Confluence Podcasts

Financial markets appear adjusting to the reality of tariffs. Confluence Associate Market Strategist and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to discuss what we have learned in the past year and how that impacts investment planning.

Something unusual happened to the price of gold as the Iran war broke out. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler today to discuss what happened and what this might mean for the future.

In this episode, Confluence reviews the Asset Allocation rebalance for the second quarter of 2026, 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.

Europe is playing catch up to try to close the AI gap with the United States and China. Confluence Associate Market Strategist and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to discuss the hurdles and the potential and how investors might profit.

Of what value to investors is a Federal Reserve Board chair who is a consensus builder? Confluence Associate Market Strategist and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to tell us why this is important. 

In this month's Confluence Mailbag, Bill O'Grady and Mark Keller examine what Iran's shift to yuan-denominated oil transactions means for the dollar's reserve currency status and why viable alternatives remain elusive. They assess widespread concerns around private credit, weigh the broader economic ramifications of the Iran conflict — including the collapse of just-in-time inventory thinking — and close with a discussion of whether the rotation away from mega-cap growth stocks still has legs.

The world has seen additional evidence this year that the United States is no longer the dominant power it once was. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to discuss how investors can manage this new reality.

The war in Iran is an event that is likely to change for the long term the way corporations manage their supply inventories. Think high instead of just in time. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to discuss why this matters a lot for investors.

As the Strait Of Hormuz remains closed due to the war with Iran, Western nations have only limited tools to try to keep the price of oil in check. One strategy is to release stored oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Confluence Advisory Director of Market Strategy Bill O'Grady joins Phil Adler to discuss how effective this tool might be.

Investors have already experienced dramatic initial volatility, but it appears that the war in Iran may also have significant long-term impacts on the financial markets. Confluence Associate Market Strategist and Certified Business Economist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to discuss what these impacts might be.