On today's Macrocast, hosts Bryan DeAngelis, John Fagan, and Brendan Walsh are joined by Penta Director Oliver Edelmann to discuss whether the economic outlook for the U.S. is truly improving on the heels of a uniquely upbeat reading of consumer economic sentiment. Penta's latest Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) found that consumers are more optimistic about the economy, but are we really due for a soft landing? The group also discusses potential changes to President Biden's economic council and t...
Feb 17, 2023•34 min
This week on What's at Stake, Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Alberto Lopez Valenzuela and Innes McFee, managing director of macro and investor services at Oxford Economics, to dive into new updates from a joint study on labor trends released by Penta and Oxford Economics–the beginning of an exciting partnership between the two firms. The group breaks down key insights from the report, which analyzed daily sentiment data to pinpoint economic turning points in real time and identified a trend of slo...
Feb 13, 2023•24 min
On today's Macrocast, hosts Meghan Pennington and John Fagan are joined by Loren Smith of Skyline Policy Risk Group to discuss the latest on the IRA and infrastructure spending, permitting reform and its impact on energy production, the debt ceiling, and more. Tune in!
Feb 10, 2023•40 min
This special edition of What's at Stake features some of Penta's most seasoned experts in political communications for a breakdown of President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address. Every State of the Union address is a big deal in the Beltway, but what does it really mean for the second half of President Biden's term? And what should business leaders take away from the speech? Kevin Madden, a senior partner at Penta, hosts the conversation with Meghan Pennington, also a partner at Penta, and...
Feb 10, 2023•21 min
On today's Macrocast, Stratton, John, and Brendan host John Dick from Civic Science and Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights. They delve into the latest jobs report, recent central bank meetings, and takeaways from a fascinating earnings season. John and Brendan explain how the Fed, the European Central Bank, and the Bank of England were less aggressive in early 2023 than markets feared last year. Jobs are on the rise, but with the tech sector's lower-than-expected earnings, mass layoffs ar...
Feb 03, 2023•35 min
In this edition of What's at Stake, Stacy Kerr and Stratton Kirton host Tara Carraro, senior vice president and chief communications officer at U. S. Steel, for a conversation on Tara's impressive career in corporate communications strategy and her work at U. S. Steel. Tara explains how she must navigate a unique challenge: How can her team change perceptions of a company that is more than 120 years old? As chief communications officer, Tara is the voice of an iconic company, responsible for rep...
Feb 02, 2023•22 min
On this edition of What's At Stake, Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Fabian Astic, Global Head of DeFi and Digital Assets at Moody's Investors Service, to explore how traditional finance experts are thinking about crypto and blockchain technology today. As the industry continues to innovate, Moody's is tracking global regulatory developments that can bridge the gap between the digital and traditional finance worlds. Bryan and Fabian discuss the exciting transformations in digital finance expected in...
Feb 01, 2023•26 min
On today's Macrocast, Stratton Kirton, partner at Penta, joins John and Brendan of Markets Policy Partners to discuss the latest GDP report, this week's earning's numbers, and some of the factors currently impacting the labor market, including immigration and the recent uptick in layoffs. How will these layoffs impact next week's Jobs Day numbers? The group talks about some of the reasons the impact might not be as drastic as some expect. Changes to some key positions in the Biden Administration...
Jan 27, 2023•32 min
On today's special episode of What's at Stake, John Fagan and Brendan Walshfrom Markets Policy Partners offer their take on what investors should expect from financial markets over the coming year.. Looking beyond today's relatively calm market environment, the group sees risks of a recession and policy uncertainty that could intensify by the summer. In addition, the group offers predictions surrounding the future of Fed policy, China's impact on global markets, oil prices , and cryptocurrency. ...
Jan 25, 2023•17 min
On today's jam-packed Macrocast, guest host Meghan Pennington is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners, former senior Treasury official Bob Dohner, John Dick of Civic Science, and Penta Senior Associate Matthew Robbins. The group discusses the latest Economic Sentiment Index, the Chinese economy, and the potential for a debt limit crisis. Read Penta's latest ESI here ....
Jan 20, 2023•37 min
On today's episode of What's at Stake, Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council (CLC), and Catrina Rorke, CLC's senior vice president of policy and Research, join Stratton Kirton, partner at Penta. The group discusses today's climate policy landscape, specifically the intersection between climate and trade and the increasing appetite for climate solutions that leverage America's carbon advantage for better trade and climate outcomes. Greg and Catrina explain why the current politica...
Jan 18, 2023•32 min
On this week's Macrocast, Brendan and Bryan are joined by Matt Dell Orfano from Telamonius Ventures to talk about the latest CPI trends, China's sudden reopening, and implications for the world economy. The group begins by diving into the latest CPI numbers and what they mean for ongoing housing market disruption and supply chain issues in other sectors. Matt also discusses the shortcomings of traditional econometric models and the need for real-world examples to back up economic outlooks. The g...
Jan 13, 2023•36 min
This week, Penta acquired Hume Brophy, a global public affairs, communications, and strategy firm, expanding Penta's global footprint as the world's first comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm. Conall McDevitt, Managing Partner of Penta Europe and Asia and former Hume Brophy CEO, and Jill Craig, Managing Director in Penta's Brussels office, join Parter Kevin Madden to discuss this news, as well as discuss how the strategy solutions field is shifting, geo-political influences, and what can be ...
Jan 10, 2023•30 min
Today on the Macrocast, season five begins with Penta President Matt McDonald joining John, Brendan, and Bryan to talk about the latest Jobs Day numbers. The group notes that markets have reacted favorably to this month's numbers and discusses why the labor force participation rate has remained low since the COVID-19 pandemic. They also offer predictions as to how the Federal Reserve might handle interest rates in 2023. Finally, the group covers the latest news in the vote for speaker of the Hou...
Jan 06, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In this episode of What's at Stake, Penta President Matt McDonald joins partner Andrea Christianson to share his reading recommendations for those interested in business, including young professionals, aspiring leaders, and experienced executives. The two not only discuss their favorite books, but also explain why business professionals and leaders should take the time to engage with business literature at various stages of their careers. Plus, Matt shares what he's reading for fun these days. I...
Jan 04, 2023•23 min
In the final Macrocast of 2022, Penta Partner Stratton Kirton joins Brendan and John of Markets Policy Partners to look back on a jam-packed year of macroeconomic events. The group reviews the historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and discusses the continuing economic toll of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, before turning to their predictions for the coming year, including the likelihood of a soft landing for the U.S. economy.
Dec 23, 2022•40 min
On today's episode of What's at Stake, Penta Partner Stacy Kerr and Senior Partner Mike Berland recap Penta's collaboration with Axios to put on the first ever Axios Communicators event last week in New York City. One of the major themes coming out of the event was the evolving role of the chief communications officer (CCO). Stacy and Mike discussed how chief executives are increasingly leaning on their CCOs to provide input into how their companies' stakeholders will react to business decisions...
Dec 21, 2022•21 min
On today's Macrocast, Penta Managing Director Jonathan Graffeo is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners, and Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights. It's been a big week in macroeconomic news! The group responds to the Federal Reserve’s Wednesday rate hike—the seventh this year—and discusses the outlook for retailers. Read the latest CPI report here , and learn more about SW4 Insights here ....
Dec 16, 2022•15 min
On this edition of What's At Stake, Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Julia Decerega and Rustin Finkler, two directors at Penta Strategy, and Meredith McCleary, an associate and podcast producer at Penta, to discuss the economics, geopolitics, and business challenges of the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup. Controversy has dogged this World Cup from the moment former FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced in 2010 that Qatar would host it in 2022. The group not only breaks down the money behind the biggest ev...
Dec 14, 2022•28 min
On today's Macrocast, Penta President Matt McDonald is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners and John Dick, CEO of CivicScience. The group first explores the Economic Sentiment Index, before diving into last week's banking conference, treasury yields, oil prices, and likelihood of a recession in 2023.
Dec 09, 2022•23 min
On this edition of What's At Stake, Penta Strategy Managing Director Stratton Kirton is joined by Vincent Smith, a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Montana State University and Director of Agricultural Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Jerry Hagstrom, a columnist at National Journal and Executive Editor of the agricultural news service The Hagstrom Report, to discuss the upcoming Farm Bill. The Farm Bill sets the national priorities for agriculture, conservatio...
Dec 07, 2022•41 min
On today's Macrocast, Penta President Matt McDonald is joined by John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners and Matt Dell Orfano, Founder of Telamonius Ventures. The group first dives into November's job numbers, offering differing interpretations of what the data means for the state of the economy. The group then discusses the holiday shopping season and the outlook for the retail sector. Read Penta's GDP fact sheet for Q3 2022 here ....
Dec 02, 2022•31 min
In this episode of What's at Stake, Bryan hosts Penta managing directors Stratton Kirton and Jonathan Graffeo, as well as senior associate Matthew Robbins, for a conversation on an eventful November for businesses and policymakers. ESG is top of mind for many business leaders, with sustainability issues featuring prominently at the G20 summit and the election of a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, an underwhelming COP27 conference raises important questions for ...
Nov 30, 2022•33 min
What's at stake: a Penta podcast is taking a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return with new content next week. In the meantime, tune in to one of our favorite episodes so far, released shortly after Penta's launch earlier this fall. The episode features a conversation between Penta leaders on the informational landscape for business leaders as they navigate complex stakeholder challenges. How do businesses understand what their stakeholders–be they employees, policymakers, shareh...
Nov 23, 2022•34 min
On this special edition of the Macrocast–published on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving–Penta Managing Director Jonathan Graffeo joins John and Brendan to discuss how prepared retailers are for Black Friday, whether shoppers will show up amid high prices, and what the Fed is doing to cool inflation. Plus, the group explores the potential macro implications of a brewing freight rail strike and a looming debt ceiling fight.
Nov 22, 2022•29 min
On Today's Macrocast, Stratton Kirton, managing director at Penta, joins Brendan and John of Markets Policy Partners to discuss the latest developments in the domestic and global economy. The group starts by examining the current state of the U.S. retail market, noting that the pandemic trend of a preference for services and experiences over goods persists. The group also previews some of the retail sales trends likely to occur during the holiday shopping season. Stratton, John, and Brendan also...
Nov 18, 2022•35 min
In this edition of What's at Stake, Penta Senior Director Rebeca Buck and Managing Director Michael LaRosa sit down with Cody Keenan, former Director of Speechwriting for President Obama and author of "Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America." Cody speaks about his experiences in the Obama White House during some of the administration's most pivotal days. Ten days in particular saw several historic moments unfold, including the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, and la...
Nov 16, 2022•28 min
In this edition of the Macrocast, Tony bids farewell to the show and tackles a busy week of macroeconomic and political news with John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners. The group discusses the implications of the midterm elections for financial markets and breaks down the October CPI data, which comes as a relief to inflation-battered investors. Plus, Tony, John, and Brendan predict what's next in the world of crypto following the stunning collapse of FTX. Find the October CPI data here ...
Nov 11, 2022•37 min
In this special midterm edition of What's at Stake, Penta Partner Andrea Christianson discusses Tuesday's election results with Senior Partner and former Senior Advisor to national Republicans, Kevin Madden and Managing Director and former Press Secretary to First Lady Jill Biden, Michael LaRosa. The group kicks off their discussion by analyzing the results of the election, including the absence of a "red wave," split ticket voting in several states, and the way voters thought about their choice...
Nov 09, 2022•24 min
This week on What's at Stake, Penta's Bryan DeAngelis sits down with president Matt McDonald and partners Alberto Lopez Valenzuela and Christina Pearson to unpack the group's experience at last week's Fortune CEO Initiative conference in Palm Beach, FL. The group starts by discussing their favorite moments from the conference. They note how businesses have grown comfortable operating in uncertainty, and how ESG remains top-of-mind across sectors. The group also touches on the need to integrate E...
Nov 08, 2022•32 min
