WSJ's Take On the Week - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

How to Navigate an AI Bull Market, With Tech Investor Imran Khan Jul 27, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos start the show by digging into the meme-stock mania surrounding OpenDoor, Krispy Kreme and Kohl’s, and how the factors driving this are different from 2021. Then they get into President Trump’s latest trade deal with Japan and how it’s showing up in auto-sector trades. Plus, some economic talk ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week to discuss interest rates, and the release of the latest jobs report.

Later in the show, Imran Khan, founder and chief investment officer of Proem Asset Management, joins Gunjan to talk about the AI trade surrounding companies like Nvidia, Meta and Alphabet. Plus, Khan chats about how AI enthusiasm is driving market speculation, herd thinking in markets, and the value of private-market investments like OpenAI.

This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or thevideo page of WSJ.com.

Further Reading

Latest Tariff Threats Could Delay Rate Cuts, Chicago Fed’s Goolsbee Says

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

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Morgan Stanley Exec on the IPO Market, Robinhood’s Tokenized Stocks and More Jul 13, 2025

Show notes

After a couple years in a slump, the market for initial public offerings has been stronger this year.

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, host Telis Demos is joined by Arnaud Blanchard, global co-head of equity capital markets at Morgan Stanley, to discuss how recent IPO deals from companies like Chime and Voyager Technologies are giving the market a bump, where IPOs are expected to go in the second half of 2025 and if there is any chance of the market returning to its 2021 highs.

Blanchard also shares what companies and sectors he thinks investors should pay the most attention to and whether he sees new offerings like “tokenized stocks” from brokerage upstart Robinhood as a threat to the IPO market.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com

Further Reading

Wall Street Hangs On to Hopes for a Boom in Deals

Private Equity’s IPO Exit Doors Expected to Open Wide in Second Half

Chime Financial Is the Latest IPO to Soar in Debut

Voyager Technologies Rises in Debut, Signaling Improving IPO Market

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why This Fed President Is in No Rush to Cut Interest Rates Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

With mounting pressure from President Trump and investors to lower interest rates, all eyes are on the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision later this month.

In this bonus episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Gunjan Banerji is joined by Tom Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, to discuss the future of monetary policy, inflation and tariffs, and why he’s in no rush to cut interest rates.

Plus, Barkin shares why he likens the current economic environment to “driving through fog,” the connection between consumer sentiment and spending, and how AI could reshape the job market. Finally, Barkin gives his take on whether investors should be expecting a recession any time soon.

This interview was recorded on June 26.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com

Further Reading

Trump Considers Naming Next Fed Chair Early in Bid to Undermine Powell

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Barclays Analyst on What Investors Should Know About Trump’s Tax Bill Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of WSJ's Take On the Week, we jump straight into a topic on many minds: the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill. Co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos are joined by Michael McLean, public policy senior analyst at Barclays, to unpack what some investors are paying attention to when it comes to the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill. McLean explains the differing viewpoints between Washington and Wall Street and the role of a rising U.S. deficit. Plus, the hosts share and answer listener questions about tax policy asked at WSJ’s Future of Everything conference in May.

The conversation also explores what economic growth the tax and budget bill can bring and why investors and government officials alike are watching to see how this tax bill addresses concerns with Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com.

Further Reading

Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Gets Slimmed Down in Senate

The Tax Bill Would Deliver a Big Win for Private Schools—and Investors

The Path to Record Deficits

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What 401(k) Investors Need to Know About Private Markets Jun 22, 2025

Show notes

On this special episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos and guest co-host Miriam Gottfried explain why the private market has its eyes on your 401(k) retirement savings account. To offer insight into what that means for retirement savers, we’ll be joined by two separate guests. The first is Holly Verdeyen, partner and U.S. defined contribution leader at Mercer, a human resources consultant and asset manager. Verdeyen shares why and how the addition of private investment assets to a retirement portfolio can affect long-term savers and what differentiates private assets from public assets like stocks and bonds.

Later on the show, we’re joined by WSJ’s retirement and personal finance reporter, Anne Tergesen, to further explore which investors are best suited for investing in private assets, and what a first-of-its-kind private credit ETF between asset managers State Street and Apollo means for investors. Tergesen lays out the additional fees and restrictions that come from putting money into private assets that investors should be aware of.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com

Further Reading

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How Has Investing in DEI and ESG Changed Under Trump? Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

With companies like Target blaming DEI backlash for lower sales while competitors like Costco are seeing boosts in foot traffic, how can a company’s DEI commitments affect investors with a socially conscious approach to investing?

In this special bonus episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, guest host Miriam Gottfried is joined by Rachel Robasciotti, founder and Co-CEO of investment firm Adasina Social Capital. Adasina runs an exchange-traded fund dedicated to it called “social justice investing” that holds Nvidia, Visa, Mastercard and Eli Lily, among many other companies. Robasciotti says the companies in the fund must check the box on more than 80 metrics the firm has assembled related to racial, gender, economic and climate justice.

Robasciotti shares her views on the financial advantages of social conscious investing and how Adasina measures a company’s social impact to provide investors’ portfolios with more transparency. Plus, she shares the importance of DEI principles in light of the Trump administration's policy changes to DEI.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com.

Further Reading

Dive Deeper Into ESG Investing

Don’t Call It ESG, Call It Resilience

Boycotting Target: A WSJ Podcast Series

Target’s Sales Dented by DEI Boycott

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is Investing in Treasury Bonds Still Low Risk? Bank of America Strategist Weighs In Jun 15, 2025

Show notes

On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Telis Demos and Gunjan Banerji start the show by explaining how financial trading platform Robinhood’s stock may tell investors what they need to know about the markets right now. They discuss how company’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, recently visited the White House to discuss “MAGA Accounts,” President Trump’s proposal for a new tax-preferred savings account for children. Plus, with the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate decision coming this week, the hosts share how tariffs may play a role in the question of when to cut rates.

Later on the show, Meghan Swiber, senior U.S. rates strategist at Bank of America's investment banking arm BofA Securities, shares the latest happenings with the world’s largest bond market, the U.S. Treasury. Long-term Treasury bond yields have risen in recent months, raising concerns that U.S. or international investors are backing away from assets that are usually considered risk-free. She explains what’s going on, and how investors should think about volatility in what usually feels like a placid part of the market.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com.

Further Reading

‘MAGA Accounts’: What to Know About the $1,000 Child Savings Pitch in the Tax Bill

The Case for Rate Cuts Is Growing

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Moody’s Chief Economist on Recession Fears and How Politics Shapes the Economy Jun 08, 2025

Show notes

On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Telis Demos and Gunjan Banerji start the show by looking at why rare earth magnets remain at the center of trade talks with China. Why are business leaders like Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon critical of President Trump’s tax and spending bill, and what does it mean for bonds and the deficit? Plus, we take a look at inflation ahead of this week’s CPI report.

Later on the show, Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, gives his take on all the policy balls in the air and how where they land will affect the economy. He shares which economic barometers he’s keeping an eye on – from employment rates and immigration to inflation and consumer sentiment – and which give him confidence in a resilient U.S. economy.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com.

Further Reading

Automakers Race to Find Workaround to China’s Stranglehold on Rare-Earth Magnets

Why the U.S. Economy Will Muddle Through Trump’s Tariffs. Probably.

U.S. Economy Shows Remarkable Resilience in Face of Trade Turmoil

What the U.S.-China Tariff Rollback Means for the American Economy

Trump Downplays Economic Concerns as He Looks to Cut Trade Deals

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com , WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog .

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

JPMorgan's David Kelly on Why Investors Should Turn to Global Markets Jun 01, 2025

Show notes

On WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Telis Demos and Gunjan Banerji start the show by diving into the latest tariff updates. What does the ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade mean for investors? Plus, the co-hosts look ahead to the upcoming jobs report for insight on economic uncertainties, including what indicators may point toward a recession.

Later on the show, David Kelly, J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s chief global strategist and head of the firm’s global market insights strategy team, explains why international markets are outperforming the U.S. and what the ongoing trade tensions mean for investors’ portfolios. He shares insights on the weakening U.S. dollar, the importance of global investment diversification, and which regions investors should keep in mind.

Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com.

To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com

Further Reading

Tariff Ruling Is a Setback for Trump but Doesn’t End Trade War

How the Reversal of the ‘American Exceptionalism’ Trade Is Rippling Around the Globe

As Markets Swooned, Pros Sold—and Individuals Pounced

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.