Trading Perspectives: An Economic Podcast

This week, a Chinese company named DeepSeek shocked the markets by claiming it had made huge advancements in Artificial Intelligence at a fraction of the cost and effort of the big tech giants in the United States. Is it too good to be true? Further, what would it mean for the average worker if the AI industry were able to expand even more rapidly than currently imagined? Will ther

The first week of Donald Trump’s second term in office was a whirlwind of activity. What surprised some people was he did a lot of what he said he was going to do, even some of the head-scratching stuff. However, how much was political posturing and how much was actually trying to govern more effectively? Did any of the executive orders make economic or societal sense? How much m

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have been horrific to witness and even more so to live through. But could they have been avoided? If not avoided, could an effective governmental response mitigated the damage to the error? Was it climate change or government inefficiency which exacerbated an already bad situation? Are there any generational differences of opinion? In this week�

The current transition of power from the Biden Administration to Trump Part 2 has been one for the books. The current president has been issuing pardons and making executive orders like has not been seen in recent memory. For his part, the new president has been acting like he is already in office and appears willing to alienate a good chunk of the world in the process. Are these g

As we start 2025, a lot of people want to know what the upcoming year holds for them, the economy and the investment markets. So, what does the crystal ball hold in store for the upcoming year? Will stocks continue to climb? Will the economy continue to add jobs? Will the Republicans be able to govern effectively? There are a lot of questions and even more opinions, but what is the

After another strong, if confusing, year in 2024, what can the US economy and financial markets do for an encore? What does the crystal ball hold in store for the upcoming year? Will stocks continue to climb? Will the economy continue to add jobs? Will the Republicans be able to govern effectively? There are a lot of questions and even more opinions. In this week’s Trading Pers

This year has been another wild one in the markets, economy, society and geopolitics. But what have we learned? What was most surprising about events throughout the rest of the world? What changes happened in our domestic society, for good or bad? How strong is the U.S. economy, really? Does anyone tell the truth anymore? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam Clement and John

Over the weekend, Syrian rebels overthrew the Assad dynasty, which had ruled the country for 5 decades. On Monday, the US stock market shrugged, and meaningful news coverage of the event was hard to find. Do American investors simply not care about the rest of the world? After all, there seem to be a lot of global problems and US stocks are at an all-time high. Further, what is it

The global wholesale diamond market has essentially collapsed over the last several years. Publicaly traded jewelry companies have been struggling with softer revenue and earnings. With the exception of perhaps ultra-high end brands, the demand for fine jewelry has essentially stalled. Is this due to the consumer being strapped for cash? Or have consumer preferences changed? After

Last week, Target Corporation announced disappointing sales growth for its 3rd Quarter of 2024. This was just another hint at a broader U.S. consumer slowdown or cooling. While spending forecasts aren’t dire, how much fuel does the average American household have in the tank to propel the upcoming holiday shopping season? Will it be merry and bright for retailers? Or will Santa b