The Penta Podcast Channel

Today on the Macrocast, season five begins with Penta President Matt McDonald joining John, Brendan, and Bryan to talk about the latest Jobs Day numbers. The group notes that markets have reacted favorably to this month's numbers and discusses why the labor force participation rate has remained low since the COVID-19 pandemic. They also offer predictions as to how the Federal Reserve might handle interest rates in 2023.Finally, the group covers the latest news in the vote for speaker of the House of Representatives, breaking down its implications for important issues including the debt ceiling debate and government funding. Read December's Jobs Day fact sheet here.

In this edition of the Macrocast, HPS Partner Matt McDonald joins Tony, John, and Brendan to analyze the August jobs report. According to the most recent numbers, unemployment is up, but that's not bad news: As Matt explains, the increase in labor force participation and the addition of over 300,000 jobs bodes well for the economy. Plus the group goes beyond the "quiet quitting" headlines to discuss what the phenomenon really means for workers and their managers. Will workers stagnate without going the extra mile? Or are they simply taking more time for what matters most to them? One thing is for sure: Many workers are still spending more time at home, even as remote work recedes from its pandemic high. To close, the group discusses what workers might be doing with the extra time at home.Read this week's Five Minute Macro report from Markets Policy Partners here.Learn more about career opportunities at HPS, including associate and analyst roles, here.

On today's Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan welcome Howard Schneider, Federal Reserve reporter at Thomson Reuters, to the show. As an expert on all things Fed and monetary policy, Howard breaks down the Fed's latest rate hike and inflation's impact on food consumption. Plus, the group analyzes the concerning PCE and GDP data released this week.Read Howard Schneider's recent piece on food prices and rising hunger here.Find more of Howard's work here.Read HPS' Q2 GDP Fact Sheet here.

In this special edition of the Macrocast, Tony and John welcome Megan Greene, Harvard Kennedy School Senior Fellow and Kroll Institute Global Chief Economist, to the show. Megan expands on her recent column in the Financial Times, where she makes an important point few pundits have acknowledged: There's not much policymakers outside the Federal Reserve can do about inflation. The group walks through various policy responses to inflation and the supply- and demand-driven forces behind rising prices. Plus, the group discusses energy prices, the methodology for measuring inflation, and more.Read Megan's Financial Times column here.Read the rest of Megan's FT columns here.Read Megan's bio and check out her site here.

In this week's Macrocast, guest Ed de Minckwitz, partner at Flint Global, joins the group for a discussion on the shakeup at Downing Street, today's jobs report, and more. Ed, Tony, Bryan, and Brendan break down former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation this week and predict what lies ahead for UK politics. Plus, Bryan walks through the jobs data and finds good signs for a soft landing.Read more about Ed de Minckwitz and Flint Global here.Read HPS' Jobs Day fact sheet here.

On today's Macrocast, Bryan, John, and Brendan break down the latest economic sentiment index reading and macro data. Are investors planning for a hard landing, or do they expect the Fed to rein in inflation without triggering a recession? There's evidence for both in the data. Plus, the group discusses global growth, gas prices, and more.Read the latest economic sentiment index here.Read Markets Policy Partners' latest Five Minute Macro post here.Produced by Hamilton Place Strategies and Markets Policy Partners, the Macrocast features insight and analysis on the latest macroeconomic trends. Subscribe on Apple Music or Spotify.

How are young consumers challenging old media business models? Should journalists still use Twitter? In this episode of  HPS Insights, Bryan sits down with new HPS Senior Director Rebecca Buck to discuss her journey from journalism to public affairs and the changing media landscape. New platforms, technologies, and consumers are transforming media—for better or for worse.Follow Rebecca on Twitter here.

The May jobs report is out, and labor force participation is up–but is the news all positive? HPS Partner Matt McDonald joins Tony, John, and Brendan to discuss the ongoing labor market recovery from the pandemic and its implications for the Fed's efforts to control inflation. Plus, the group breaks down Lael Brainard's latest comments on the likelihood of a September rate hike pause, recession fears, and more.Read MPP's latest Five Minute Macro report here.Read HPS' jobs day fact sheet here.

In this edition of HPS Insights, HPS Partner Tony Fratto and Senior Director Stephanie Dodge host Fanta Traore, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Sadie Collective, and Young-Chan Lim and Doug Ortiz, members of the working group for the Cross-Policy School White Paper on Anti-Racism, for a conversation on racial equity in graduate public policy programs. Fanta, Young-Chan, and Doug discuss the Sadie Collective's upcoming white paper, which draws on input from students across the country to offer recommendations for making graduate public policy programs more inclusive. The group also discusses how using a racial equity & inclusion (REI) lens over a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens can lead to better outcomes, both for students of color at public policy programs and policymaking itself.Read more about the Sadie Collective here. Read more about Fanta Traore, Executive Director of the Sadie Collective, here.

Recession fears abound, and market volatility is up–but will inflation come down enough? In this edition of the Macrocast, Dennis DeBusschere, President and founder of 22V Research, joins guest host and HPS Managing Director Meghan Pennington and John and Brendan from Markets Policy Partners. The group discusses the latest turmoil in equity and crypto markets, where investors are pricing in recession concerns, even as doubt lingers about the Fed's capacity to rein in inflation.Read about 22V Research here.Read Markets Policy Partners' latest Five Minute Macro post here.

On today's Macrocast, Tony Fratto and Brendan Walsh are joined by Ben Koltun, Director of Research at Beacon Policy Advisors, LLC, to discuss the state of reconciliation efforts in Congress and how—once again—Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are at the center of it all. The crew also dives into recent news coming out of the Federal Reserve, which is looking to stick the landing between curbing inflation and averting a recession.Show Notes:Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) "throws cold water on BBB revival"Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) supported a $1.5 trillion topline Build Back Better figure with offsetsGovernor Lael Brainard's Federal Reserve speech on inflationWalmart to Pay First-Year Truck Drivers as Much as $110,000Upcoming Bank of Canada Interest Rate Announcement and Monetary Policy Report on 4/13

On this week's Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan are joined by John Dick to discuss the Economic Sentiment Index's (ESI) record drop and people's "sour" outlook that extends past just the economy. The group also dives into the uncertainties present in the Ukraine-Russia situation, the Fed's tough job ahead, and what to expect next week—from PMIs to the Iran Nuclear Deal talks and more.

On today's Macrocast, Tony and Brendan are joined by the Founder of SW4 Insights, Brai Odion-Esene, to discuss this week's inflation and earnings figures. The group dives into why the conventional wisdom of what is driving higher prices—and expectations of what the Federal Reserve can do to address them—is often misguided.

On this week's edition of the Macrocast, Fanta Traore—CEO and Co-Founder of the Sadie Collective—joins Brendan and John to discuss inflation, Federal Reserve nominations, and the prospect of a new digital dollar. In particular, the group focuses on how these topics intersect with equity in society. 

 In this week's edition of the Macrocast, Loren Smith from Skyline Policy Risk Group joins Tony, John, and Brendan to discuss all things supply chain, diving into the "subplots" behind this ongoing crisis, including China geopolitics, omicron, infrastructure, workforce, and more. Plus, the group breaks down the newest CPI & PPI numbers and inflation's outlook. 

In the first HPS Macrocast of Season Four and of the new year, Tony, John, Brendan, and HPS' Matt McDonald discuss the last jobs report data of 2021, potential actions the Fed will take in 2022, and the likely economic impacts of the omicron variant. 

To wrap up Season Three of the HPS Macrocast, Tony, Brendan, and John look back on another tumultuous year in markets, politics, and society. The group assesses the Biden administration's performance in its first year and discusses what 2022 might hold for Build Back Better, U.S.-China relations, the Fed, and the pandemic. Plus, Tony, Brendan, and John share the best books they read in 2021.

Today's leaders must adapt to growing risks when it comes to public health, security, the environment, and more. But even when these risks are known, leaders are often unprepared to face them. In this edition of HPS Insights, General Stanley McChrystal and Anna Butrico, co-authors of Risk: A User's Guide, join HPS Partners Tony Fratto and Stacy Kerr to discuss how leaders should think about risk in a complex world.

 On this Jobs Day edition of the HPS Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan are joined by HPS' Stratton Kirton to discuss Jobs Day numbers, Chairman Powell's recent testimony on the potential inflation impacts of the Omicron variant, as well as OPEC's recent moves in the oil market. 

On this week's Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan take an in-depth look at the latest inflation data and discuss which inflationary trends will persist and which will subside. Plus, the group breaks down an often overlooked element of investing: geostrategic risk.