On episode 452 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the software apocalypse, stock market blow-ups, AI fear-mongering, how AI will impact your job, in defense of SaaS, the ex-US trade is working, a bull market in Japan, Gen Z loves the stock market, prediction markets, a takedown of The Millionaire Next Door, middle-aged dad milestones and more. This episode is sponsored ...
Feb 18, 2026•1 hr 13 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Greg Sharenow from PIMCO to discuss: the boom in real assets, the role of momentum in trading commodities, how to gain exposure to real assets and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Com...
Feb 16, 2026•36 min
On episode 451 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss how the bull market is changing shape, software stocks getting slaughtered, it's finally a stock picker's market, Anthropic changed the AI narrative, ex-Mag 7 is finally working, the case for emerging markets, the crypto bloodbath, the best airline and more. This episode is sponsored by Pacer ETFs and YCharts Learn more abou...
Feb 11, 2026•1 hr 18 min
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 discuss: asset prices, artificial intelligence, affluent consumers and what it all means for the stock market. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s ...
Feb 09, 2026•36 min
On episode 450 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the never-ending news cycle, the gold/silver crash, how the Internet changed markets forever, the commodities supercycle, emerging markets are on fire, the new Fed chair, the chart of the century, crypto feels dead again, the government doesn't want to build more homes for young people, DoorDash discourse and more. This episode ...
Feb 04, 2026•1 hr 23 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Matthew Bartolini from State Street Investment Management to discuss: stock market concentration, the S&P 493 vs. the Mag 7, dividends vs. share buybacks and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wea...
Feb 02, 2026•32 min
On episode 449 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss snow days, government debt vs. household debt, the wealth effect, diversification is working again in 2026, stocks vs. earnings, Jeremy Grantham, the dollar is falling, Silver is the new meme stock, gold is crushing bitcoin, housing market inflation, Dry January for spending and much more. This episode is sponsored by Invesco. Visit...
Jan 28, 2026•1 hr 13 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Ryan Lovell from Chainlink to discuss: how blockchains and defi can make the financial markets less costly, more efficient and a better experience for the users. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of...
Jan 26, 2026•31 min
On episode 448 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss geopolitical risk in the markets, rising bond yields, why small caps are breaking out, running the economy hot, household balance sheets are in good shape, the end of money, the great real estate wealth transfer, the bottom 50% wealth gains, Netflix movies and more. This episode is sponsored by YCharts and ClearBridge Investments. To do...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 4 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Jeff Schwarte from Simplify ETFs to discuss: barrier options, how structured products work in an ETF, creating regular income and how equity income funds can fit into a portfolio. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s ...
Jan 19, 2026•29 min
On episode 447 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss Jerome Powell, credit card rates, the institutional ownership of homes, lowering mortgage rates, how to fix the housing market, AI vs. the labor market, the broadening out of the bull market, the growth in sports gambling, where housing is still affordable, circular private equity deals, why TVs are so cheap and much more. This episode ...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 19 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Brendan Ahern from KraneShares to discuss: the differences between China and the United States, the state of Chinese Internet stocks and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense...
Jan 12, 2026•32 min
On episode 446 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss 2026 predictions, the risk of a bear market, why valuations should be higher, why international stocks outperformed, recession risk in 2026, AI hallucinations, self-driving cars, Disney stock, where to find cheaper housing, an appreciation for Keanu Reeves and more. This episode is sponsored by YCharts. Subscribe to YCharts’ Advisor Pul...
Jan 07, 2026•1 hr 16 min
On episode 445 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the best and worst S&P 500 stocks this year, 2025 investing lessons, why silver is going vertical, international small caps are crushing it, family offices are booming, sentiment is still broken, over-optimization is a problem, how millennials got rich, when to spend more in retirement, the best video game of all-time and more. This...
Dec 31, 2025•57 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Sal Gilbertie from Teucrium to discuss: why oil prices are falling, how agricultural commodities work, why farmers need bailouts, why crypto is a commodity and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Commo...
Dec 29, 2025•32 min
On episode 444 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss what a normal year in the stock market looks like, time traveling through drawdowns, the case for small/mid cap stocks, how many stocks double each year, record cash balances, the economy keeps growing, financial nihilism, gambling, illiquidity risk in private investments and much more. This episode is sponsored by TradePMR & Fabric by ...
Dec 24, 2025•1 hr 7 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Dan Russo from Potomac Fund Management to discuss: the bear market in diversification, trend-following, quantitative tactical asset management and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense...
Dec 22, 2025•34 min
On episode 443 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the stock market rally is broadening out, no one wants an AI bubble, the return outlook for 2026, Howard Marks on how to invest today, hedging an AI bubble, concentration risk, financial markets don't care about labor markets yet, the worst part about inflation, data centers in space, the housing outlook for 2026 and more. This episode is ...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 19 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by John Neff, portfolio manager and CIO at Akre Capital Management to discuss: the firm's concentrated stock portfolio, how to hold stocks for the long-run, beating the S&P 500 and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wea...
Dec 15, 2025•37 min
On episode 442 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss huge losses in the Nasdaq 100, 2026 outlooks, OpenAI, 401k millionaires, consumer spending vs. a slowing labor market, money without meaning, price cuts on housing are accelerating, baby boomer riches, Netflix and Paramount vie for Warner Brothers and more. This episode is sponsored by NEOS Investments, Exhibit A, and Fidelity Trader+. Explore ...
Dec 10, 2025•1 hr 8 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Charlie Rose from Invesco to discuss: investing in private real estate, credit in real estate as an asset class, the different types of real estate investments and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense...
Dec 08, 2025•34 min
On episode 441 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss why boring plain vanilla portfolios are hard to beat, predicting the 2026 stock market, Robinhood is Netflix, teens investing in stocks, all-time highs in rich people, the case against an AI crash, the crypto crash, how expensive housing is changing behaviors, ranking the best Disney rides, YouTube is eating TV, the joys of homeownership and more. ...
Dec 03, 2025•1 hr 12 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Troy Cates, Co-Founder, Managing Partner at NEOS Investments to discuss: options-based income ETFs, why investors love yield so much, how to hedge using options and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense...
Dec 01, 2025•25 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Logan Mohtashami to talk about first-time homebuyers, how to fix the housing market, housing myths, how often housing prices fall and much more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Mich...
Nov 29, 2025•30 min
On episode 440 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss stocks moving on no news, reasons today's market is not like the 90s, the Fed needs to cut, Google's breakout, thoughts on Disney, Cembalest's favorite movies, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Invesco & KraneShares Visit https://www.invesco.com/ to learn more. Invesco. Let’s rethink possibility. To learn more about KraneShares’ KOID ...
Nov 26, 2025•1 hr 5 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Krista Lynch, Senior Vice President, ETF Capital Markets at Grayscale to discuss: the crypto ETF landscape, how staking works, what's coming next in this space and much more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense...
Nov 24, 2025•29 min
On episode 439 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the Degen Dow pain trade, the lack of euphoria, AI skepticism, long bear markets, Michael Burry's crash calls, the great stuff transfer, the Bitcoin crash, first-time homebuyers, Blue Owl and much more. This episode is sponsored by Nuveen & YCharts Invest like the future is watching. Visit https://www.nuveen.com/future to learn more. Register ...
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 14 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Michael Arone, Chief Investment Strategist and Managing Director at State Street Investment Management to discuss: government spending, bailouts, S&P 500®, stock market concentration, the AI bubble and much more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s ...
Nov 17, 2025•39 min
On this episode of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson keynote the financial planning association’s annual event. 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...
Nov 15, 2025•47 min
On episode 438 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the problem with the K-shaped economy narrative, are young people screwed, the benefits of bubbles, the rate cutting cycle, OpenAI, Las Vegas, how to fix the housing market, restaurant stocks are getting killed, the degen economy and more. Today's show is brought to you by Xtrackers by DWS Find out more at https://xtrackers.com Animal Spirits audience ...
Nov 12, 2025•1 hr 11 min
