The Federal Reserve is often a key player in the markets. Now with investors uncertain about the economic outlook and the general policy volatility of the Trump administration, people are closely watching whether the Fed and Chair Jerome Powell might ride to the economic rescue in the near future. In a special interview-only episode, WSJ’s Take On the Week co-host Telis Demos talks with Ed Al-Hussainy, global interest rate strategist at asset manager Columbia Threadneedle Investments, about what...
Mar 16, 2025•24 min
The Consumer Confidence Index had its biggest drop in more than three years in February. We're at a crossroads moment in the economy. Uncertainty is back, according to financial experts and consumers alike. In a special interview-only episode, WSJ’s Take On the Week co-host Telis Demos talks with Seth Carpenter, Morgan Stanley's chief global economist, about where we are in the fight against inflation and what that means for the stock market, the Federal Reserve, and more. This is WSJ’s Take On ...
Mar 09, 2025•26 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos talks with reporter Miriam Gottfried about what is driving a slide in 10-year Treasury yields. Then they get into the upcoming jobs report and whether any DOGE-related shakeups in the federal workforce could be reflected in the data. They also discuss the flurry of tariff-related developments ahead of a deadline this week for proposed taxes on imports from Canada and Mexico. Later on the show, Telis dives into what President Trump’s tariff agenda co...
Mar 02, 2025•27 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos talks with reporter Peter Rudegeair about this coming week's latest inflation gauge, the personal-consumption-expenditures price index, or PCE, and what’s going on with the price of eggs. Then they dive into what to expect from the slew of forthcoming housing data and what that could signal about mortgage rates. They also discuss Nvidia, Vistra and Constellation Energy earnings. Later on the show, Telis and Peter are joined by Chris Hansen, founder ...
Feb 23, 2025•25 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos talks with Aaron Back, WSJ’s Heard on the Street column editor, about the latest inflation report and what it could mean for the Federal Reserve. They also discuss upcoming earnings from Chinese tech company Alibaba and retail behemoth Walmart. Later on the show, Telis talks about all things retail with Dana Telsey, CEO and founder of Telsey Advisory Group, a brokerage firm focused on the consumer sector. They chat about what’s behind Walmart’s winn...
Feb 16, 2025•24 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos talk about the whiplash surrounding tariffs, including what could be next for the U.S. and China. They also get into the latest in the crypto world, from Coinbase’s upcoming earnings to the forthcoming confirmation hearing for Securities and Exchange Commission nominee Paul Atkins. Before turning to this week’s interview, they get into Robinhood’s back-peddling on launching Super Bowl betting contracts after regulators’ pushback....
Feb 09, 2025•26 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos start off the show with the latest on the surprise dark horse in AI, DeepSeek, and what the development means for companies like Microsoft and Meta. Then they get into the latest Federal Reserve interest-rate decision and news on the consumer spending front. Later on the show, the co-hosts dive into the world of sports investing—from the publicly traded Atlanta Braves, and Knicks’ and Rangers’ parent company Madison Square Garden...
Feb 02, 2025•24 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos discuss Wall Street’s reaction to President Donald Trump’s inauguration and his slew of executive orders. They talk about the president’s and his wife Melania Trump’s meme coins and the Stargate venture, an AI infrastructure plan led by ChatGPT maker OpenAI and global tech investor SoftBank Group. Later on the show, Gunjan and Telis tackle what might be the biggest question for investors right now: Is the Federal Reserve done cut...
Jan 26, 2025•28 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos discuss the latest news on the L.A. fires and their impact on the insurance market. Then, they get into Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration and Wall Street’s reaction to the new administration. A who’s who of big tech like Tesla’s Elon Musk, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and even TikTok CEO Shou Chew will reportedly be in attendance. Gunjan and Telis also dig into bank earnings following surging profits for some of the largest bank...
Jan 19, 2025•26 min
On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos dive into what almost everyone on Wall Street is fixated on right now: rising bond yields. Then they explore what Disney’s potential merger with FuboTV means for streaming services and how sports and other live events are driving those deals. Telis also gears up for the Super Bowl. Well, his super bowl — bank earnings. JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and others report later this week. Later on, Peter Orszag, CEO of the ass...
Jan 12, 2025•27 min
AI was a big stock market theme in 2024. We’ve talked about it, and heard it many times. But it was far from the only thing that happened in stocks last year. We saw record-breaking growth from power companies like Vistra. Cult stocks like Palantir and MicroStrategy also had a moment. And of course, Nvidia, a company that needs no introduction, had a blockbuster year. But where there are winners, there are also losers. The announcement of Walgreens’ potential sale highlighted the challenges with...
Jan 05, 2025•25 min
Jan Hatzius, chief economist and head of global investment research at Goldman Sachs, joins co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos for the show’s last episode of 2024. They talk about Jan’s 2025 economic outlook, the role tariffs could play in the second Trump Administration, and the Federal Reserve’s latest interest-rate decision. They even get into the holiday spirit and chat about gift-giving. A note to listeners: WSJ’s Take On the Week is going to take a break for the holidays and will retu...
Dec 22, 2024•23 min
Welcome to WSJ’s Take On the Week. Co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. Gunjan and Telis start off by discussing the upcoming Federal Reserve interest rate decision, and tackling what’s been going in the market for risky derivatives, where activity is on track to hit an all-time high this ye...
Dec 15, 2024•27 min
Welcome to WSJ’s Take On the Week. Co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. This week, Telis and Gunjan debrief on BlackRock’s $12 billion acquisition of private credit manager HPS. Then they tackle the “i word” – inflation – and the upcoming consumer-price index report. They also chat about bit...
Dec 08, 2024•24 min
Welcome to WSJ’s Take On the Week. Co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. This week, Telis and Gunjan skip debriefing about the headlines and jump straight into a special interview with Coinbase’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, to talk all things crypto, which has captivated both Main Stree...
Dec 01, 2024•22 min
Welcome to WSJ’s Take On the Week. Co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy, and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. This week, Telis and Gunjan debrief on how chip maker Nvidia crossed the $100 billion mark in its annual sales, as well as how consumer spending is faring in the wake of retail earnings, like Target’s. And we check in o...
Nov 24, 2024•28 min
Welcome to WSJ’s Take On the Week. Co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy, and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. This week, Telis and Gunjan dig into the latest on the Trump trade, the crypto rally and what upcoming retail earnings reports from Target and Walmart could signal about American consumers. Later, Dominic Rizzo, portfol...
Nov 17, 2024•26 min
WSJ's Take On the Week brings you the insights and analysis you need to get a leg up on the world of money and investing. Weekly, we cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance. Join The Wall Street Journal's Telis Demos and Gunjan Banerji in conversation with the people closest to the hot topics in markets to get incisive analysis on the big trades, key players in finance and business news ahead. The show returns November 17.
Nov 10, 2024•1 min
We’re going on hiatus. A message for our listeners from WSJ’s Take On the Week producer Jess Jupiter. For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.
Apr 14, 2024•1 min
This week, we're expecting earnings reports from three of the biggest U.S. banks: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. Josh Brown and Michael Batnick from Ritholtz Wealth Management join us to discuss what these reports could tell us about the finances of consumers and businesses — how much we’re spending, how much we’re saving and whether we’ve been taking risks. Then, we're drilling into oil. A report from the International Energy Agency is expected Friday and will play a role in lettin...
Apr 07, 2024•23 min
The latest earnings season is coming to a close and we are looking forward to the next quarter to learn where profits are headed. What have investors learned about U.S. companies and the economy and which sectors should they be paying close attention to? Gabriela Santos, managing director and chief market strategist for the Americas on the Global Market Insights Strategy Team at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, joins the conversation to share her big takeaways from the latest earnings season. Then,...
Mar 31, 2024•25 min
Affirm CEO Max Levchin is one of the original co-founders of PayPal, and now he leads one of the biggest players in the buy now, pay later business. Levchin wants to build a company that changes how shoppers pay for big-ticket items and the way people take on debt. But critics argue the company is a danger to consumers because it allows them to make some purchases with no interest payments, thereby encouraging excessive spending. For this bonus episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, Levchin talks ab...
Mar 27, 2024•26 min
This week, we’re taking a look at corporate greed. A recent survey from Navigator Research found that most Americans think greed is a “major cause” of inflation. But is that true? Deepak Puri, chief investment officer of Deutsche Bank Private Bank in the Americas, joins us to dig into this week’s Corporate Profits report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to get some answers. Then we’re turning to jobless claims. It’s been four years since the Covid-19 pandemic led to business shutdowns a...
Mar 24, 2024•23 min
This week, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is expected to release another interest rate decision. Will the Federal Reserve's statements move the markets and disrupt the bullish momentum in the stock market? Torsten Slok, partner and chief economist at Apollo Global Management, joins us to share what specific phrases from the FOMC may indicate when rate cuts will come and gives us a hot take of his own about what the Fed’s decision will be. Then, we're turning our attention to FedEx's ea...
Mar 17, 2024•22 min
Are U.S. CEOs feeling confident? The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index measures the health of the U.S. economy from the perspective of U.S. chief executives. We discuss why this survey matters for investors and the markets with Joe Brusuelas, principal and chief economist for assurance and tax consulting firm RSM US. We continue the conversation on CEOs’ outlook with Everette Taylor, CEO of global crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Taylor shares his view on CEO confidence and his ex...
Mar 10, 2024•25 min
This week, we’re expecting the JOLTS and nonfarm payrolls reports. With inflation still holding above the Fed’s target and some weakness in the latest durable goods and retail sales reports, February’s nonfarm payrolls report will carry some extra weight. Charles Schwab’s chief investment strategist, Liz Ann Sonders and their chief fixed income strategist, Kathy Jones, join us for a discussion about how the market is anticipating these reports, especially the jobs report– which will be the week'...
Mar 03, 2024•23 min
This week, we’re looking ahead to Paramount Global’s earnings report. The company that includes TV, movies, and streaming, has been taking it on the chin from investors. Its stock has lost more than 50% of its value in the past year, so Wednesday’s report could be pivotal. Recently much of the talk about Paramount has been as an acquisition target — for media executive Byron Allen to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison. Michael Morris, senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities, joins us to ...
Feb 25, 2024•22 min
Chipmaker Nvidia is having a strong start to the year. The company is currently the best performing stock in the S&P 500 for 2024 and the third-largest company in the U.S., with a value of about $1.8 trillion. But how are investors feeling about Nvidia’s success? Ahead of the company’s earnings report later this week, we’re speaking with Cathie Wood, CEO and chief investment officer of ARK Invest, who recently went from a buyer to a seller of Nvidia stock. Cathie shares insight into that decisio...
Feb 18, 2024•24 min
BlackRock’s Rick Rieder leads the $10 trillion asset manager’s global asset allocation team and he’s excited about a return to normalcy in 2024. He’s expecting strong economic growth and he’s hoping the Fed will speed up its interest rate cuts this year. Plus, he explains why he likes bitcoin and what his big worry is right now.
Feb 15, 2024•27 min
Why will DoorDash’s earnings report deliver a better check-up for the U.S. economy than Marriott, Coca-Cola and Kraft-Heinz this week? Because the affordable luxury of food delivery is a great barometer for how much Americans are still willing to spend. Jason Helfstein, Oppenheimer and Company’s managing director and head of Internet research, tells us why he’s giving the stock a buy rating and how he thinks the latest changes to minimum wage laws will affect stockholders. And it’s still all abo...
Feb 11, 2024•24 min
