Show from 10/03/25

Host Jeremy Schwartz and Professor Siegel discuss the latest market conditions, highlighting the weakness in the ADP jobs report, stable jobless claims, and a slight decline in consumer confidence. Professor Siegel emphasizes that while the economic data points to some softening, there is no indication of a sharp downturn. He points to this quarter as a critical test for consumer spending amid new tariffs and holiday pressures, observing that inflation in housing and rents remains muted. Siegel also discusses monetary policy and comments on the growing importance of AI, the performance of major tech stocks like Tesla, and the continued divergence between large-cap growth and value stocks. Jeremy continues the show with WisdomTree colleagues Chris Gannatti, Sam Rines, and Jeff Weniger, with Chris diving into recent insights from top voices in the semiconductor and AI space, noting the massive CapEx going into data centers and compute infrastructure. Sam expands on the potential productivity boost from AI agents and the broader ecosystem investments benefiting industrials like Caterpillar. Jeff provides a macro take on central bank policy, expressing skepticism about the timing of rate cuts amid rising equity and commodity markets, and debates the real impact of tariffs.

(32:12 ) In the second half, Jeremy presents a special segment recorded live from the Jacobs-Levy Quant Conference with Professor Bob Korajczyk of Northwestern University. Korajczyk shares research on intangible assets and their role in asset pricing, detailing how adjusted earnings that account for R&D and SG&A provide a more predictive measure of long-term profitability. He explains how this adjustment enhances factor models, offers downside protection characteristics, and discusses implications for accounting standards, portfolio construction, and international investing.

Guest: Robert A. Korajczyk is Senior Associate Dean, Faculty and Research and the Harry G. Guthmann Professor of Finance and co-director of the Center for Financial Institutions and Markets. At Kellogg, Korajczyk has previously served as Senior Associate Dean: Curriculum and Teaching, Chair of the Department of Finance, Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Finance, and Director of the Zell Center for Risk Research. He has held visiting faculty appointments at the University of Chicago, the Vienna University of Economics and Business, the University of Melbourne, the University of Vienna, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Professor Korajczyk received his BA, MBA, and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago.

Robert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-korajczyk-b1565714/

WisdomTree: https://www.wisdomtree.com/investments