Stress Test: When Global Infrastructure Collapses

Today's episode unpacks the interconnected vulnerabilities reshaping the global order, from energy markets and geopolitical leverage to the explosive growth of AI and the growing pains in private credit. We explore how built-up buffers are less about systemic strength and more about buying time, as the plumbing of the global economy faces an unprecedented stress test.

Explore the full visual digest at pers-int.com

0:00 - Introduction
1:17 - Geopolitics & the Energy Market: War, Oil & Global Stability
9:34 - Shifting Global Confidence: Economic Reformation & the New Order
15:48 - AI's Explosive Growth: Investment, Regulation & Societal Impact
21:00 - Private Credit's Growing Pains: Liquidity, Defaults & Sector Risks
24:53 - Conclusion

Referenced sources:
Bloomberg's Brad Foster - driving the convergence between public and private markets (Alt Goes Mainstream: The Latest on Alternative Investments, WealthTech, & Private Markets)
EM Fixed Income Still waiting for the conflict to pass over (At Any Rate)
The cusp of a capex supercycle (Barclays Brief)
Trump US Will Leave Iran in 2-3 Weeks, Stocks Gain on Iran Hopes (Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition)
US Reportedly Eyes War Exit, Fully-Laden Tanker Hit, Russia Spies Tighten Grip (Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe Edition)
Unilever Food Arm to Join McCormick in $44.8 Billion Deal (Bloomberg Intelligence)
Single Best Idea with Tom Keene Dr. Lindsay Newman & Eric Fine (Bloomberg Surveillance)
Bloomberg Surveillance TV March 31st, 2026 (Bloomberg Surveillance)
Iran Tightens Grip on Strait of Hormuz (Bloomberg Surveillance)
How a small US business navigated Trump's tariffs (FT News Briefing)
The Psychology of Market Champions Inside the Minds of Point 72 & Citadel Portfolio Managers Dr. Gio Valiante (Monetary Matters with Jack Farley)
Iran Quagmire Questions, SpaceX IPO Plans, and The White House App (Pivot)
Big Tech Is Now Advising the White House - What Could Go Wrong (Prof G Markets)
Michael Pollan's Journey to the Borderlands of Consciousness (The Ezra Klein Show)
Is ChatGPT Ready For Sex (The Journal.)
How Radiant and Heron Are Rethinking Power Generation and Delivery (The a16z Show)
A New Test for Private Credit (Thoughts on the Market)
GM98 Powerlessness Is Rising and Nobody Is Ready ft. Peter Atwater (Top Traders Unplugged)
CIO Fixed Income Roundtable Podcast Series - 1Q26 update and outlook (UBS On-Air: Market Moves)
UBS On-Air Paul Donovan Daily Audio 'Tariffing Hormuz traffic' (UBS On-Air: Market Moves)
Is this social media's tobacco moment (Unhedged)

This episode is independent commentary and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the sources listed above.