There has been an increased number of calls to ban the Chinese social media app, TikTok, in the US. The thought is that Beijing is using it to spy on Americans in order to both gain and skew information. However, would banning TikTok be a violation of the 1St Amendment? Would it be a violation of free speech? Is there any precedent for this sort of action during peace time? Or is this a big conspiracy hoax?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the ongoing TikTok saga. Should the government ban it? You might just be surprised who thinks it should.

It seems every day brings a new problem with some bank somewhere. How did this happen? Couldn’t anyone foresee these problems? Is there any end in sight? Will this ultimately be a repeat of 2008? Is there a flock of black swans out there?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the recent problems in the global financial system. Will these lead to a much bigger contagion? Or will cooler heads ultimately prevail?

This past week, senior Chinese officials made it very clear Beijing feels threatened by the United States. Or was it just for show? Was the saber-rattling a way of saving face or a new way of doing business with the People’s Republic? With everything that is happening in the world, is the US really capable of handling a two front war against major powers? What is the ultimate endgame and what does success look like?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the ongoing deterioration in ties between China and the United States. What are the impacts for the world? What are the potential impacts for them personally?

It seems Washington has been arguing about the debt ceiling for an extremely long time. Why does it go through this political theater? Is there really any appetite in Congress to meaningfully reign in spending? If so, what gets the ax? Also, is there any end in sight to the deluge in dollars? Should we be losing sleep over this?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the Federal debt and what, if anything, can be done about it. John also challenges Usain Bolt to a footrace…with a catch.

The average American's attention span has fallen dramatically over the last decade. Currently, 47 seconds is about the time people can stay focused on one subject. How has this impacted worker productivity? How has it impacted mental health, which ultimately impacts productivity? Is technology to blame? Social media? If so, what can we do as a society about it?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John analyze Courtney’s decision to give up social media for Lent. Will she be able to do it? Will this make her more productive?

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing has been making a lot of headlines. But what is it exactly? Should companies put ESG considerations ahead of the shareholders best interests, as in turning a profit? Also, what happens when or if societal norms shift? Will companies have to change everything just to stay in good ESG graces.

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss ESG investing and whether it is important to them? More than that, they discuss whether it is even necessary if a company is correctly executing its business model.

Sometimes the headlines are hard to believe. Such was the case this past week, as a massive Chinese spy, presumably, balloon floated across the United States. Washington waited until it was just off the coast of South Carolina to shoot it down in order to prevent damages and injury on the ground. All of this begged a lot of questions. Don’t the Chinese have low-orbit satellites already? Why would they resort to a balloon which was visible on clear days? Why hasn’t Beijing pitched more of a fit about us blowing it up? Why was the Pentagon so patient in destroying it IF the balloon was really that much of a security threat? Or was this just another instance of a foreign power testing US resolve in an increasingly changing world?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the Chinese spy balloon and what appears to be a changing world order. Has the so-called “global South” had enough of the existing world order? If so, what comes next?

Football legend Tom Brady announced his retirement, again, this week. Unlike most people, Brady has plenty of options and professional opportunities ahead of him in his “retirement.” This begs the question, what does retirement mean to you? Is there is a differing of opinion between generations? Between genders? Do people have realistic expectations about what the future will hold for them?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss what retirement means to them. Not surprisingly, there are some trading perspectives.

The sharp increase in egg prices has made a lot of headlines. What is the cause and how is it really impacting American consumers? Do people really eat that many eggs? Are the higher prices causing people to consume fewer? Or are chicken eggs more inelastic than you might think? If so, how much longer are these high prices going to last?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the recent rise in egg prices and how it has impacted them personally. Is there any relief in sight?

A number of major companies have already announced layoffs in 2023. These are the ones that get the headlines. However, a lot of smaller businesses have also been letting people go or even shutting for good. After all, when Microsoft announces 10,000 job cuts, it is all over the media. Not so when Daddy Pet’s BBQ in Grand Rapids extinguishes the pit. So, what is behind the recent job losses? Are there seasonal factors at play? Or is this more of a systemic weakening in the labor markets in general?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the recent job cuts, their probable causes, and the likely outcomes. They also touch on another issue: are the elite policy makers completely out of touch with Main Street?