Episodes

  • Why This Economist Says Government Economic Surveys Can’t Be Replaced

    Why This Economist Says Government Economic Surveys Can’t Be Replaced
    Sep 7 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos talk about the bond market, the post-Labor Day volatility it experienced due to concerns over the Federal Reserve’s independence, investors piling into gold, and the U.S.’s potential loss of its tariff income stream after a decision by a Court of Appeals. Later in the show, Telis is joined by Dana M. Peterson, chief economist and leader of the Economy, Strategy & Finance Center at the Conference Board. They begin with the research group’s August consumer confidence index and whether its results mean we’re in "vibecession.” Then Peterson defends the importance of survey-based data and why revisions are necessary. And Telis asks: Could private data replace government data? This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Consumer-Confidence Survey Slips in August Government Data Is Under Fire, but It Makes the World Go ‘Round Consumer-Confidence Survey Improved in July Trump Advisers Consider Changes to How Government Collects Jobs Data Trump’s BLS Firing Tests Wall Street’s Reliance on Government Data For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Follow Gunjan Banerji here and Telis Demos here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • Barclays Analyst on How Retail Stocks Are Managing Tariffs

    Barclays Analyst on How Retail Stocks Are Managing Tariffs
    Aug 24 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Gunjan Banerji and guest co-host Miriam Gottfried dive into the big questions around the AI trade after last week's stumble. Could Nvidia’s earnings this week shift things back? Meanwhile, Gunjan points out a shift under the market’s surface: a rotation into blue chips as tech takes a back seat. Plus, earnings from Target and Walmart offer mixed signals on retail. Later, Miriam and Adrienne Yih, senior retail analyst at Barclays, are set to dive into the impact of tariffs on companies such as American Eagle Outfitters, Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch. Then, Yih tells Miriam why this back-to-school season is important for apparel retailers. Our last take: Which retailer has the most pricing power right now? This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Retail Sales Rose 0.5% in July Ulta Beauty, Target to End Partnership Tapestry Shares Fall as Kate Spade Brand, Tariffs Weigh on Profitability Target Shares Tumble After Retailer Names a Lifer to Steer Its Turnaround Walmart Wins Over More Shoppers as Tariffs Push Prices Higher For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Follow Gunjan Banerji here and Telis Demos here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Does the Weak Housing Market Signal a Coming Recession?

    Does the Weak Housing Market Signal a Coming Recession?
    Aug 17 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos dissect the latest consumer price index data and how its results have U.S. markets asking: “Will the Federal Reserve cut rates in September?” Next, Gunjan explains how a new generation of investors are “buying the dip” when markets decline. Plus, home-improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s have earnings out this week. Then after the break, Gunjan sits down with Neil Dutta, head of economic research at Renaissance Macro Research, to discuss housing. First, they dive into the state of the housing market and why Dutta believes it is in a recession. Later, Gunjan asks the important question: “Can the housing market be in a recession without the entire economy falling into a recession?” This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading A New Generation of ‘Buy the Dip’ Investors Is Propping Up the Market Home Prices Hit Record High in June, Dragging Down Sales Pending Home Sales Fell Unexpectedly in June Housing Starts Gain but Still Lag From Last Year For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Follow Gunjan Banerji here and Telis Demos here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Are Stablecoins the Future of Payments? Mizuho Analyst Shares Insights

    Are Stablecoins the Future of Payments? Mizuho Analyst Shares Insights
    Aug 10 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos and guest co-host Miriam Gottfried analyze the implications of a weak jobs report and the removal of Erika McEntarfer, the top official from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, examining how investors are grappling with the prospect of less-reliable economic data in the future. The discussion also covers this week's key CPI, PPI and business inventory reports. Plus, Telis offers a stablecoin primer before crypto firm Circle Internet’s upcoming earnings announcement. The episode continues with Telis and Dan Dolev, a senior financial-technology analyst at investment firm Mizuho Americas, exploring the burgeoning world of stablecoins. Dolev offers insights into Circle's revenue streams, whether stablecoins can disrupt Visa and Mastercard’s payment network, and their broader implications for international money transfers. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading U.S. Hiring Slowed Sharply Over the Summer Real Strains Inside the BLS Made It Vulnerable to Trump’s Accusations June CPI Report: Inflation Accelerates to 2.7% Trump’s BLS Firing Tests Wall Street’s Reliance on Government Data Figma Had a Dazzling IPO. It Could Have Been $3 Billion Better. For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Is the Stock Market in a Speculative Bubble? T. Rowe Price CIO Weighs In

    Is the Stock Market in a Speculative Bubble? T. Rowe Price CIO Weighs In
    Aug 3 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos dive into how, for the first time, brokerages have taken out more than $1 trillion dollars in margin debt to buy stocks and other securities. Next, they chat about Robinhood’s blowout earnings as another sign of market exuberance, and why investors are eagerly awaiting software and data analytics company Palantir's earnings this week. Then after the break, Sébastien Page, head of global multi-asset and chief investment officer at T. Rowe Price, joins our hosts to chat about why he thinks AI stocks have strong financial and economic positions, and why he believes stocks will still deliver an equity risk premium. Plus, Page shares what he thinks investors could learn from sports psychology. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Five Signs of a Market Bubble Investors Are Tracking With Hectic Trading in Krispy Kreme and OpenDoor, Stocks Head for a Meme Reversion Fed Holds Rates Steady, but Two Officials Back a Cut For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • How to Navigate an AI Bull Market, With Tech Investor Imran Khan

    How to Navigate an AI Bull Market, With Tech Investor Imran Khan
    Jul 27 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos start the show by digging into the meme-stock mania surrounding OpenDoor, Krispy Kreme and Kohl’s, and how the factors driving this are different from 2021. Then they get into President Trump’s latest trade deal with Japan and how it’s showing up in auto-sector trades. Plus, some economic talk ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week to discuss interest rates, and the release of the latest jobs report. Later in the show, Imran Khan, founder and chief investment officer of Proem Asset Management, joins Gunjan to talk about the AI trade surrounding companies like Nvidia, Meta and Alphabet. Plus, Khan chats about how AI enthusiasm is driving market speculation, herd thinking in markets, and the value of private-market investments like OpenAI. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or thevideo page of WSJ.com. Further Reading: Kohl’s and Opendoor Headline a New Class of Meme Stocks With Hectic Trading in Krispy Kreme and OpenDoor, Stocks Head for a Meme Reversion Trump’s New Trade Standard Takes Shape With 15% Tariff Deal How Nvidia Became the World’s First $4 Trillion Company For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee On Tariffs, Inflation and AI

    Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee On Tariffs, Inflation and AI
    Jul 19 2025
    In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos are joined by Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and voting member of the 2025 FOMC Committee, to discuss the economy, inflation, tariffs, escalating trade wars and the Federal Reserve's approach to monetary policy. Goolsbee explains how the economic conditions and the Fed’s dual mandate of stable prices and maximum employment plays into his decision making on cutting interest rates. Plus, he discusses the potential for AI to drive long-term productivity gains but cautions against the risk of an "exuberance bubble" similar to the dot-com era. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Latest Tariff Threats Could Delay Rate Cuts, Chicago Fed’s Goolsbee Says For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Morgan Stanley Exec on the IPO Market, Robinhood’s Tokenized Stocks and More

    Morgan Stanley Exec on the IPO Market, Robinhood’s Tokenized Stocks and More
    Jul 13 2025
    After a couple years in a slump, the market for initial public offerings has been stronger this year. In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, host Telis Demos is joined by Arnaud Blanchard, global co-head of equity capital markets at Morgan Stanley, to discuss how recent IPO deals from companies like Chime and Voyager Technologies are giving the market a bump, where IPOs are expected to go in the second half of 2025 and if there is any chance of the market returning to its 2021 highs. Blanchard also shares what companies and sectors he thinks investors should pay the most attention to and whether he sees new offerings like “tokenized stocks” from brokerage upstart Robinhood as a threat to the IPO market. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where 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. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Wall Street Hangs On to Hopes for a Boom in Deals Private Equity’s IPO Exit Doors Expected to Open Wide in Second Half Chime Financial Is the Latest IPO to Soar in Debut Voyager Technologies Rises in Debut, Signaling Improving IPO Market For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins