Citadel, XTX and Jane Street have come to dominate trading on Wall Street, and not just in equities. They now run a huge proportion of trading in currency and bonds, something the banks used to own. But where did they come from, why have so few people heard of them, and how did they get so big? Today on the show, Katie Martin and Robin Wigglesworth discuss the massive growth in the algorithmic trading firms. Also, they go long honesty, and long the upcoming FT Alphaville pub quiz in New York. 

Read the FT’s series about the new titans of Wall Street here. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Nicolai Tangen oversees Norges Bank Investment Management, also known as Norway’s oil fund. It contains about $2tn in assets, based on money earned from drilling for oil offseas. Today on the show, Tangen talks with Katie Martin about everything from the European economy to China and Taiwan to overconcentration in the American stock markets. Also, Tangen goes long learning and short red tape. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Unhedged has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/general/money-finance

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Grouping the majority of the world’s economies into a basket labelled “emerging markets” and trying to generalise about them is a fool’s errand. And we are perfect for the job. Today on the show, Katie Martin and Aiden Reiter discuss the EM landscape and pay particular attention to Brazil’s hot economy. Also we go long Poppy Gustafsson and short Netflix’s research department. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Unhedged has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/general/money-finance

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eli Lilly’s shares have surged 750 per cent over five years. Novo Nordisk’s are up about 360 per cent in the same period. It's been an awesome run for these companies. But how much longer can it last? Today on the show, Rob Armstrong and Aiden Reiter talk to the FT’s US pharmaceutical and biotech correspondent Oliver Barnes about the astonishing growth in weight-loss drugs, and their future. Also we short inflation and running clubs.  

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Unhedged has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/general/money-finance

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stocks are flying, rates are plunging, jobs are surging, but everyone says they’re anxious. What is going on? Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong try to understand the many strange and sometimes contradictory things happening in the US economy. Also, we go short Spirit Halloween and long monsters. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Unhedged has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/general/money-finance

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the conflict in the Middle East expands to include Lebanon and Iran, markets are responding with surprising nonchalance. Why? And will that last? Today on the show, Katie Martin and capital markets correspondent Nick Megaw try to understand why so much can go wrong in one part of the world, without roiling markets in the rest of the world. Also, we go long the Vix, and short e-cycles. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Unhedged has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/general/money-finance

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week China announced it would be providing low-cost funds to investors in both equities and the property market. The nominal effects were immediate, and the country’s stock market has recently risen as much as 20 per cent. Boosting stock prices is one thing, but there is a bigger problem: can Beijing encourage more domestic spending, and less saving? Today on the show, Katie Martin discusses all this with the Unhedged newsletter's newest writer, Aiden Reiter, who, it turns out, speaks Mandarin. Also we go long morning swims and long our own show. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Katie Martin at [email protected] and Aiden Reiter at [email protected].

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When discussing the economy after the interest rate cuts last week, chair of the US Federal Reserve Jay Powell made an interesting comment about jobs numbers and immigration. “If you are having millions of people come into the labour force, and you are creating 100,000 jobs, you’re going to see unemployment go up,” he said. Well, mostly. Today on the show, the entire staff of the Unhedged newsletter – Rob Armstrong and Aiden Reiter – get together to discuss how immigration might be affecting unemployment. Also, they go long and short China’s new stimulus programmes. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Federal Reserve starts to lower interest rates, a perennial theory has returned: that small and mid caps will, for a time, grow more quickly than the S&P 500. Today on the show, Katie Martin, Rob Armstrong, and Aiden Reiter discuss whether that is good, or even true. Also, as the seasons change, we go long and short knitwear. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a massive surprise on Wednesday, one of Rob Armstrong’s predictions turned out to be right. The Fed did indeed cut interest rates by half a percentage point. A cut this big is deeply unusual, and normally happens in a crisis. But there are a lot of reasons to think we’re not in a crisis at all. Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong talk about what the Fed just did, and where the central bank is headed. Also, we go long European merger drama and short well-being at big banks. 

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at [email protected] and Katie Martin at [email protected]. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.