Pickers Market

The Pickers Market Podcast goes international! 🌴☀️

This week, we're coming to you from the beautiful beaches of Mexico for a special edition of the podcast.

We share why the Gradient family gathers in Mexico each year for the annual Gradient Gala - bringing together advisors, their families, and the Gradient team to celebrate another successful year and the relationships that make our community so special.

Joining us is a very special guest, our Chief Distribution Officer, Brian Lucius, sporting the legendary Gorilla mask! 🦍 He shares the story behind Gradient's iconic mascot, how the Gorilla tradition began, and why it has become such a memorable part of our company culture.

We also discuss:

• The latest market updates

• SpaceX and its historic IPO

• The Iran-U.S. peace agreement and what it could mean for markets

Whether you're an investor, financial advisor, or simply enjoy staying informed, this episode offers market insights with a fun twist from the beach.

The World Cup is officially underway, and while soccer fans are focused on the matches, investors are watching a different scoreboard.

This week, we discuss a stronger-than-expected jobs report, the latest CPI inflation data, and what both could mean for the Federal Reserve's next move.

We also break down Apple's WWDC announcements and ask whether the tech giant is falling behind in the AI race or taking a smarter long-term approach.

Plus, we kick things off with some World Cup talk and wrap up with a fun discussion about our upcoming trip to Mexico and why hundreds of financial advisors are heading to one of Gradient's biggest events of the year.

This week, we break down Google's surprise $80 billion capital raise and what it signals about the future of artificial intelligence spending.

After spending years buying back stock, Google is making a dramatic shift by tapping equity markets for the first major common stock issuance in nearly two decades. Is this simply smart financial planning - or evidence that the AI arms race is becoming more expensive than investors expected?

We also dive into the unprecedented enthusiasm surrounding the SpaceX IPO with investors scrambling for exposure. Is SpaceX becoming the most sought-after company in history?

Join Tyler Ellegard, Keith Gangl, and Lisa Schreiber for markets, insights, and a little fun!

This week, we break down NVIDIA’s blockbuster earnings - and why the stock still fell.

Despite crushing expectations across revenue, EPS, and margins, the market reaction was negative. Are expectations simply too high… or is something shifting beneath the surface?

Also, we dive into the SEC’s proposal to end quarterly earnings report requirements and what it could mean for companies and investors. All that, plus the case for and against less frequent reporting, and what it would change (or not) about how we analyze stocks.

We cover:

• Nvidia’s explosive AI-driven growth and what’s driving it

• CPUs vs GPUs (and Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chip)

• Whether Nvidia can challenge Intel and AMD

• What Agentic AI really means - and the risks that come with it

• What could finally slow Nvidia down

• And a major regulatory shift: the SEC's proposal to end quarterly earnings reporting

Join Tyler Ellegard, Keith Gangl, and Lisa Schreiber for markets, insights, and a little fun!

This week, we break down the semiconductor surge that has Wall Street buzzing. Chips now make up a sizable allocation of the S&P 500, the global market is surging this year and why its worth paying attention to, and NVIDIA reports earnings tonight.

Is this the most important mega-trend of our generation or the most expensive one? We dig into the numbers, the risks, and what investors actually need to know right now.

We discuss:

• Why semiconductors now make up 18% of the S&P 500 and why we are underweight

• The $1.3 trillion chip market and what's driving the historic surge

• AI chips, GPU demand, and why a handful of hyperscalers are driving the entire trade

• Memory price explosions and can it continue

• Valuation concerns, concentration risk, and what history says about rallies like this

• NVIDIA earnings preview - what a beat, miss, or in-line result means for the stock

Join Tyler Ellegard, Keith Gangl, and John Ingham for markets, insights, and a little fun!

This week, we break down the growing world of private markets - from private credit to private equity - and what investors need to know about these strategies in the face of rising concerns around defaults, liquidity, and redemption pressure.

Plus - we finish with our rapid-fire market/ stock picking segment!

We discuss:

• Traditional banking vs. private markets

• Why investors are turning to private credit

• Higher yields, floating rates, and the appeal of private markets

• Rising defaults and the impact of higher interest rates

• AI disruption and risks within private investments

• Liquidity concerns, redemption pressure, and “gating”

• Private equity underperformance and where opportunities may emerge

Join Tyler Ellegard, Keith Gangl, Lisa Schreiber, and John Ingham for markets, insights, and a little fun!

Is this about saving humanity… or winning the AI race?

This week, we break down the escalating feud between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman - now taken to the courtroom in a lawsuit that could reshape the future of OpenAI and send ripple effects across big tech. What started as a nonprofit mission to benefit humanity has turned into a near trillion-dollar powerhouse, and a high-stakes clash over control, ethics, and power.

In this episode, we break down blockbuster Q1 2026 earnings from Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet — four of the most powerful companies on the planet reporting in the same afternoon. We cover what AI is doing to margins, cloud growth, and capital spending plans that are now measured in the hundreds of billions. We also unpack why the market cheered Google and punished Meta, even as both posted exceptional results.

Then we turn to the Fed. The FOMC voted 8-4 to hold rates steady with the most dissents at a Fed meeting since 1992 and why markets are now pricing in zero cuts for the rest of 2026. We discuss what the unusually divided committee signals about the path ahead and whether the Fed is quietly watching something investors may be overlooking.

Finally, a topic flying under the radar: nitrogen. With Middle East conflict disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, nitrogen fertilizer prices have surged since February and the impacts it could have.

Record highs. Cheaper tech stocks. Strong earnings - sounds too good to be true?

Big Tech’s pullback has made valuations more compelling, while earnings continue to show resilience and the markets are setting new all-time highs. And despite fears around buying at new highs, history suggests those moments have often rewarded investors.

This week we cover:

• Is tech actually cheap again?

• Valuation - what matters most

• Why some tech stocks may look cheaper than European stocks

• The surprising case for buying at all-time highs

Join Tyler Ellegard, Keith Gangl, and Lisa Schreiber for markets, insights, and a little fun! 👉 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for weekly market insights.

We’ve got a new face on the pod - welcome our Investment Analyst, John!

Earnings season is off to a strong start, with banks leading the way - delivering standout results and pointing to continued resilience from the US consumer. Analysts are expecting double-digit earnings growth for Q1 2026.

But here’s the disconnect:

Consumer sentiment just hit its lowest level in over 70 years - below even the GFC, COVID, and the dot-com bubble era. So what’s going on?

We break down:

• Key takeaways from early bank earnings

• The resilience (and cracks) in the US consumer

• Whether earnings expectations are too optimistic

• The growing gap between market reality and consumer perception

• Why sentiment can serve as a contrarian indicator

And of course - we wrap it up with some fun: Meta is introducing an AI twin of CEO Zuckerberg for employees… so naturally we ask: Is it time for an AI version of our beloved Gradient Investments president? 😄