The Wall Street Skinny

Latest Episodes:

Industry S4E6 "Dear Henry": Why This Might Be the Greatest Episode of Industry Ever Made Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Recap & Breakdown of HBO's Industry season 4 episode 6,
Harper launches her assault on Tender at the Alpha Conference, delivering a devastating short thesis complete with a DCF analysis and sum-of-the-parts valuation. We break down every piece of the finance, from enterprise value vs. equity value, what a price target of zero really means, and the real-world fraud parallels to Enron, Valiant, and Luckin Coffee. We also discuss why Tender's "convertible bond" is actually a putable bond (a la Succession Season 1).
Meanwhile, Whitney's relationship with Henry takes some deeply unsettling turns, and cracks in Tender's armor start showing from directions nobody expected. The episode's biggest revelations reshape everything we thought we knew, which would have been unbelievable had it not come directly from the Wirecard scandal. A bunch of our theories come true but sadly...and we discuss new theories and hopes given a shocking exit by one of our characters. With only two episodes left this season, the battle lines are drawn. Whether you're here for the finance masterclass or the character drama, this one has it all.
Did you know we have a 25-hour Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals self study that covers exactly what new hires get when they start on Wall Street? Step-by-step modeling, valuation, accounting, and more, delivered by Kristen who taught this exact content at firms including Blackstone, Morgan Stanley and more for over a decade. Check it out here:
https://thewallstreetskinny.com/investment-banking-private-equity-fundamentals/#investment-banking

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

The Skinny On: SAAS-pocalypse, misleading jobs data, & Japanese equities breaking records, feat. Macabacus' CEO Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

We're back with The Skinny On...three wild stories: confusing jobs data, Japan's equity market rally, and why everyone's freaking out about AI killing SaaS companies.
Confused by the latest Non-Farm Payrolls report? So were we. The blowout headline number was nothing compared to the massive downward revisions to 2025's data. Yet somehow, bonds still sold off and the market has priced out March rate cuts. Huh?? We're not buying it.
Then we jump to Japan, where the Nikkei's been ripping. Everyone's talking inflation, but the real story is decades in the making: Japan's finally ditching "holder capitalism" (where companies hoarded cash and protected jobs) for actual shareholder value. Prime Minister Takaichi's landslide win just accelerated reforms that started under Abe. With an aging population, pension funds need equities to work — so corporate Japan has no choice but to unlock value.
Next: the "SaaS-pocalypse." Software stocks got obliterated on fears that AI will replace them entirely, pushing many loans in the tech sector into distressed territory. But remember: corporate cash flows don't vanish overnight. We share lessons from the past that suggest the current panic feels overblown, even if the existential threat is real.
As our philosophical debate continues over the appropriate role for AI in the workplace, we bring on Charlie Schilling, CEO of Macabacus, to talk about how his company (creators of a beloved Wall Street productivity toolkit) is navigating this chaos and what AI actually means for financial modeling.

Learn about our favorite tool, Macabacus, here: https://macabacus.com/wss

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

TWSS x CNBC's Dan Nathan & Guy Adami: "He Said She Said" | SaaSpocolyspe + Elon Musk's SpaceX / xAI Merger Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

Kristen and Jen are joined by Guy Adami and Dan Nathan of CNBC's Fast Money for the fifth installment of "He Said, She Said." The conversation kicks off with the so-called "SaaS Apocalypse" — the brutal selloff across software stocks — and unpacks how the market narrative shifted in just one week from "when will AI spending pay off?" to "what happens when AI destroys your core business?" The group debates whether the repricing is justified or overdone, digs into the credit market spillover with $17.7 billion in SaaS-related loans hitting distressed levels, and discusses what it all means for private credit exposure.

From there, the panel takes on Bitcoin's collapse to $60,000 — roughly half its all-time high — and asks whether the "digital gold" thesis is officially dead now that crypto fell apart while precious metals hit records. They also break down the equity rotation into financials and energy, the irony of banks rallying on AI-driven deal flow while AI-adjacent companies crater, and what enterprise adoption of AI could mean for the hyperscalers longer term.

The episode wraps with a look at Elon Musk's latest consolidation play, SpaceX acquiring xAI ahead of a rumored mega-IPO, and a macro check-in covering weak seasonals, a deteriorating jobs picture, rising 10-year yields, and the historical pattern of markets testing every new Fed chair.

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

Private Infrastructure Investing 101 feat. Billionaire Founder / CEO: Mike Dorrell of Stonepeak Feb 07, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

In this Infrastructure 101 episode, we sit down with Mike Dorrell, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Stonepeak, to unpack how infrastructure investing evolved from a niche corner of finance into one of the most important asset classes shaping the global economy. We walk through the origins of modern infrastructure investing --- from Macquarie’s early toll road and airport deals in Australia to the rise of private capital stepping in where governments once dominated --- and explain why infrastructure sits at the intersection of private equity, private credit, and project finance. Along the way, we break down what makes these assets unique: high barriers to entry, essential services, regulated cash flows, and long-duration returns.

The conversation digs into the technical mechanics behind infrastructure deals, including project finance structures, equity versus credit exposure, the role of regulation and tax policy, and why governments are both critical partners and key sources of risk. We explore how infrastructure investors analyze energy markets, power pricing, traffic patterns, and permitting risk, and why changes in “the rules of the road” can make or break long-term investments. From municipal bonds to privatized airports, toll roads, utilities, and power plants, this episode connects the financial structures to the real-world systems people rely on every day.

We also tackle the biggest theme driving headlines today: the AI data center boom. Mike explains why AI is accelerating massive investment across digital infrastructure and energy, what it means for power grids and electricity prices, and how investors distinguish between contracted, de-risked data centers and far more speculative builds. Woven throughout is Mike’s personal story --- from growing up in rural Australia to helping build a global infrastructure platform --- and a candid discussion of what it takes to build durable businesses, invest through cycles, and think long term about both capital and legacy.

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

Industry S4E5 Eyes Without a Face: The Thing Was Nothing Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

SternTao goes to Accra

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

TWSS x CNBC's Dan Nathan & Guy Adami: "He Said She Said" | Dollar Collapses, Hedge Funds and Gambling vs. Investing Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

Jen Saarbach & Kristen Kelly join the guys to discuss the decline in the US dollar, market sentiment and Gen Z's proclivity for gambling.

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

Industry S4E4 "1000 Yoots, 1 Marilyn" | The "Leap of Faith" / Most Disturbing Episode Yet Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

Perhaps the most painful and disturbing episode of Industry yet, this episode asks uncomfortable questions about the way easy access --- whether it be to high finance, drugs, or illicit content online --- reduces human experience to abstraction in a way that causes us all to be disassociated from our own lives. We see shifts in power in the C-suite at Tender that transform our triangles of love and control. Yasmin's position becomes nominally elevated, and she advocates for Hayley's promotion, but is ultimately left wondering who's manipulating whom in their relationship. And while she thought she was at the head of the love triangle with Hayley and Henry, we start to suspect that the real love triangle exists instead between the Mucks and Whitney, with Whitney at the helm.

Whitney has also figured out how to maneuver Henry into effectively doing his bidding, helping him successfully navigate the launch of Tender's new app. Also, Pierpoint is back, and we get into the finer points of convertible bond issuance vs. "cocos".

Finally, we see the paths of Jim Dycker and Rishi take a dark turn and ultimately collide. An off-the-cuff remark made by Dycker in the opening seconds about philosopher Soren Kierkegaard comes home to roost as these characters confront dark truths about themselves, culminating in a "leap of faith" that leaves us all hanging on the edge of our seats.

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

The Skinny on Policy Chaos and Volatility: Time to Sell? feat. Alicia Levine of BNY Wealth Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we’re joined by Alicia Levine, Head of Investment Strategy at BNY Wealth, for a wide-ranging conversation on what’s driving markets right now — and what investors should actually do about it. We start by breaking down the real difference between wealth management vs. asset management, then zoom out to the biggest macro theme of the moment: policy volatility across the U.S., Japan, and beyond. Alicia explains why inflation is structurally higher post-COVID, how shifts in Japan’s rates can ripple through global bonds and FX, and why markets react to the rate of change in policy rather than the headlines themselves. We also dig into why gold is surging (and whether or not you can actually monetize “Grandma’s silver”), what’s happening in healthcare stocks, and why equities can still be a strong inflation hedge when growth holds up. Finally, Alicia shares a powerful reminder on long-term investing you won't want to miss, plus practical career and money advice for younger listeners (including the “anti-DoorDash trade”).

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

TWSS x CNBC's Dan Nathan & Guy Adami: "He Said She Said" | Japan’s Bond Market Blows Up, Netflix Goes All-Cash Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

This week on He Said, She Said, CNBC Fast Money stars, Guy Adami and Dan Nathan together with Kristen and Jen from The Wall Street Skinny dive into one of the most overlooked market shocks of the year: a massive, seven standard deviation move in the Japanese bond market. Jen breaks down why the long-assumed era of low inflation and easy monetary policy in Japan may be ending—and what that means for global markets. From failed bond auctions to yield curve dislocations, this is a masterclass in sovereign debt and fiscal risk with insights that apply far beyond Japan.

The group also debates Netflix’s all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, and why shareholders seem so uneasy about it. Kristen explains the counterintuitive math behind why switching from a stock deal to an all-cash offer actually hurts Netflix’s earnings per share, why Wall Street hates uncertainty, and why shareholders have reason to be skeptical M&A won't destroy shareholder value. After all the same Warner Brothers was the target of the catastrophic 2000s AOL-Time Warner merger that is the poster child for M&A gone bad?

Finally, the gang touches on gold, silver shortages, and the deeper themes driving flight to hard assets. From gold coins in safes to astrology readings in St. John, it’s a whirlwind of macro, M&A, and mayhem—with plenty of jokes (and Dutch oven references) along the way.

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

Industry S4E3 "Habseligkeiten" | The Threesome Episode Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

We are BACK with one of the most dense, finance-forward, darkly entertaining episodes of Industry YET. With a title that evokes the theme of "belongings", this episode is all about who belongs in which rooms, who belongs to whom when it comes to control, and what are our characters willing to sacrifice to ultimately get what they want.
We see Eric and Harper's short-only hedge fund struggling to get enough investor buy-in to get off the ground. As Jim Dycker prepares to publish his allegations about Tender’s murky payments business, the episode leans hard into the real risks of short-selling; being right doesn’t matter unless you have timing, proof, and a story the market believes. We unpack the real history of infamous shorts gone awry with the Ackman/Icahn battle over Herbalife in a mini-history lesson you won't want to miss.
But just as much as Harper wants money coming through the doors, she struggles to open up to Eric and Kwabena, both of whom seek closeness on a personal AND professional level. Will Harper ever be able to actually let anyone in? Perhaps Sweetpea, with her mutual love of ethically questionable investigations, is her only true soulmate.
Meanwhile, Tender seeks to acquire an Austrian bank in order to backdoor a European banking license, and the C-suite is forced to confront a bad actor with fascist sympathies. Yasmin takes control of Henry, pushing him to weaponize his trauma, managing regulators through political and media pressure, and inserting herself into rooms where she clearly doesn’t “belong.” In Vienna, what looks like a merger charm offensive veers into something darker, both for the company and Yasmin & Henry's marriage.

This is where the title’s meaning lands with a punch. In the world of Industry, money, morals, and people themselves have become possessions that can be claimed, traded, and taken away.

Shop our Self Paced Courses:

Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HERE
Fixed Income Sales & Trading HERE

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected