Episodes

The Most Bullish Backdrop (EP.380)
Oct. 2, 2024

The Most Bullish Backdrop (EP.380)

On episode 380 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the biggest risk to the real estate market, why bull markets are different today, gold & stocks both hitting ATHs, the US economy is sitting pretty, wearable AI glasses, bullish housing demographics, Michael's favorite horror movies, and much more! This episode is sponsored by YCharts and Fabric by Gerber Life. Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free trial through Animal Spirits...
Talk Your Book: The Next Catalyst for Crypto Assets
Sept. 30, 2024

Talk Your Book: The Next Catalyst for Crypto Assets

On today's show, we are joined by Chris Kuiper, Director of Research, and Matt Horne, Head of Digital Asset Strategists for Fidelity Digital Assets to discuss narratives surrounding ETH and BTC, use cases around ETH, how advisors can work with Fidelity utilizing digital assets, decreasing volatility in crypto, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@the...
Are You Middle Class? (EP.379)
Sept. 25, 2024

Are You Middle Class? (EP.379)

On episode 379 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: our experience at Future Proof, melt-up possibilities in the stock market, what's left for ETFs, how many people are actually in the middle class, the death of the minivan, housing prices vs. demographics, cutting the cord, why Twitter is getting worse, and much more! This episode is sponsored by Innovator ETFs and CME Group. To learn how you can gain exposure to the Nasdaq-100’s potential upside, with built-in risk manag...
Talk Your Book: Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate Debt
Sept. 24, 2024

Talk Your Book: Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate Debt

On today's show, we are joined by Richard Byrne, President of Benefit Street Partners to discuss the chaos within the commercial office space sector, the opportunity for commercial real estate debt, what separates one asset manager from another, how real estate lending works, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback,...
The Michael & Ben Origin Story (EP.378)
Sept. 18, 2024

The Michael & Ben Origin Story (EP.378)

On episode 378 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: how Ben got started in the industry and eventually arrived at Ritholtz Wealth Management, the best movies to watch on an airplane, and more! This episode was filmed in front of a live audience at the Future Proof festival in Huntington Beach, CA on 9/17/24. This episode is sponsored by YCharts and Fabric by Gerber Life . Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free trial through Anim...
Talk Your Book: Investing in Free Cash Flow
Sept. 16, 2024

Talk Your Book: Investing in Free Cash Flow

On today's show, we spoke with Michael Mack, Associate Portfolio Manager for Victory Capital to discuss how to calculate free cash flow, if the Mag 7 would have shown up on a free cash flow screen, avoiding value traps, sector exposure within high free cash flow strategies, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, q...
When Your Friends Are Richer Than You (EP.377)
Sept. 11, 2024

When Your Friends Are Richer Than You (EP.377)

On episode 377 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: a bad week for the stock market, why foreign stocks are so cheap, the state of America's wallet, the coming HELOC boom, the finances of Only Fans, how to become a millionaire, next week's live Animal Spirits from Future Proof, and much more! This episode is sponsored by Jensen Investment Management. Learn more about the Jensen Quality Growth ETF at: https://www.jenseninvestment.com/etf/ Sign up for The Compound newsletter...
Talk Your Book: Dividend Stocks are Cheap
Sept. 9, 2024

Talk Your Book: Dividend Stocks are Cheap

On today's show, we spoke with Jennifer Chang, Portfolio Manager and Executive Director for Schafer Cullen to discuss utilizing active management within dividend strategies, how dividend stocks are affected by rising rates, how Schafer's call writing strategy differs from other popular income strategies, tax optimizing income strategies, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us a...
Founder Mode (EP.376)
Sept. 4, 2024

Founder Mode (EP.376)

On episode 376 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Josh Brown's new book, an excellent year for investors, how bullish investors are, a new record high in 401k millionaires, efficient markets, the nostalgia premium, inflation at the arcade, the wait-and-see housing market, the stresses of being a parent, drinking at the movie theater, and much more! This episode is sponsored by YCharts. Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free tr...
Talk Your Book: Balancing Risk and Yield
Sept. 2, 2024

Talk Your Book: Balancing Risk and Yield

On today's show, we are joined by Priya Misra, Portfolio Manager for the JPMorgan Core Plus Bond ETF to discuss why private credit has gotten so popular, where corporate bond spreads are today, high quality companies within the high yield category, what a soft landing means for interest rates, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com ...
What is Wealth? (EP.375)
Aug. 28, 2024

What is Wealth? (EP.375)

On episode 375 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, Nvidia millionaires, financial voices you can safely ignore, housing affordability, what it takes to be considered wealthy, every generation thinks they have it bad, Michael's college transcript, and much more! This episode is sponsored by YCharts. Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you start your free trial through Animal Spirits (new customers only). S...
Talk Your Book: Finding Small Cap Diamonds in the Rough
Aug. 26, 2024

Talk Your Book: Finding Small Cap Diamonds in the Rough

On today's show, we spoke with Brandon Nelson, Senior Portfolio Manager for Calamos to discuss Calamos' favorite small cap sectors, why small caps have flown under the radar, understanding the relationship between momentum and fundamentals, profitability of small cap stocks, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, ...
Talk Your Book: Alt Goes Mainstream with Michael Sidgmore
Aug. 24, 2024

Talk Your Book: Alt Goes Mainstream with Michael Sidgmore

On today's show, we are joined by Michael Sidgmore, Partner and Co-Founder of Broadhaven Ventures to discuss all things Alternatives, how that world has changed in recent years, why financial advisors in the RIA channel is such a big opportunity for alternative investments, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, q...
Inflation or Price Gouging? (EP.374)
Aug. 21, 2024

Inflation or Price Gouging? (EP.374)

On episode 374 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: what an average year in the stock market looks like, Seinfeld on consumers, why inflation is such a tricky concept, millennials are richer than you think, grocery stores are not the enemy, star fund managers, how demographics will help the housing market, sending your kids away to summer camp, and much more! This episode is sponsored by Eaton Vance. To learn more about the Eaton Vance Short Duration Income ETF (EVSD), vis...
Talk Your Book: Quality Growth Investing
Aug. 19, 2024

Talk Your Book: Quality Growth Investing

On today's show, we are joined by Kevin Walkush, Portfolio Manager at Jensen Investment Management to discuss what quality means to Jensen, why META was removed from the portfolio, thoughts on AI and tech bubbles, the most exciting sectors for the long term, how interest rates affect valuation models, hallmarks for great quality businesses, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot u...
Boomers vs. Millennials (EP.373)
Aug. 14, 2024

Boomers vs. Millennials (EP.373)

On episode 373 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: a history of stock market flash crashes, the end of the travel boom, why the economy is finally softening, how to predict a recession, how many households actually live paycheck to paycheck, the coming refi/HELOC boom, stock pick loss aversion, movie theaters aren't dead yet, and much more! This episode is sponsored by YCharts and Fabric by Gerber Life. Get 20% off your initial YCharts Professional subscription when you s...
Talk Your Book: Back to the Futures Market
Aug. 12, 2024

Talk Your Book: Back to the Futures Market

On today's show, we are joined by Jerry Prior III, COO & Senior Portfolio Manager of Mount Lucas Management to discuss what managed futures are, how portfolios can benefit from them, how managed futures are handling the Japan carry trade, diversification benefits of managed futures, the story of how the MLM Index was created, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at a...
Flash Crash or Recession? (EP.372)
Aug. 7, 2024

Flash Crash or Recession? (EP.372)

On episode 372 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: market mayhem, Japan's 1987 crash moment, Jerome Powell's legacy game at Jackson Hole, recession worries, the worst asset class for the next decade, the vibe shift on inflation, the Godfather of the 21st century, and much more! This episode is sponsored by Global X. Visit https://www.globalxetfs.com/ to explore a lineup of more than 90 ETFs, along with insights to help you navigate a dynamic investing landscape. Sign up f...
Talk Your Book: The Housing Market with Mike Simonsen
Aug. 5, 2024

Talk Your Book: The Housing Market with Mike Simonsen

On today's Talk Your Book, we are joined by Mike Simonsen , Founder and President of real estate analytics firm Altos Research to discuss how easy to access real estate data has affected buyers, the effects rates have on buyers and sellers, a realistic scenario for a housing market correction, thoughts on the iBuyer phenomenon, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at...
How to Pick the Winners (EP.371)
July 31, 2024

How to Pick the Winners (EP.371)

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...
Talk Your Book: Investing in BlackRock's Mega Forces
July 29, 2024

Talk Your Book: Investing in BlackRock's Mega Forces

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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any fee...
Talk Your Book: Investing in Corporate Culture
July 27, 2024

Talk Your Book: Investing in Corporate Culture

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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel fre...
Living the Dream (EP.370)
July 24, 2024

Living the Dream (EP.370)

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 ETF...
Talk Your Book: Future Proof 2024
July 20, 2024

Talk Your Book: Future Proof 2024

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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations,...