Trading Global Macro Podcast - Ep. 10

Prediction markets are quickly gaining traction as a new frontier for traders and analysts — where real money meets real-world forecasts. In this week's episode of the Trading Global Macro Podcast, hosts John Kicklighter and Matt Weller explore how prediction markets, like Kalshi and Polymarket, offer unique insights into economic trends, policy decisions, and market sentiment.

They dive into:

🔹How prediction markets align incentives through real stakes

🔹The connection between prediction markets and traditional macro analysis

🔹Prediction market's ability to focus on the market sentiment around a specific theme

🔹Opportunities and risks — from liquidity to regulatory challenges

🔹Practical ways to use prediction data to supplement trading and analysis

Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for weekly insights into the global forces driving FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and more.

StoneX Trading Global Macro Podcast - Ep.9

In this week’s episode of the Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, hosts John Kicklighter and Matt Weller explore a topic that impacts every trader and investor: how we consume market information.

From sensational financial headlines to social media speculation, the duo breaks down how incentives, bias, and interpretation can distort the true meaning of data. John and Matt discuss:

🔹 Why markets react differently than headlines suggest

🔹 The danger of “bombastic” narratives in financial media

🔹 How to separate genuine market-moving news from noise

🔹 The role of incentives in shaping analysis and commentary

🔹 Practical tips for filtering information and identifying key macro themes

Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for weekly insights into the global forces driving FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and more.

StoneX Trading Global Macro Podcast – Ep. 7

This week on The Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, John Kicklighter and Matt Weller unpack one of the most powerful, and misunderstood, forces in financial markets: event risk. From central bank meetings to jobs and inflation reports, scheduled releases are moments when new information floods into the market all at once, often sparking sharp volatility. But how should traders and investors prepare for these events?

In this episode, John and Matt explore:

🔹 The difference between scheduled and unscheduled event risks

🔹 Why volatility tends to cluster around these moments

🔹 How expectations drive market reactions

🔹 The key global events that consistently move markets

🔹Practical tips for incorporating event risk into short- and long-term strategies

Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for weekly insights into the global forces driving FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and beyond.

StoneX Trading Global Macro Podcast – Ep. 6

In this week’s Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, John Kicklighter and Matt Weller break down one of the core principles of market analysis — the global macro framework — and explain why understanding it is essential for every trader and investor.

They explore:

🔹 The difference between top-down and bottom-up market analysis

🔹 Why risk appetite drives 80–90% of market movement over time

🔹 How themes like trade wars, interest rates, and regulation shape investor psychology

🔹 The evolving importance of event risk like nonfarm payrolls, inflation and central bank decisions

🔹 Practical ways to identify shifting market focus and spot turning points

Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for weekly insights into the global forces driving FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and beyond.

StoneX Trading Global Macro Podcast – Ep. 5

In this week’s Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, John Kicklighter and Matt Weller break down gold’s historic rally to record highs — its longest winning streak in over a decade — and what’s really driving the move.

They explore:

🔹 Why central banks are buying gold at the fastest pace in years

🔹 How geopolitics and reserve diversification are reshaping demand

🔹 Whether gold’s rise reflects inflation hedging, safe-haven flows, or anti-fiat sentiment

🔹 What could trigger a correction or extend the rally

🔹 How silver fits into the broader precious metals story

Subscribe for weekly insights into the macro trends shaping FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and more.

StoneX Trading Global Macro Podcast – Ep. 4

In this week’s Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, John Kicklighter and Matt Weller take a discuss on of the market’s most frequently referenced benefactors, AI, and whether it is revolution that keeps driving markets and the economy higher or on the cusp of a bubble.

They explore:

🔹 How AI investment is seen boosting traditional GDP and market sentiment

🔹 The parallels between today’s enthusiasm and the dot-com boom through 2000

🔹 What earnings reports from the “Magnificent Seven” reveal about the AI cycle

🔹 How sentiment can fall apart even as the AI boom continues

🔹What to watch for in the market

Subscribe for weekly insights into the macro themes driving FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and more.

StoneX Trading Global Macro Podcast – Ep. 3

In this week’s Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, John Kicklighter and Matt Weller dive into the hotly debated course of U.S. monetary policy and interest rate expectations into 2026 and beyond.

They explore:

🔹 The disconnect between Fed forecasts and market pricing

🔹 Immigration’s surprising role in shaping employment trends

🔹 Why data revisions and policy pressure are complicating the Fed’s mandate

🔹 Potential outcomes for the U.S. dollar and S&P 500 under different rate scenarios

🔹 Whether the “Fed Put” still exists—and what might trigger it

Be sure to like and subscribe for weekly insights into the forces shaping FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and beyond!

In this week’s Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, John Kicklighter and Matt Weller unpack the looming U.S. government shutdown and its potential implications for global markets.

They explore:

- Lessons from past shutdowns and their economic fallout

- How political gridlock affects investor confidence in US assets

- The resilience, and vulnerabilities, of the US dollar and Treasury market

- Whether alternatives like the euro, gold, or Bitcoin could challenge the dollar’s dominance

- Why the shift away from US exceptionalism may look less like a “light switch” and more like a “dimmer switch”

While short-term impacts may be limited, the conversation highlights growing long-term concerns around fiscal deficits, credit ratings, and the dollar’s future as the world’s reserve currency.

Be sure to like and subscribe for weekly insights into the forces shaping FX, equities, commodities, interest rates, and beyond!

Welcome to the first episode of the Trading Global Macro Podcast from StoneX, hosted by John Kicklighter (Global Head of Content) and Matt Weller (Global Head of Market Research, Self-Directed Brands).

In this episode, John and Matt tackle one of the most overused yet misunderstood concepts in financial markets: risk appetite. What does “risk on” or “risk off” really mean in the context of the broader financial markets? And, what does it mean when sentiment benchmarks like the S&P 500 continue to climb despite a myriad of fundamental concerns floated by detractors?

Whether you're a trader looking for signals or an investor watching macro themes unfold, this episode offers grounded, practical insight into the forces shaping global risk sentiment today.

Subscribe for weekly macro breakdowns and market insight.

#RiskAppetite #TradingStrategy #MarketSentiment #GlobalMarkets #FinancePodcast

Whether you're a trader looking for signals or an investor watching macro themes unfold, this episode offers grounded, practical insight into the forces shaping global risk sentiment today.

Subscribe for weekly macro breakdowns and market insight.

#RiskAppetite #TradingStrategy #MarketSentiment #GlobalMarkets #FinancePodcast