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Animal Spirits Podcast
Animal Spirits is a show about markets, life, and investing. Join Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson as they talk about what they're reading, writing, listening to and watching. Look for new episodes every Wednesday morning. See our disclosures here - https://ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures/
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How Much is $1 Trillion? (EP. 469)
Talk Your Book: The Case for Investing in Emerging Market Bonds
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson interview Eric Fine, portfolio manager for the VanEck Emerging Markets Bond Strategy (EMBX), exploring how emerging market bonds have transformed from volatile basket c…
Talk Your Book: Is the Nasdaq 100 in Another Bubble?
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Mark Merricks, Global Head of Index Insights at NASDAQ, for an in-depth discussion about the NASDAQ 100's evolution and current market dynamics. The conversation c…
This Won't End Well (EP. 464)
Ben Carlson and Michael Batnick discuss Ben's new book Risk and Reward, which he describes as his best work after A Wealth of Common Sense, Organizational Alpha, and Don't Fall for It. The book distil…
Talk Your Book: Investing in Securitization
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson interview Michael Laughlin, Executive Director and ETF Client Product Specialist at Janus Henderson Investors, discussing their dominant position in the CLO ETF market.…
The Stock Market Is Doing Something We’ve Never Seen Before (EP. 463)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss Paul Tudor Jones's appearance on Invest Like the Best, where the legendary hedge fund manager shared bearish market predictions and revealed his trading persona…
Talk Your Book: Animal Spirits Live with F/m Investments
This live episode of Animal Spirits features hosts Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson speaking with Alex Morris, a Renaissance man from FM Investments, at their Georgetown office in Washington, D.C. Morr…
Paycheck-To-Paycheck on $500,000? (EP. 462)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, covering markets, technology, and economic trends. Michael shares his experience using AI to analyze HVAC quotes, leading to broade…
Talk Your Book: Consternation About Concentration
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson interview Michael Aroney, Chief Investment Strategist at State Street Investment Management, discussing the record-breaking ETF industry growth and market dynamics. The…
Investing Isn't Supposed to Be Fun
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, discussing markets, economics, and investing from their perspective at Ritholtz Wealth Management. The conversation begins with cri…
Everyone Back in the Boat (EP. 460)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this wide-ranging discussion covering markets, taxes, AI's impact on employment, and cultural observations. Batnick shares insights from reading Inferno The World …
Talk Your Book: The Biggest Active ETF
Hamilton Raynor, portfolio manager at JP Morgan Asset Management, returns to discuss the continued dominance of covered call ETFs in the active management space. JEPI maintains its position as the wor…
$1 Million is the Worst Amount of Money (EP. 459)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, discussing markets, investing, and life observations. Both are affiliated with Ritholtz Wealth Management and provide commentary on…
Talk Your Book: Income and Momentum
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host a two-part Animal Spirits episode featuring Bill Mann, Chief Investment Strategist at Motley Fool Asset Management, and Kevin Liniak, Managing Director at Morgan S…
Home Buyer's Remorse (EP. 458)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, discussing market conditions during ongoing geopolitical tensions, with Michael promoting his upcoming book release on May 12th and…
Talk Your Book: Navigating Fixed Income in a Crazy World
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Stephanie Larose Lier, head of business strategy and development at Invesco, for a comprehensive discussion on fixed income markets and investment strategies. The …
The Best Stocks in History (EP. 457)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss how markets have become the primary regulator of global events, with military actions and major announcements now coordinated around market hours. They explore …
Talk Your Book: What's the Latest in Crypto?
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Krista Lynch, Senior Vice President of ETF Capital Markets at Grayscale, for a comprehensive discussion on the current state of cryptocurrency markets in early 202…
The Perfect Price of Oil (EP. 456)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Animal Spirits, discussing markets, life, and investing with their characteristic blend of analysis and commentary. Ben recently returned from the Future Proof con…
Talk Your Book: After-Tax Alpha
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Erco Atula, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Brooklyn Investment Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen acquired in 2025. The discussion centers on tax-adva…
Will AI Displace Financial Advisors? (EP. 455)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host a live Animal Spirits podcast from Miami's Future Proof conference, featuring guest interviews and a comedic roast segment. The show opens with market commentary o…
Talk Your Book: What's Working in the Stock Market?
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Chris Gallipo, portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton, on February 23rd during a volatile market session. The conversation takes place as financial stocks fall 3.…
A Wave of Redemptions (EP. 454)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, discussing markets, geopolitical events, and investing trends. Both are affiliated with Ritholtz Wealth Management and provide comm…
Talk Your Book: The Bull Market in Real Assets
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson interview David Shassler, head of multi-asset solutions at VanEck, who manages the VanEck Real Assets ETF (ticker: RAAX). The conversation explores why real assets have…
Everyone Hates AI (EP. 453)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, discussing the viral AI doom research from Citrina that predicts massive unemployment and market crashes by 2028. The piece argues …
Talk Your Book: Investing in Next Gen Tech Stocks
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Paul Schroeder, equity product strategist at Invesco and specialist for QQQ equity products. The conversation focuses on Invesco's NASDAQ NextGen 100 ETF (QQQJ), w…
Is AI a Mistake? (EP. 452)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the unprecedented market dynamics of early 2025, where individual stock volatility has reached levels typically seen in bear markets while major indices remain …
Talk Your Book: Why Commodities Are Working
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Greg Scher, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at PIMCO's Real Assets team, to discuss the PIMCO Commodity Strategy Active ETF (CMDT). Scher brings 27 years o…
What Would You Do With $3 Million? (EP. 451)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host this episode of Animal Spirits, recorded Tuesday February 10th at 9am Eastern. The show covers their analysis of dramatic market rotations, the software sector col…
Talk Your Book: The 3 A's of the U.S. Economy
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Bill Mann, Chief Investment Strategist at Motley Fool Asset Management, to discuss current market dynamics and the sustainability of the current bull market cycle.…
Talk Your Book: Investing in a Concentrated Stock Market
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host returning guest Matt Bartolini, Managing Director and Head of SPDR Americas Research at State Street Global Advisors, for their sixth or seventh appearance on the …
Hi-Yo Silver! (EP. 449)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss markets, economics, and investing on a snow day recording, with Michael having spent time shoveling while listening to Dead Wake by Erik Larson about the Lusita…
Talk You Book: How to Fix the Plumbing of the Financial System
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Ryan Lavelle, Director of Capital Markets at Chainlink Labs and former Vanguard employee, to discuss blockchain technology's potential to revolutionize financial m…
Small Caps Are Back (EP. 448)
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss market volatility triggered by geopolitical tensions, with Trump's Greenland annexation threats causing gold to surge 3.5% and the VIX to spike to 20. They anal…
Talk Your Book: Structured Notes in an ETF
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson interview Jeff Schwartz from Simplify ETFs about their innovative barrier income strategies. Schwartz brings 30 years of money management experience, having previously …
Talk Your Book: The Bull Case for China With Brendan Ahern
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson host Brendan Ahern, Chief Investment Officer at Crane Shares, for their third conversation about Chinese markets and investing. The hosts recently read Breakneck by Dan…
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