change...
April 24, 2020
Physical Delivery (EP.141)
We discuss why the stock market isn't falling more, craziness in the oil market, why "normal" portfolios may be performing better during the crisis, the death of department stores, banks, bailouts and much more. Find complete shownotes on our blogs......
April 22, 2020
Free Oil (EP.140)
We discuss fairness in the bailout process, why no one believes in this market, why it's been so difficult to outperform the market during this bear, Munger and Buffett's changing appetite for risk, why epidemiologists would make good investors and...
April 17, 2020
The Second Wave (EP.139)
We discuss the path to normalcy, why the economy is going to be operating at partial capacity for some time, when people will begin flying again, why people are so angry with the bailouts, counterintuitive real estate trends, why colleges may be in...
April 15, 2020
Mountains of Debt (EP.138)
On this week's show we discuss the pandemic's impact on Disney, when people will be willing to go to large events in the future, private equity companies getting bailed out, anger coming from Main Street, counterintuitive markets, professional sports...
April 10, 2020
The Fed's Bazooka (EP.137)
We discuss the latest unemployment numbers, the massive help coming from the Fed, why markets are so confusing at the moment, a new theory on forward stock market returns and why investing is so difficult in this environment. Find complete shownotes...
April 8, 2020
Some Good News (EP.136)
On this week's show we discuss some good news out of NYC, can this ever be over until we have a vaccine, why this is more like a war than a financial crisis, who is getting hurt the worst from job losses, the 4 rules of pandemic economics, the massive...
April 3, 2020
The Great Unwind (EP.135)
We discuss the enormous effort from the science community to find a vaccine, using history as a guide even when every bear market is different, a wild month in the stock market, the coming small business apocalypse, how many people will have trouble...
April 1, 2020
The Dead Cat Bounce? (EP.134)
On this week's show we discuss avoiding politics during a crisis, unintended consequences from the shutdown, the spike in national debt, why economics is so confusing, bottoms vs dead cat bounces, when to rebalance and more. Find complete shownotes on...
March 27, 2020
The Historic Surge in Unemployment (EP.133)
On this new episode we discuss the awful unemployment numbers, the new fiscal stimulus bill, restaurants in trouble, other businesses impacted, what happens if you buy too early, the best books on market panics, timing the bottom and much more. Find...
March 25, 2020
The First Thing to Go During a Crisis (EP.132)
On this week's show we discuss hindsight bias when the crisis is over, impressive measures by other countries, turmoil in the bond markets, will we get a new generation of Depression babies, the need for fiscal stimulus and more.' Find complete...
March 20, 2020
Bailing Out Main Street (EP.131)
On today's episode, we discuss the number of businesses impacted by the coronavirus shutdown, the potential fiscal stimulus plan, why interest rates are rising, how to think about rebalancing into the pain, Great Depression comparisons and much more....
March 18, 2020
Is this worse than 2008? (EP.130)
On this week's show we discuss working from home, the enormous impact the coronavirus is having on the economy, how people's lives are changing in a hurry, turmoil in bond ETFs, the differences between now and 2008 and much more. Find complete...
March 16, 2020
Talk Your Book: Positive and Negative Compounding: Trading Direxion Leveraged ETFs
On today's show we speak with Dave Mazza, head of product at Direxion about trading levered ETFs, and other products they're working on. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to shoot...
March 12, 2020
Emergency Podcast: Preparing for a Recession
On today's emergency edition of Animal Spirits, we discuss the severe disruption being caused by the coronavirus, why it's ok to overreact but not panic, how to prepare for a recession and why personal finances are more important than portfolio...
March 11, 2020
Oil's 1987 Moment (EP.129)
On this week's episode we talk about the carnage in the stock market, the huge drop in oil prices, going from the fear of missing out to the fear of being in, why moves in the markets feel like they're happening faster than ever, some context...
March 9, 2020
A Random Watch Down Wall Street: The Founder
On this week's business movie re-watch, we discuss The Founder, the Michael Keaton movie from 2016 about Ray Kroc and how he built McDonald's into an empire from humble beginnings. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael...
March 4, 2020
The Emergency Rate Cut (EP.128)
On this week's show we discuss the wild moves in the stock market, the emergency rate cut by the Fed, the chances the coronavirus leads to a recession, the crazy move lower in interest rates, Robinhood's issues, the industries most impacted...
March 2, 2020
Talk Your Book: Investing in Commodities
On this week's Talk Your Book Michael and Ben talk all things commodities with Yale's Geert Rouwenhorst and John Love from USCF Investments. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to...
Feb. 26, 2020
Michael's Worst Investment Ever (EP.127)
On this week's episode, we discuss the impact of the coronavirus, ramifications of the asset management mergers because of commission-free trading, why the top 1% isn't static, why bond yields are so low, cashing out your 401k to pay for business...
Feb. 19, 2020
What Makes People Happier Than Money (EP.126)
On this week's show we discuss the wealth inequality problem, how to get more people invested in financial assets, who gets hit the hardest during the next market crash, overcrowding in the private markets, concentration in the U.S. stock market,...