Social Security has been, over the years, a slowly expanding support prop for the US economy. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to discuss the impact of the Social Security cost of living adjustment for 2026.

The policies of the new Japanese prime minister may provide a boost for Japanese stocks. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to discuss what the election of Sanae Takaichi means for investors.

In this episode, Bill O’Grady and Mark Keller unpack the concept of escalation dominance in the US-China relationship and how societies endure pain. They consider the likelihood and potential depth of recession, examining the trade-offs that arise when the Fed and other policymakers intervene to prevent downturns and identifying areas of malinvestment in today’s markets. Additional topics include the forthcoming Supreme Court ruling on tariff legality and their outlook for gold.

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In this episode, Confluence reviews the Asset Allocation rebalance for the fourth quarter of 2025, featuring a brief economic analysis and insights on asset class and security selection for the firm’s Asset Allocation portfolios. Joining the podcast to recap the rationale for this quarter's changes is Kaisa Stucke, analyst and chair of the Asset Allocation Committee's quarterly investment meetings.

Consumer debt levels are heading higher. Confluence Associate Market Strategist and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to discuss if this trend threatens to derail the economy and infect the markets.

China's advantage over the United States in key military and economic areas appears to be widening this year. It's possible to see that in the way trade talks have evolved, and that leaves investors with some important choices. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to bring investors up to date.

The surging price of gold and rising stock indices seems to be an unlikely pairing. Confluence Associate Market Strategist and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to discuss why this might constitute a pivot point for the markets and for investors.

Why did The US offer a $20 billion bailout to Argentina? Are there clear cut takeaways for investors? Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to tackle these questions.

In this month's Confluence Mailbag, Bill O’Grady, Advisory Director – Market Strategy, and Mark Keller, CEO/CIO, delve into the connection between US dollar weakness and the performance of international and domestic equities. They also share their outlook for recession risks, Fed independence, and Trump's call for publicly traded companies to shift to semiannual rather than quarterly reporting.

Submit your question for a future episode to: [email protected]. 

AI related investments have generated impressive results, but a look at how the big tech firms are channeling their current AI expenditures suggests it might be time for investors to put on the brakes at least a little. Confluence Associate Market Analyst and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to discuss why.