1 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to What Goes Up, a weekly markets podcast. 2 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 1: My name is Mike Reagan. I'm a senior editor at Bloomberg. 3 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 2: And I'm Wildonna high Across asset reporter with Bloomberg. 4 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: And this Weekvil Donna, a very special episode shows up. 5 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: You know, when I was a kid in the seventies 6 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: and eighties, the best TV was always the crossover events. 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 2: Are you sure it was this the eighteen seven Yeah? 8 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: I knew that was coming old shaming as usual, but 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: I had to google it to figure out what the 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: best crossover okay, TV episodes ever were. Do you know 11 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: what The first one? I think was No Superman on 12 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: I Love Lucy in nineteen fifty seven. How about that? Yeah? 13 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: I was not around for that, but I was around 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: for The Jetsons meet the Flintstones. That was a thing, 15 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: you remember that, the Jetsons meet. I don't know how the 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: Jetsons could have met the Flintstone. It doesn't seen logical. 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, because one is future one is past. 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: Right. Yeah, so here's one of your generations, I think, Okay, 19 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: the Sweet Life of Hannah Montana. You remember that? 20 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 2: Oh my god, I watched that when I was little. Yeah, 21 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 2: of course, Miley Cyrus. 22 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: Miley Cyrus. He watched Hannah of course, and did you 23 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: remember them her on The Sweet Life? 24 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 2: No, The Sweet Life with Zach and Cody? Is that right? 25 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah? 26 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: Anyway, No, I don't remember that. 27 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: The point is I love a good crossover episode. 28 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, we have one today, we do. We're really really 29 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 2: fortunate to have Joe Wisenthal and Tracy Alloway the co 30 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 2: hosts or hosts hosts co hosts, co host, co host 31 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: works of What goes Up Now I'm just kidding. 32 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: The Jetsons. We have the Jetsons meeting. 33 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 2: The Flintstoness meeting the flint Scents. There. They are the 34 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: hosts of the uber super popular Odd Lots podcast. 35 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you. Really have very psyched to be here. 36 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 2: But anyway, we want to actually start out by talking 37 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 2: about you guys a little bit cool. We are going 38 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 2: to put you on the spot, okay, but actually, Joe, 39 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 2: right before we started taping, you said you when you 40 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: were little, you lived in Malaysia. 41 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 4: I did I live for I moved around a Fairmount 42 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 4: when I was a kid, and my dad was a 43 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 4: he's a physics professor and the Malaysian government in the 44 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 4: I don't know, maybe they still have the program. But 45 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 4: in the late eighties and early nineties, they had this 46 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 4: program where they imported American university professors to Malaysia for 47 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 4: a few years so that local like sort of like 48 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 4: promising students could train under like a sort of US 49 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 4: style university system for their first two years of college 50 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 4: and then complete their degrees in the US for their 51 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 4: final two years. 52 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 3: So that was really fun. I want to go back 53 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 3: to Malaysia here. 54 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 2: I thought you were from Texas. 55 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 3: No, I'm a Fox Texans. 56 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: I want to college secular misconception. I was from Texas. 57 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 3: I'm glad I give off. I'm glad I pull it off. 58 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: You've got the swagger the cowboys. 59 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 2: Well, because you go to Texas on vacations. 60 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 3: One of the college there and I go back there. 61 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 2: Yeah you do that. 62 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, what's your backstory? 63 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 3: Can you give us the actual chronology? 64 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 5: Because no, I can't because I don't remember everything. So 65 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 5: I was born in Arkansas in a place that no 66 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 5: longer exists. It was a military base. My dad was 67 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 5: with the Air Force. 68 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 6: And then I lived in. 69 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 5: Chicago for a bit, Dallas for a bit, and then 70 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 5: I moved to I was in Tokyo for a part 71 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 5: of preschool, and then at some point I moved to 72 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 5: Tokyo first to fourth grade, and then I was in 73 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 5: Chicago from middle school, and then I was in Vienna 74 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 5: for two years, and then my last two years of 75 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 5: high school were in Tokyo. 76 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: It's interesting you both have sort of this. You know, 77 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: grew up moving around a lot of will Don and 78 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: I think I barely left the Tri state area. But 79 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: let's get into sort of I want to talk about 80 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: what makes you two such good co hosts and what 81 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: makes you tick, because I feel like there's a bit 82 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: of a ying and yang thing going on. You know. 83 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: I look at Tracy and I the way you view 84 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: markets and correct me if I'm making too many leaps here. 85 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: But you're almost like a chief risk officer to me. 86 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: You look at the economy and markets from that angle, 87 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: whereas Joe is sort of like, I don't know, and 88 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: this is a compliment, but sort of perennial optimists, risk embracing. 89 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: I mean, is that a fair way to. 90 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 5: Describe you to I think we skew in those respective directions. 91 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 5: I think I've spoken about this before, but a lot 92 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 5: of my career as a financial journalist was colored by 93 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 5: the two thousand and eight financial crisis. I actually left 94 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 5: Bloomberg En joined the ft Are in September of two 95 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,159 Speaker 5: thousand and eight, and that was the first time I 96 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 5: covered hardcore finance, so banks and markets, and you can 97 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 5: imagine what that experience was like. And I think to 98 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 5: some degree that has shaped my approach to financial journalism, 99 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 5: which is you're always looking for the next risk over 100 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 5: the horizon. That's kind of where the big prizes for 101 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 5: a lot of financial journalists. But I have also come 102 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 5: to realize, thanks in part to Joe, that there is 103 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 5: a whole other discourse of financial journalism out there. You know, 104 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 5: people are interest in potential investments, obviously, people are interested 105 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 5: in how things actually work, and that has been very, 106 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 5: very fun to cover. 107 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 3: I love the framework. 108 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 4: Our old colleague Luke Kawa has said multiple times that 109 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 4: Tracy is value and I'm momentum, which is basically, like, 110 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 4: you know, Tracy captures the value factor. It's like eternal 111 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 4: and you know, like me, I am. You know, it's like, oh, 112 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 4: everyone's talking about crypto now, and it's not that like 113 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,119 Speaker 4: I'm into crypto per se, or like that I'm into 114 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 4: AI or whatever. It's more just that like, oh, this 115 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 4: is the thing, and I want to figure it out, 116 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 4: and then Tracy is like the ballast maybe like you know, 117 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 4: Tracy is the bonds on the sixty forty portfolio and 118 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 4: I'm the stocks or something like that. I do think 119 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 4: that it balances out well, that completes the optimal portfolio 120 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 4: allocation between the two of us. 121 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: Well, that's an interesting way to think of it, because 122 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: I think, you know, risk aversion is probably the biggest 123 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: mistake over too much risk version is the biggest mistake 124 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: an investor can make, I think totally. 125 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 5: And this is something that I used to write a 126 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 5: lot about credit and corporate bonds, and I kept writing 127 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 5: about how, oh, when interest rates go up, this is 128 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 5: going to be a big, big issue. 129 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 6: And I kind of. 130 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 5: Had to get over that to some extent because in 131 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 5: twenty twenty, you know, what did we see. We saw 132 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 5: the Fed announce a corporate bond buying program. And after that, 133 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 5: I think the risk kind of shifts a little bit 134 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 5: and you start to realize that there are a lot 135 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 5: of problems out there in the world, but central banks 136 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 5: are also sort of endlessly creative at solving them, and 137 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 5: to some extent I stopped worrying so much about those 138 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 5: types of risks. 139 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 3: I do think it's interesting. 140 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 4: I mean, now we're actually talking literally about like sort 141 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 4: of financial assets, but it is interesting. 142 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 3: I've always think, you. 143 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 4: Know, if you're like into bonds, your payout is capped right, 144 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 4: like you know that you want to get paid back 145 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 4: at one hundred dollars on the dollar. It's the downside 146 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 4: that can you go all the way to zero. So 147 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 4: it's like an entirely a sort of worldview of like 148 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 4: downside avoidance, whereas with stocks, you know, the upside is 149 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 4: theoretically unlimited. So it's like you have one side that's 150 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 4: trying to like cut off the left tail, and you 151 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 4: have another side that's trying to like shoot for the 152 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 4: right tail. But I really do think, like in covering 153 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 4: markets too, you start to see these like personality types 154 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 4: like a merge where it's like, I don't know, stock 155 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 4: people seem. 156 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 3: A little sunnier. 157 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 4: Commity people are the most sociopathic because they're sort of 158 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 4: vetting against human ingenuity, and bond people are like the 159 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 4: most like sort of like yeah, like risk avoidant because 160 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 4: they already know what they're the best outcome is they're 161 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 4: just trying to cut off the worst outcomes. 162 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 6: And then there are FX traders. 163 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 3: What about crypto. It's like this like weird mix of 164 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 3: like optimism and like derange pessimism. 165 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 6: I don't know, Like, no, you're absolutely right. 166 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 5: It's like we're going to get a massive payout because 167 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 5: the world. 168 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, well, Tracy, I'm going to point you 169 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: chief risk officer of Odd Lots. 170 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 6: I like, thank you. 171 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: But Joe has always been a big proponent of the 172 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: trillion dollar coin. For those who are unfamiliar, I don't 173 00:07:57,720 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: know how you could be after all the talk of it. 174 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: But the idea is that when the government, when Congress 175 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: reaches this impass on raising the debt ceiling, that there's 176 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: an obscure law that allows the Treasury to meant a 177 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: trillion dollar coin. It's such a Joe topic, and I 178 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: love that about it. It's like because it's quirky, it's weird, 179 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: but also it is like a potential real life solution 180 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: to a major problem that is worth discussing. And this 181 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: past episode of the debt ceiling talks, I feel like 182 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: it bubbled up to the highs. 183 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 6: It it bubbles up every time. It never actually happens one day. 184 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: He let's hear your take on the trillion dollar coin. 185 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 5: So, first of all, let me say I admire Joe's 186 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 5: commitment to the trillion dollar coin, and in many ways 187 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 5: it is a exceedingly clever loophole that sort of gets 188 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 5: to the heart of the way the US monetary and 189 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 5: legal system actually works. However, my issue with it, I 190 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 5: think is optics matter, right, and I think pitching this 191 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 5: idea as like, we got a lot of really smart 192 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 5: people in a room to find a really esoteric loophole 193 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 5: that you know, is difficult to explain to a lot 194 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 5: of people, and then trying to explain that to a 195 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 5: general population of voters I think would be extremely difficult. 196 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 5: So that's number one. You can imagine the Fox News 197 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 5: headlines on Democrats minting the coin effectively. And then the 198 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 5: second thing that worries me about it is it is 199 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 5: a very clever loophole, but a loophole nonetheless, And we 200 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 5: might think it's worthwhile in the context of a debt 201 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 5: sealing argument, but what about the next president. What if 202 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 5: the next president decides, oh, actually I can do something 203 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 5: similar to I don't know, fund my like fascist army 204 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 5: or something like that. 205 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 6: That worries me. 206 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 5: And loopholes seem great when they're being used for things 207 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 5: that you agree with. They do not seem so great 208 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,439 Speaker 5: when they're being used for things that are more nefarious. 209 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: All right, I'll give you my one worry about it, 210 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,680 Speaker 1: then we'll let Shoe respond all of it. My worry 211 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: is like it could create a Liz Trust type of 212 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: moment in the markets. You know, the UK leader who 213 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: introduced you know, big tax cuts. 214 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,079 Speaker 6: Joe has thoughts on liz Trust too, and the lettuce right. 215 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: My fear would be that would be this immediate reaction 216 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: in the markets, Like that would cause you know whatever, 217 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: the dollar to saying, bond yields to go nuts. 218 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 3: Everything you guys say is probably mostly right. 219 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 4: I'll say two things is like, one is the worst 220 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 4: outcome I think of a debt ceiling fiasco would be 221 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:36,080 Speaker 4: an actual miscredit payment or mistrageric payment. And there are 222 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 4: many things loopholes, gimmicks, potential market risk, credibility, things that 223 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 4: would probably be worth taking if the alternative is an 224 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 4: actual default on the debt. And the other thing is 225 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 4: I'll just say, look at my enthusiasm. It's like, in addition, 226 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 4: it to being a loophole like and Tracy sort of 227 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 4: hinted at this. I love the didactic potential of it 228 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 4: because you do learn a lot through like how our 229 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 4: monetary system is like and these inversational why wouldn't cons inflation? 230 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,960 Speaker 4: And you learn a lot about constitutional origins, et cetera. 231 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 4: So it's almost like a thought experiment in the form 232 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,160 Speaker 4: of a physical coin. It's like it's something it is, 233 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 4: this like physical thing that could exist, but there are 234 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 4: so many interesting legal and economic ideas embedded in this 235 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 4: coin that I can't help but resist want to see 236 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:21,839 Speaker 4: it happen. 237 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: One is there a little bit of mischievousness too on 238 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: your own? 239 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 2: You know what? 240 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 3: I just say, yes. 241 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 4: But what I really do enjoy about it from a 242 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 4: sort of like mischief a standpoint, is that most arguments 243 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 4: against it, not saying traces are yours, but most arguments 244 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 4: end up being extremely bad and easily debunked and easily 245 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,959 Speaker 4: argued against. And so what I sort of enjoy from 246 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,560 Speaker 4: a you can call it trolling, is that you do 247 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 4: see these people like tilted windmills because it seems like, oh, 248 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 4: it's obviously dumb, and then like one by one, the 249 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 4: sort of like at their arguments fall apart, which is weird, 250 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 4: and so it's kind of you can have a lot of. 251 00:11:58,600 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: Fun with it. 252 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 2: This is great for me because we're creating a lot 253 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 2: of controversy with this this podcast. Okay, the other thing 254 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 2: about both of you, and I've worked with both of 255 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 2: you in different capacities over the last couple of years, 256 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 2: but also you guys have so many ideas about stories 257 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 2: that should be written about the market, like really good 258 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,719 Speaker 2: ideas all the time. Like Tracy, remember one of your 259 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 2: mayonnaise story was so good, Oh thank you. 260 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 5: Yeah, that was so toying with whether or not to 261 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 5: do a third edition of may I will just do it. 262 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 5: August is mayonnaise season for me, so maybe I will. 263 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 2: Another topic you guys have been talking about a lot 264 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 2: is organized labor and you've had some episodes about this, 265 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,960 Speaker 2: and I think Tracy you called it the hot union summer. 266 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 5: I think Joe pointed out I was probably not the 267 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 5: first person to say that, but it does feel like 268 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 5: there is something in the air with more proactive labor 269 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 5: union movements. And we talked about this actually in one 270 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 5: of our really early pandemic episodes. We had on a 271 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,199 Speaker 5: financial historian to talk about what happened to the labor 272 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 5: market are the plague in the Middle Ages, and he 273 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 5: made the point that because so many people died, there 274 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 5: was a lot of power that sort of swung to labor, 275 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:11,959 Speaker 5: and so you did start to see some pushback against 276 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 5: I guess the sort of land barons of that time. 277 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 6: Yeah, and maybe, you know, maybe that's what we're seeing now. 278 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 4: The labor conversation, I feel like touches on so many 279 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 4: different dynamics that we like to like what happens when 280 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 4: labor markets just get really tight and work or bargaining power, 281 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 4: which is something we discussed for years before the pandemic, 282 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 4: and why was wage growth so mediocre and stuff, et cetera. 283 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 4: The role of like organized labor is like, there's all 284 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 4: this domestic investment in electric vehicles and electrifying, you know, decarbonization. 285 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 4: That's really interesting. 286 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 5: Tension corporate profits as well, which is something we've been 287 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 5: talking a lot about. 288 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, So I just feel yeah, and also, you know, 289 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 4: like so much of the seventies inflation story is like 290 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 4: caught up in this thing of like this the sort 291 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 4: of wage price spiral and the unions being able to 292 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 4: claim higher wages than the work. The company is trying 293 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 4: to pass that on, and so like the labor dimension, 294 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 4: it just seems like like this big through line across 295 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 4: so many of our different themes. 296 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a headline out this week the ups the 297 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: new contract. At the end of the drivers will be 298 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 1: making like one seven hundred and seventy. 299 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 2: Dollars with benefits. 300 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: Which, hey, it's a hard job and yeah, you know 301 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: they deserve it, but. 302 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 2: But it is. It is part of so many other 303 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 2: stories too, like the Yellow Core bankruptcy that partly was 304 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 2: also triggered by I think union talks. 305 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 4: Right, that company was like in deep distress for years, 306 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 4: but that was that did seem to be distray that Finally. 307 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 6: They definitely blamed it on the union. 308 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 3: They definitely planned it on the. 309 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, another hot button topic. Were you ready? 310 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 2: What is it? 311 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 1: Take a deep breath MMT. I want to talk a 312 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: little bit about it. 313 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 4: Can I just say Tracy is like, even though she 314 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 4: would claimed to like or disclaim MMT, the MMT ers 315 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 4: all love many of Tracy's formulations. 316 00:14:58,160 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 3: God, Tracy really nailed it. 317 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 6: Well my okay, here here's my on the record stance 318 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 6: on MMT. 319 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: First, can you you'll explain it better than I can. 320 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 6: Let's show explain it a brief. 321 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 4: I would describe MMT as the simple characterization that a government. 322 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 4: That a government's constraint is not the same as a 323 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 4: household constraint where it's like, oh, you're not going to 324 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 4: have enough income to pay your debts. That a government's 325 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 4: constraint is the flip, which is that the constraint on 326 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 4: spending is real resources in the economy, and if you 327 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 4: spend too much then you get inflation, and that that 328 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 4: composes some sort of limit on what you can spend. 329 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 4: But they're trying to gauge a government's spending capacity by 330 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 4: just looking at things like deficits. The gap between revenue 331 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 4: and income won't get you very far. 332 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 6: And I actually I agree with all of that. However, 333 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 6: my I guess. 334 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: It's like a therapy session for you to hear. 335 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 6: This is a lot Joe and not yelling at each other. No, 336 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 6: I agree with that. 337 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 5: My problem with it is I don't find it that 338 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 5: useful because in practice it already seems to exist. I mean, 339 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 5: we've watched the US deficit go up. 340 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 6: And up and up. 341 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 5: It wasn't really a problem until we had inflation, and 342 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 5: MMT has a lot to say about that, and I agree, 343 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 5: but in practice, viewing it through that framework, I don't 344 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 5: think leads to different actions. And then the other thing 345 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 5: I would say is I question its usefulness even more 346 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 5: for emerging markets. And we've talked about this on our podcast. 347 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: Well, the one thing I'm wondering in this current environment, 348 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: MMT would sort of suggest that the way to beat 349 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: inflation is raised taxes. Right, we're cut spending, I guess, 350 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: but probably raised taxes. And I feel like that's its 351 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: achilles heel in that when could you ever get a politician. 352 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 6: This is exactly it. 353 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 5: So it's like, Okay, we're going to shift the conversation 354 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 5: among politicians from like, oh, we have to worry about 355 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 5: the deficit, so we can't spend this, or we can't 356 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 5: enact tax cuts or whatever, and you're supposed to shift 357 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 5: the conversation to inflation. But talking about inflation and why 358 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 5: it's happening and the sources of inflation is even more 359 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 5: difficult in some respects than talking about things from a 360 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,880 Speaker 5: pure budget perspective. And I think we've really seen that 361 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 5: over the past couple of years. So again I question 362 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 5: the utility. 363 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 1: So if you put an automatic trigger in the law 364 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: saying inflations above three percent, taxes go up. 365 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 5: It's bad enough when politicians argue over, oh this is 366 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 5: going to cost you know, one billion dollars. It will 367 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 5: be even worse when they start talking about, oh, this 368 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 5: is going to cause a you know, zero point two 369 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:28,120 Speaker 5: percent increase in inflation. 370 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 4: I do think also, I mean to the point, you know, 371 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 4: you see the fight over even the pause over student 372 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 4: debt payments and how fraud that is. So I think 373 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 4: like it is a pretty good critique of MT as 374 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,680 Speaker 4: a sort of like working political theory, the idea that 375 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 4: like that there are theoretically times in which it makes 376 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 4: sense to have fiscal constraints and that is difficult. And 377 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 4: that's arguably like one of the reasons that the FED 378 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 4: exists because Paul, you know that or why this is 379 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:02,120 Speaker 4: sort of the current ocean of what FED independence actually 380 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,120 Speaker 4: is was sort of built on this idea that, like, well, 381 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 4: politicians can't be assumed to do what's right. And I 382 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 4: would say, the one thing, you know, the one other 383 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 4: thing is like Tracy came up with the formulation that, 384 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,400 Speaker 4: like any problem that you can solve with money isn't 385 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 4: really a problem, which all the m M tiers love, 386 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 4: So even though they've always love Tracy's lying about and 387 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 4: you probably can solved with money isn't like really a problem. 388 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 5: So one other thing I would say, just you know, 389 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 5: out of mutual respect for the m M tiers is 390 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:36,199 Speaker 5: I am a huge fan of any iconic plastic economist 391 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 5: who is actually thinking up new ideas for the way 392 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 5: the world works. So massive respect for Stephaniekelton. I think 393 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:46,360 Speaker 5: she's done some phenomenal work. I do have questions about it, 394 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 5: but kudos to her for looking at things in a 395 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 5: slightly different way and. 396 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: As a description of the current situation m mts it's right. 397 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I leave it there. 398 00:18:58,560 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: That's good. 399 00:18:58,960 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 3: That's good. That's good. 400 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 2: I will say for a lot of these topics, the 401 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,640 Speaker 2: first time I learn of them, or like really start 402 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 2: looking into them or become interested in them is because 403 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 2: you guys are talking about it on Twitter, on x 404 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 2: on x okay another one, and you guys also did 405 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 2: a recent episode about this. It's a company most Americans 406 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 2: don't know anything about. 407 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 6: Bid the Chinese EV maker. 408 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 2: Yes, and so EV's in general. Because Tracy, I'm going 409 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 2: to quote you again, you said, there's this ongoing tension 410 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,400 Speaker 2: between wanting to create a vibrant and competitive EV industry 411 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 2: and battery making in the US, which BID is in China, 412 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,399 Speaker 2: but also attaching better work conditions for workers. So this 413 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,440 Speaker 2: all sort of ties some of these themes together. 414 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. 415 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 5: Absolutely, And I think we've spoken to some senior officials 416 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 5: from the Biden administration about this tension. There is a 417 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 5: desire to create specific industry within the US, like batteries 418 00:19:56,359 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 5: like EV's solar panels, maybe at scale and in an 419 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 5: efficient way, but at the same time, you want to 420 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 5: create good working conditions. You want to make sure that 421 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 5: this is a valuable industry for the US, and I 422 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 5: think there's there's a real tension there between creating an efficient, 423 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 5: presumably affordable product that Americans can buy and competing with 424 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 5: other places in the world. 425 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 4: I mean, I do think this is just this huge 426 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:26,400 Speaker 4: story how cheap the end, you know, the improving quality 427 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,159 Speaker 4: of Chinese electric vehicles and their competitive price points. It 428 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 4: seems to be creating all kinds of stress in Europe 429 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 4: right now or the beginning, more so than the US. 430 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 4: But I do think it'll be It's interesting. I do 431 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 4: think like there are some very exciting things happening domestically 432 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,439 Speaker 4: in the US with like our battery investments and the 433 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,480 Speaker 4: Inflation Reduction Act, et cetera. Like every other day there's 434 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,479 Speaker 4: some new announcement of a new plant, and it's just 435 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 4: like unreal the growth that we're seeing in spending on 436 00:20:54,359 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 4: manufacturing facilities. And I'm not convinced necessarily that like the 437 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,400 Speaker 4: level of US wages is going to be a problem, 438 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 4: but I do think it's highly tbd whether all of 439 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 4: these facilities end up producing competitive products on a global scale. 440 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: Joe, this reminds me of a tweet I think you 441 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: had this week sometime, and I know you guys have 442 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,439 Speaker 1: had a few guests on talking about the notion of Bidenomics. 443 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: But to me, what's fascinating is this perception of the economy. 444 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 1: And you tweeted out one of the consumer confidence surveys 445 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: where or maybe it's the National Federation of Small Businesses, 446 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,160 Speaker 1: but one of those surveys where it's like Democrats think 447 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,439 Speaker 1: the economy is great, you know, empirically you look at 448 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 1: the numbers, it's all great, Republican, but Republicans think we're 449 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:46,680 Speaker 1: just going to hell, Like what how to explain that that. 450 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:48,640 Speaker 3: I mean, it does seem. 451 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,400 Speaker 4: Like so many people in the US right now are 452 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 4: almost in case, and I, you know, the the data suggests. 453 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,159 Speaker 4: I think it is a little bit more extreme for Republicans, 454 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 4: but I actually think quote on both sides, there is 455 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 4: extreme level of inability to sort of view the economy 456 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 4: outside of the partisan lens. And if the president is 457 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,240 Speaker 4: not your party, it is pretty dramatic how much that 458 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 4: will swigh your view on what is going on. 459 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:17,640 Speaker 3: And it's sort of like, do you think I tell 460 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:18,000 Speaker 3: you what. 461 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: It's a partly media consumption. Do you think if you're. 462 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 4: Sure media or the sort of that would not be 463 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 4: surprise me at all? You know, I feel sorry for 464 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,120 Speaker 4: people like that. I actually like do I like the 465 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 4: inability of we all know them too in real life 466 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 4: right the inability of people to like think clearly and 467 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 4: critically outside of the lens of is this a Democrat 468 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:38,640 Speaker 4: thing or Republican thing? 469 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 5: Like? 470 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:40,919 Speaker 4: Of course it's sort of annoying, but I actually like 471 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,919 Speaker 4: feel sorry for people whose minds are caught in that trap. 472 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 5: I think partisanship is a huge aspect of this, and 473 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,640 Speaker 5: there's a lot of noise in the surveys right now, 474 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,719 Speaker 5: and some of it is due to media consumption. And 475 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:55,440 Speaker 5: we're not the only ones who have said this. Paul 476 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 5: Donovan over at UBS has talked about this. The other 477 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,239 Speaker 5: thing I would say is, I do think there is 478 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 5: a real segmentation in the economy now between people who 479 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 5: earn less and people who earn more. And for people 480 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 5: who earn more, you know, higher inflation is probably something 481 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 5: that they can deal with. For people who earn less, 482 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:18,199 Speaker 5: it might actually be that they're not seeing the benefits 483 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 5: of a lot of the things that we're talking about, 484 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 5: the things that are showing up in the hard numbers. 485 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 5: I think both those things can be simultaneously true. 486 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:29,400 Speaker 2: You're very humbly name dropped talking to a White House official, 487 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,360 Speaker 2: But you guys did talk to Jared Bernstein recently, and 488 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 2: I think the topic was bidens right, And it does 489 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 2: seem like the White House is trying to. 490 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: Wait, let me name drop something like that. You know, 491 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 1: Joe Biden guest lectured my college economics class. 492 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 2: I thought you were about to say, well done. I 493 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 2: booked Joe Biden for US. 494 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: I can't remember. If I would have known he was 495 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: to be president, I would have taken. 496 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:58,120 Speaker 6: You have the inside scoop on Biden. 497 00:23:58,800 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: I think we're all like, are we going to be 498 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,040 Speaker 1: tested on this? And they said no, and we all 499 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 1: just kind of tuned out. 500 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 2: Did you miss that class? 501 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 5: No? 502 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 2: I was. But anyway, well, maybe talk about some of 503 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 2: the highlights from that Jared Bernstein conversation. 504 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 4: What's really interesting to me is that they've chosen this 505 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 4: moment to say like, actually, we're happy with the economy, 506 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,679 Speaker 4: We're proud of this economy. And I think that's really 507 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 4: telling because like the economy in you know, summer twenty 508 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 4: twenty three, inflation has come down a bit, but like 509 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 4: you know, it's not it's still high, right or it 510 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,400 Speaker 4: still seems to be high core inflation. I guess it's 511 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,880 Speaker 4: cooling a fair amount, it's still high, and I think 512 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 4: there and consumer sentiment numbers are not great. They some 513 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,360 Speaker 4: of them have bounced back a little bit, but what's 514 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 4: in the unemployment rate's very low, but it's not that 515 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 4: different than the economy several months ago. So it is 516 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 4: sort of notable to me that at some point this 517 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 4: summer the Biden administration was like, you know what, we're 518 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 4: gonna pivot and rather than sort of like sort of 519 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:56,879 Speaker 4: distract from the economy. We're actually gonna like claim ownership 520 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 4: of this economy, which I think in itself is pretty interesting. 521 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 4: And I think, like, you know, I do think that 522 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 4: there is like a feeling among the staffers to the 523 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 4: Biden administration that they've done a better job of coming 524 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,679 Speaker 4: out of disaster than the Obama administration did, because like 525 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 4: both Biden and Obama came out of like kind of 526 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 4: like economic disasters of one sort or another. And I 527 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 4: think that there is like a feeling I was like, yeah, 528 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 4: this was the better way. 529 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:25,640 Speaker 3: Maybe there was an. 530 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,440 Speaker 4: Overshoot of spending or stimulus or something, but or there's 531 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 4: a lot being done, there's a lot of domestic investment, 532 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:33,199 Speaker 4: and it's actually like has some teeth. 533 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 6: I agree with that. 534 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 5: The one other thing I would say is it's going 535 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 5: to be really interesting to see whether this sort of 536 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 5: more interventionist style of economic policy sticks around and for 537 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 5: how long, because I remember, I think in twenty twenty, 538 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 5: I wrote an article called the Choke Point Economy, basically 539 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 5: about how the pandemic had revealed all. 540 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:55,640 Speaker 6: These choke points within the global economy. 541 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,919 Speaker 5: You know, we discovered that we couldn't get enough semiconductors 542 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 5: or goods being shipped from China took a lot longer, 543 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 5: and infrastructure at the ports was lacking things like that, 544 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 5: and the governments were becoming more attuned to these issues 545 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 5: and more willing to invest in them. And I think 546 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 5: that's certainly a thesis that's been born out by the 547 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 5: past couple of years, however, with the ensuing inflation, with 548 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 5: the fact that despite a lot of the hard numbers 549 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 5: showing the economy is still going well, but some of 550 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,959 Speaker 5: the messaging not necessarily sticking with voters. Is that attitude 551 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,920 Speaker 5: going to be around the next time, you know, five 552 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:35,960 Speaker 5: or ten years, let's say. And I think to Joe's point, 553 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 5: there is a lot of agreement that the more active 554 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 5: fiscal intervention in twenty twenty was massively helpful. But I'm 555 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 5: kind of interested in seeing whether or not that conclusion 556 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,399 Speaker 5: sticks in say, a decade. Are people going to remember 557 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 5: it for that or are they going to learn the 558 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,399 Speaker 5: wrong lessons that inflation was really high and it was 559 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 5: still a struggle to convince people that we had successfully 560 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 5: managed one of the worst global pandemics in one hundred years. 561 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think, Well, in addition to having a podcast, 562 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:07,560 Speaker 1: you too have a very well edited. I would say newsletter. 563 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:12,120 Speaker 3: He does it excellent. 564 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: People are saying it's very very well. 565 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 6: You're the one reader we can always count. 566 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:22,040 Speaker 3: Are saying it's the best I've heard that. 567 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, tears in their eyes. But you've gotten into some 568 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,919 Speaker 1: very interesting topics, and I recommend everyone to subscribe if 569 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: they haven't already. But it's a great way to sort 570 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,919 Speaker 1: of get your undistilled thoughts on these things. Tracy. You 571 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: had one recently, a Brave New World Built on bonds, 572 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,439 Speaker 1: basically talking about, well, here we go. We had another 573 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: credit rating cut on the US sovereign rating. Does it 574 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: matter that? Has the bond market moved away from credit ratings? 575 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: This week we saw Moodies come out and just sort 576 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 1: of dump all over all the bank banks, plant slam 577 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,080 Speaker 1: all all the banks. And you had another one talking 578 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: about the extended pretend idea, you know, a throwback to 579 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,880 Speaker 1: the financial crisis where there's a lot of commercial real 580 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: estate loan workouts being done right now, I'll try to 581 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,439 Speaker 1: sort of do whatever you can to adjust the terms 582 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: to avoid companies going bankrupt. I feel like people here 583 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: extend and pretend and think of it as in a 584 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 1: derogatory Yeah, yeah, is it. 585 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 5: I mean, it's only bad if it fails. But seriously, 586 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 5: I think this is one of the things, you know, 587 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 5: when we talk about at the beginning of this conversation 588 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 5: the big risks from two thousand and eight, there was 589 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 5: a lot of extend and pretend. Post two thousand and eight, 590 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 5: the economy recovered, albeit slowly and gradually. A lot of 591 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 5: those workouts did, in fact, you know, reach their intended goal. 592 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 5: We saw mark to market accounting suspended on bank balance sheets, 593 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 5: and a lot of those assets ended up recovering. 594 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 6: And so I think we've. 595 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 5: Actually written about this together that the big plank of 596 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 5: financial stability is in fact economic growth. And so if 597 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 5: you see people extend and ten for the foreseeable future, 598 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 5: but the economy remains strong, maybe some of those office 599 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 5: buildings get transformed into something else, maybe more people are 600 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 5: called back into work, then it's a strategy that could 601 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 5: be perfectly tenable. 602 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I've come at some point. 603 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 4: I came to the realization, like I don't know, in 604 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 4: the early twenty ten, it's just all it's can kicking 605 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 4: for forever. You just keep kicking that can, And people 606 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 4: say it is a pejorative. It's like No, we're going 607 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 4: to be can kicking till it works. And then my 608 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 4: kids are going to be kicking the can because it's 609 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 4: like it's kicking the can. No, you just keep kicking it, 610 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 4: and then the kids, our kids and grandchildren, they'll just 611 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 4: be keep kicking that can. And I sort of think 612 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 4: that like that sort of you know, taking our lumps 613 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 4: now has this like good feeling. We're going to like, 614 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 4: you know, solve our problems. We're gonna like take the pain. 615 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 4: And I just sort of think like, now you just 616 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 4: keep finding a way to muddle through, and that that 617 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 4: actually is how sort of the economy and humanity just 618 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 4: sort of keeps keeps going through. 619 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 2: Okay, Joe, I have a new question. Okay, shot this 620 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 2: is super interesting to me, and I think actually Matt 621 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 2: Lewen ended up writing about this this idea of yours 622 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 2: as well. You said betting on downturns has been really 623 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 2: costly for companies. So for instance, right now, maybe we're 624 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 2: not seeing as many companies letting people go because you know, 625 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 2: they think the downturn is coming. 626 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 5: Yeah. 627 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 4: I mean I think, like, you know, the twenty twenties 628 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 4: in many ways feel like the very reverse of the 629 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 4: twenty ten. So in the twenty tens, the it's like 630 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 4: double dipper sessions when they're coming, it didn't come. But 631 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 4: like companies were so scared to invest and they're so 632 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 4: scared to hire. 633 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 3: But for the first. 634 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 4: Time ever in like twenty twenty one, in twenty twenty two, 635 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 4: or maybe not the first time ever, but for the 636 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 4: first time in decades, really, I think companies suddenly are like, oh, 637 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 4: we do not have an unlimited supply of workers, which 638 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 4: is I don't think that many managers of corporations ever 639 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 4: contemplated that idea, even in boom time's late nineties whatever, 640 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,800 Speaker 4: that like what if we just can't open our store 641 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 4: because we can't hire? And I think that really had 642 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:15,600 Speaker 4: like a deep like scarring effect on a lot of 643 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 4: managers and management teams at companies. And I think that's 644 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 4: a good potentially portend's good news like down the road, 645 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 4: which is that okay, that like they don't want to 646 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 4: ever be back there again, and so they'll be slower 647 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 4: to fire going forward, even if they see some signs 648 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:35,680 Speaker 4: of softness. And what's interesting is I always love one 649 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,200 Speaker 4: of my favorite things every month is when the Dallas 650 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 4: Fed Manufacturing report comes out once a month. I always 651 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 4: jumped to the anecdotal section because like Texas, like business managers, 652 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,920 Speaker 4: you know, they're super swaggery and cocky and all that stuff, 653 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 4: and so they always have very colorful things. But there's 654 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:53,280 Speaker 4: in recent months some of them have been talking about 655 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:56,880 Speaker 4: how I'm looking forward to the next recession because I'm 656 00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 4: going to expand my investment and take market share for 657 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 4: my opponents. But what's interesting about that is if everyone 658 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 4: goes into the recession with that attitude, you're not going 659 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 4: to get a recession, because recession, you know. 660 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: You're waiting to buy the dip. 661 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:10,920 Speaker 4: So this is like the psychology you want to engender, 662 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 4: I think for the long boom, which is that if 663 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 4: everyone yeah, it's right, if everyone wants is excited to 664 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 4: buy the dip, and we saw this in the twenty tens, 665 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 4: you don't get the dip. If everyone is excited about 666 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 4: the downturn because they're going to steal employees from the 667 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 4: other company or steal market share, you can sustain an 668 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 4: expansion for a long time. 669 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 5: I agree with this, and I would also just add 670 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 5: that we've seen some FED officials start to talk about 671 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 5: that recently, including Tom Barkin, at the Richmond FED recently. 672 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:38,280 Speaker 5: The one thing I would say, with my sort of 673 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,800 Speaker 5: like risk officer hat on is a really really bad 674 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,920 Speaker 5: thing for the economy would be something that causes everyone 675 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:48,880 Speaker 5: to wake up and go, oh, actually, I have massively 676 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,800 Speaker 5: overinflated my labor force for like business activity. A sort 677 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 5: of Minski moment in employment would be very, very bad. 678 00:32:57,120 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 5: But I don't see anything. 679 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,280 Speaker 1: Margins go down, and they yeah. 680 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 6: Something along those lines. 681 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 5: But I think I think you shouldn't underestimate the sort 682 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 5: of psychological effects here. And I do think it's true 683 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 5: that people have been more scarred by not being able 684 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:17,000 Speaker 5: to ramp up capacity than by having too much capacity 685 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 5: in the previous crisis. 686 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: But so Joe, while you know, Tracy and I are 687 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: looking at the economy in markets wondering what could go wrong. 688 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:27,120 Speaker 1: As I said, I like how you're always looking for 689 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,760 Speaker 1: the next big thing, the next big opportunity. You were 690 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: the first one I think that I heard the words 691 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:34,920 Speaker 1: room temperature. 692 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 3: Apparently it's not happening. 693 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 1: Well, explain it and explain why it's important and what 694 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:43,480 Speaker 1: we need to know about you. 695 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 4: First of all, as of an hour ago, some university 696 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:49,960 Speaker 4: put out there's like this is there's no room temperature. 697 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 6: It's actually just floating rocks. 698 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 3: It's just a floating rock so hot. 699 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,800 Speaker 4: My dad, by the way, is a physicist, and I 700 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,719 Speaker 4: saw him this past weekend and I was like, will 701 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 4: you come on, people will love it so cool? I haven't, 702 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 4: and he's like, no, I'm not. But he did explain that, 703 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 4: like you know, super conductivity, obviously, this idea that you 704 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:11,320 Speaker 4: could like transmit energy across two things or across distances 705 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:14,480 Speaker 4: with no loss would be really powerful, and it exists currently. 706 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 3: The problem is you. 707 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 4: Need such high pressure or such cold temperatures to do 708 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 4: it that there are very few actual like applications of it, 709 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,719 Speaker 4: like apparently MRI technology is one. But he said that, 710 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,879 Speaker 4: like were the holy grail to be found of where 711 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:29,440 Speaker 4: you didn't that it would create all kinds of like 712 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:33,799 Speaker 4: new consumer gadgets and certain like energy things. And I 713 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,200 Speaker 4: get you know, I'm literally just repeating what my my 714 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 4: dad said. Hit all these stuff about like bosons and 715 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:41,399 Speaker 4: things like that that I was getting get too much. 716 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:43,120 Speaker 3: I didn't. It would have been a great episode. 717 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 2: I'm really annoyed that. 718 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,400 Speaker 3: What goes up. But you know, actually the the the 719 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:50,839 Speaker 3: thing that. 720 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:52,640 Speaker 4: Was sort of interesting to me about it is like 721 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:57,200 Speaker 4: the idea of energy loss over some distance is very 722 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 4: intuitive because there's no free lunches in the world, right, Like, 723 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:03,000 Speaker 4: if you get something, it's like, okay, it's like you're 724 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:04,960 Speaker 4: going to transmit energy, but you're gonna have some laws, 725 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 4: or you can have no energy laws, but then it 726 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:08,759 Speaker 4: has to be a negative five hundred cells. It's like 727 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,719 Speaker 4: it wasn't like pay the price somehow. So I asked him, like, 728 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:16,000 Speaker 4: why do scientists even think room temperature super conductivity is 729 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 4: theoretically possible if we know that there's no like sort 730 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 4: of like free lunch in the universe. And what he 731 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 4: suspected was that were there ever to be a substance 732 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 4: that was found that had this property of room temperature superconductivity, 733 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,080 Speaker 4: his guess is that it would be very costly to synthesize, 734 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 4: to make, and so you would pay the price not 735 00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 4: in the application layer, but in the creation of the 736 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 4: material layer. So you'd still like have this, there'd be 737 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:44,080 Speaker 4: no free lunch. Nonetheless, he does think were it to 738 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:47,279 Speaker 4: be found, which he's not totally dismissive of the possibility 739 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:49,600 Speaker 4: that one day it would be that it would open 740 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:52,080 Speaker 4: up new things, but it would still be like difficult 741 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:53,640 Speaker 4: to synthesize in large. 742 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 5: Back interesting because this was one of the things about 743 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 5: the LK ninety nine formulation, which was like, actually, it 744 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 5: wasn't that difficult to do. So people were simultaneously excited 745 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 5: about the potential for a room temperature superconductor, but also 746 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 5: that it wasn't that difficult to make. 747 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:10,919 Speaker 4: I guess, I guess it turns out it's easy to make. 748 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,800 Speaker 4: It's just it's just very magnetic. 749 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,799 Speaker 1: I was sure that tungsten cubes would be involved some 750 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:16,319 Speaker 1: one day. 751 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:19,319 Speaker 3: This one day, the tungsten cube that I have. 752 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:21,120 Speaker 2: In the bin, but I remember you brought it in 753 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:22,840 Speaker 2: and then everybody was like, if you want to go 754 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:24,320 Speaker 2: see it, you got to go to Joe's. 755 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, community community cube. 756 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,360 Speaker 1: Anyway, it's that time, bil Donna. It is for the 757 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,160 Speaker 1: craziest things we saw in markets this week. I hope 758 00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: you too came prepared. This is this is a big reveal. 759 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:38,960 Speaker 5: Wait wait, I'm going to go first, just on the 760 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:41,719 Speaker 5: chance that we chose the same one. But mine is 761 00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:45,080 Speaker 5: connected to the superconductor stuff, which is last week when 762 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:48,960 Speaker 5: there was all this excitement over the potential LK ninety 763 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,880 Speaker 5: nine breakthrough, in South Korea, we saw shares of a 764 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 5: company called American Superconductor shoot to the proverbial moon, a 765 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,719 Speaker 5: company that, as far as I could tell, had absolutely 766 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,799 Speaker 5: nothing to do with the South Korean researchers. It just 767 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:08,560 Speaker 5: had a superconductor in its name. And fast forward to 768 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,520 Speaker 5: this week and it is down a lot. 769 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,759 Speaker 4: The thing that still weirds me out, or this thing 770 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 4: that I still don't get, is like why US investors 771 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:23,080 Speaker 4: got really weirded out, freaked out by like the Bank 772 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,920 Speaker 4: of Japan ending your oield curve controllers. It's like, who 773 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 4: cares suddenly, Like I'm going to like sell my like 774 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:32,799 Speaker 4: portfolio of US equities because like the Bank of Japan did, 775 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:34,719 Speaker 4: like their million of tweak to like the shape of 776 00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:37,600 Speaker 4: the old curve. Like I'm sorry, I I mean, maybe 777 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:39,680 Speaker 4: I'm missing something. And like if like the stock market 778 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:42,600 Speaker 4: crashes from here, then this will be embarrassing. It's just 779 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 4: hard for me to get excited about that one. So 780 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:46,799 Speaker 4: the fact that some people manage to get excited about 781 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:48,919 Speaker 4: that I can consider. 782 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:49,240 Speaker 3: To be impressive. 783 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:51,560 Speaker 1: The only thought I had is maybe the carry trade. 784 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,120 Speaker 1: But I don't think you buy equities with the carry 785 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:55,440 Speaker 1: trade really, maybe do I don't. 786 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:57,440 Speaker 4: Know if you're if you want to sell your stock 787 00:37:57,520 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 4: to me because of the carry trade or something I'll 788 00:37:59,560 --> 00:37:59,960 Speaker 4: pick about. 789 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 5: It wasn't the argument that it was going to take 790 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:05,080 Speaker 5: it like a big chunk of bond buyers like move 791 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 5: them away, and that bonds are the underpinning for equities 792 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:11,040 Speaker 5: and a lot of other things. 793 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:12,560 Speaker 1: It did seem like an overreaction though. 794 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 4: I agree it's going to be really embarrassing in a 795 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:16,800 Speaker 4: week when where market. 796 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:20,120 Speaker 2: I can't wait to point it out by soon. Yeah, 797 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:22,120 Speaker 2: I'm going to say, listen to this episode where Joe 798 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:26,480 Speaker 2: embarrasses himself. Okay, mine is about Zoom, the company we 799 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:27,720 Speaker 2: all use to zoom. 800 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 6: You know, I think I know what this one is, 801 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:31,560 Speaker 6: and if it is this, it's a good one. 802 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:35,200 Speaker 2: It is good because they're asking their employees to come 803 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:36,680 Speaker 2: work from the office. 804 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:40,120 Speaker 1: I don't do you think they still zoom each other 805 00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: in the office though. 806 00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 2: So they go to the office and then also zoom 807 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:45,120 Speaker 2: each other. 808 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:46,400 Speaker 6: That wouldn't be unheard of. 809 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:52,279 Speaker 2: But it's just it's funny because they're Zoom, but they're 810 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:53,960 Speaker 2: asking you to be in person. 811 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,120 Speaker 1: You would think they'd be like everyone stay at home. 812 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,319 Speaker 1: You know, you never another pandemic could be coming. 813 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:03,680 Speaker 4: You is read the last Zoom conference call about you 814 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 4: should read it. It's from about a month and a 815 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:09,400 Speaker 4: half ago, and it's like the ultimate like flavor of them. 816 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:14,719 Speaker 4: Every question was about their AI strategy. I don't know, 817 00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:16,759 Speaker 4: it's like they make a video thing, right they had 818 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:19,080 Speaker 4: They did have good answer, but talk about like the 819 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:21,800 Speaker 4: degree to which like analysts all like sort of school 820 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:22,240 Speaker 4: of fish. 821 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, they're swimming. It's a very funny ring. 822 00:39:24,719 --> 00:39:29,240 Speaker 5: Next call it'll be what Superconductor is doing with energy transfer. 823 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:33,520 Speaker 2: But there is there's a meme on the former Twitter 824 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:36,719 Speaker 2: on X where it's just a picture of like a 825 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 2: Zoom office of like a Zoom skyscraper and then somebody 826 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:43,160 Speaker 2: being like they have offices. Why would they have offices 827 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 2: their Zoom? 828 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,400 Speaker 1: All right, I got I got Mine. Mine is a 829 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,040 Speaker 1: game show. Actually, I'm so excited to actually have three 830 00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:52,120 Speaker 1: contestants on it. It makes me feel like a real 831 00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:55,440 Speaker 1: game show host when there's three. Because it's sort of 832 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:57,600 Speaker 1: a price is right, we call it the prices precise. 833 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:03,000 Speaker 2: We can't call it prices right, Ye, So all right. 834 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: This is occur to see the Wall Street Journal. I'm 835 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:07,719 Speaker 1: saddened we did not have this story. Silicon Valley Bank 836 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:10,080 Speaker 1: went out of business. We all know that went into 837 00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:14,279 Speaker 1: FDIC receivership. So what happens in that process is the 838 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:18,920 Speaker 1: FDIC sells off all the assets of the bank. One 839 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:22,320 Speaker 1: of the more interesting assets they're selling off is SVB 840 00:40:22,560 --> 00:40:27,280 Speaker 1: had a huge wine collection. They had nineteen hundred bottles 841 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:30,760 Speaker 1: of wine one nine hundred boles. Well I was runnering 842 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,200 Speaker 1: the same thing, and there's an old Wall Street Journal 843 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:36,279 Speaker 1: story that explains it. Being in Silicon Valley. They do 844 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:39,960 Speaker 1: a lot of business with the wine growers in northern California. 845 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,680 Speaker 1: This guy, there's some guy who actually pitched them on 846 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:47,920 Speaker 1: starting a wine business. Wine lend, you know, lending money. 847 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,360 Speaker 1: I'm dying to know if any of these were actual 848 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,560 Speaker 1: collateral on some of these loans, but it was something 849 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,360 Speaker 1: like four percent of their loan book was to wine 850 00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:59,920 Speaker 1: makers in northern California. So let me give you a 851 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,840 Speaker 1: little bit more details here before we play the prices 852 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:07,960 Speaker 1: precise nineteen hundred bottles of fine wine, four hundred bottles 853 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:10,240 Speaker 1: in the Santa Clara branch, three hundred in the Menlo 854 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:14,080 Speaker 1: Park branch where they were quote meticulously racked and kept 855 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: in climate controlled environment. The rest were in a private 856 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:21,919 Speaker 1: wine vault in domain NAPA. Now I'll give you one hint. 857 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:26,640 Speaker 1: They were auctioned off at a sixty percent discount in 858 00:41:26,719 --> 00:41:30,800 Speaker 1: the appraised value. So time to play prices precise? 859 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:32,240 Speaker 6: How many bottles in total? 860 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:33,520 Speaker 1: Nineteen hundred bottles? 861 00:41:33,719 --> 00:41:37,160 Speaker 5: Okay, at a sixty percent discount? 862 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,640 Speaker 1: Sixty percent? Oh, you're right, forty percent discount. They sold 863 00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: at sixty percent of the appraised value. So it's California wine. 864 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 1: So it's tricky. You know, it's not known for superintensive wine. 865 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:50,720 Speaker 2: And they've had lots of wildfires. 866 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:51,480 Speaker 1: That's true. 867 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:53,200 Speaker 3: Well I didn't think nineteen hundred. 868 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:56,719 Speaker 6: I mean I drink one for me. 869 00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:58,359 Speaker 1: Well, well, you got a. 870 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:03,320 Speaker 2: Gosh, usually I have like idea. Okay, two hundred thousand, 871 00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:05,000 Speaker 2: two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 872 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:07,799 Speaker 1: That's a quick answer, Like how quick that a sor? Right, 873 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:10,759 Speaker 1: I'm gonna write these down. Okay, data bids two hundred 874 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:14,239 Speaker 1: fifty thousand. Now the rules of that other game show 875 00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,480 Speaker 1: are in place, so you could bid one dollar. 876 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:19,200 Speaker 5: Oh, I think I'm going to go higher. I'm going 877 00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:23,000 Speaker 5: to say one point six million. 878 00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:26,120 Speaker 1: One point six millions. Now we don't kind of wind 879 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:26,759 Speaker 1: Tracy drinks. 880 00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:29,240 Speaker 2: Are we talking about nineteen. 881 00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:34,719 Speaker 1: Hundred nineteen California wine? Remember soon, remember the rules. Now, 882 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:38,600 Speaker 1: don't give him head lower. 883 00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:40,680 Speaker 3: I'm going to go one hundred and twenty thousand. 884 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:43,920 Speaker 1: My god, it's pretty close. One hundred and thirty thousand. 885 00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:46,200 Speaker 2: Oh, come on, this is bad, Joe. 886 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:50,480 Speaker 1: When's the well you figure? I mean, one hundred dollars 887 00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 1: a bottle will get you to one hundred and ninety thousand. 888 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:57,839 Speaker 4: So that's basically this is bad collateral collateral and maybe 889 00:42:57,840 --> 00:42:58,880 Speaker 4: I should have liquidity. 890 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:00,400 Speaker 3: So we recently did an. 891 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:03,280 Speaker 4: Episode of the podcast with the CFO of core Weave, 892 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 4: which is building a GPU cloud. A week later, there's 893 00:43:06,239 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 4: a really good story. They borrowed two and a half 894 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:12,160 Speaker 4: billion and they put up in video chips. Yeah, so 895 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:15,040 Speaker 4: it came out after the episode. But chips is the 896 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:16,239 Speaker 4: new collateral. 897 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:18,240 Speaker 1: So you can just pull those chips out of the server, 898 00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:19,000 Speaker 1: I guess apparently. 899 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:19,799 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's still work. 900 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:23,240 Speaker 1: That's crazy. Well, Tru and Tracy, what a great. 901 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:23,680 Speaker 3: Thank you so much. 902 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:28,359 Speaker 1: We thank you. It was very fun. 903 00:43:28,600 --> 00:43:30,640 Speaker 3: I know that's just a lot of. 904 00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:41,560 Speaker 2: What goes up. We'll be back next week. Until then, 905 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:44,520 Speaker 2: you can find us on the Bloomberg terminal website and app, 906 00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:48,120 Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love it if 907 00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 2: you took the time to rate and review the show 908 00:43:50,320 --> 00:43:53,120 Speaker 2: so more listeners can find us. You can find us 909 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:57,840 Speaker 2: on Twitter, follow me at Wildona Hiring. Mike Reagan is 910 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:02,840 Speaker 2: at read Anonymous. You can also follow Bloomer Podcasts at podcasts. 911 00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:06,319 Speaker 2: What Goes Up is produced by Stacey Long and our 912 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:09,719 Speaker 2: head of podcasts is Sage Pauman. Thanks for listening. We'll 913 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:13,399 Speaker 2: see you next week.