WSJ's Take On the Week

We’re going on hiatus. A message for our listeners from WSJ’s Take On the Week producer Jess Jupiter.

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This week, we're expecting earnings reports from three of the biggest U.S. banks: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. Josh Brown and Michael Batnick from Ritholtz Wealth Management join us to discuss what these reports could tell us about the finances of consumers and businesses — how much we’re spending, how much we’re saving and whether we’ve been taking risks. Then, we're drilling into oil. A report from the International Energy Agency is expected Friday and will play a role in letting investors know whether the double digit increase we saw in oil prices in Q1 and the 30% increase we saw in gasoline prices will continue. We're speaking with WSJ reporter, David Uberti, about what rising gasoline prices tells us and why the report could move oil prices, stock prices and more. Plus, we're previewing the upcoming CPI report with WSJ reporter Anna Hirtenstein to find out why this week’s data could change the conversation about inflation.

How can we better help you take on the week? We’d like to hear from you. Send us an email to [email protected].

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Further Reading

Why Gasoline Prices Are Rising Faster Than Usual This Year 

Inflation Victory Is Proving Elusive, Challenging Central Banks and Markets 

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The latest earnings season is coming to a close and we are looking forward to the next quarter to learn where profits are headed. What have investors learned about U.S. companies and the economy and which sectors should they be paying close attention to? Gabriela Santos, managing director and chief market strategist for the Americas on the Global Market Insights Strategy Team at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, joins the conversation to share her big takeaways from the latest earnings season. Then, we're shifting gears to jobs as we prepare for the monthly employment report expected on Friday. LinkedIn's chief economist, Karin Kimbrough, shares what’s happening with jobs and the growing importance of AI for U.S. employers and job-seekers. Plus, we’re talking savings, or lack thereof. A new report from Santander Bank expected this Tuesday shows that most middle-income Americans are missing out on high interest rates from their savings account. We hear from Tim Wennes, president and CEO of Santander U.S. about why he believes people aren’t switching to high-interest savings accounts and what banks, like Santander, can do about it. How can we better help you take on the week? We’d like to hear from you. Send us an email to [email protected].

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Affirm CEO Max Levchin is one of the original co-founders of PayPal, and now he leads one of the biggest players in the buy now, pay later business. Levchin wants to build a company that changes how shoppers pay for big-ticket items and the way people take on debt. But critics argue the company is a danger to consumers because it allows them to make some purchases with no interest payments, thereby encouraging excessive spending. For this bonus episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, Levchin talks about Affirm’s future and competing with the credit-card industry. How can we better help you take on the week? Send us an email to [email protected]. 

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This week, we’re taking a look at corporate greed. A recent survey from Navigator Research found that most Americans think greed is a “major cause” of inflation. But is that true? Deepak Puri, chief investment officer of Deutsche Bank Private Bank in the Americas, joins us to dig into this week’s Corporate Profits report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to get some answers. Then we’re turning to jobless claims. It’s been four years since the Covid-19 pandemic led to business shutdowns across the country and a subsequent record 3.28 million unemployment filings. Valerie Wilson, director of the Economic Policy Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, gives us her take on the state of the labor market. Plus, WSJ media reporter Alexandra Bruell discusses Buzzfeed’s upcoming earnings report and how the company is faring since embracing AI last year.

How can we better help you take on the week? We’d like to hear from you. Send us an email to [email protected]. 

Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. 

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

This week, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is expected to release another interest rate decision. Will the Federal Reserve's statements move the markets and disrupt the bullish momentum in the stock market? Torsten Slok, partner and chief economist at Apollo Global Management, joins us to share what specific phrases from the FOMC may indicate when rate cuts will come and gives us a hot take of his own about what the Fed’s decision will be. Then, we're turning our attention to FedEx's earnings report expected on Thursday. The company has marketed new technologies in their business strategies, such as providing integral data from packaged delivery services that may excite investors. WSJ reporter Esther Fung and Heard of the Street editor Spencer Jakab join to explain how companies leaning into ‘tech’ branding can affect their stocks and what they’re looking to hear on this week’s earnings call. Finally, we're turning up the volume on music royalties becoming asset-backed securities. WSJ’s Los Angeles bureau chief Sarah Krouse joins to share why musicians like Bruce Springsteen are getting big deals from investors and what it means for markets. How can we better help you take on the week? We’d like to hear from you. Send us an email to [email protected].

Are U.S. CEOs feeling confident? The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index measures the health of the U.S. economy from the perspective of U.S. chief executives. We discuss why this survey matters for investors and the markets with Joe Brusuelas, principal and chief economist for assurance and tax consulting firm RSM US. We continue the conversation on CEOs’ outlook with Everette Taylor, CEO of global crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Taylor shares his view on CEO confidence and his expectations for the future. Also, is supercore inflation back? We talk with WSJ’s Justin Lahart about what Tuesday’s CPI inflation report could mean for investors and the markets. How can we better help you take on the week? Send us an email to [email protected].  

Further Reading

What is Supercore Inflation? 

Forget Core CPI, Market Pros Are Searching for Supercore Inflation 

Kickstarter's Biggest Winners and Biggest Losers 

A Turbulent Year May Lie Ahead—CEOs at Davos Are Optimistic 

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com. 

Correction: The CEO Economic Outlook Index is produced by Business Roundtable. An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly referenced a different report, the Conference Board’s CEO Confidence Survey. In addition, the Business Roundtable report was released ahead of schedule, after the interviews in this episode were conducted but before the episode aired. An earlier version said the report would be released on March 13. (Corrected on March 12)

This week, we’re expecting the JOLTS and nonfarm payrolls reports. With inflation still holding above the Fed’s target and some weakness in the latest durable goods and retail sales reports, February’s nonfarm payrolls report will carry some extra weight. Charles Schwab’s chief investment strategist, Liz Ann Sonders and their chief fixed income strategist, Kathy Jones, join us for a discussion about how the market is anticipating these reports, especially the jobs report– which will be the week's marquee data point. We’ll also be looking to see what these reports tell us about the state of the consumer. Then, ahead of Target and Costco’s earnings results, WSJ reporter Sarah Nassauer joins to talk about how those reports may show us how shoppers are balancing wants and needs. And with Super Tuesday fast approaching we’ll hear from Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research, about how this election can move the markets and what the likely presidential rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden means for investors. 

Further Reading

Hotter-Than-Expected Inflation Clouds Rate-Cut Outlook 

Nasdaq Approaches Its Record High 

U.S. Shoppers Cut Back in January 

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

This week, we’re looking ahead to Paramount Global’s earnings report. The company that includes TV, movies, and streaming, has been taking it on the chin from investors. Its stock has lost more than 50% of its value in the past year, so Wednesday’s report could be pivotal. Recently much of the talk about Paramount has been as an acquisition target — for media executive Byron Allen to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison. Michael Morris, senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities, joins us to share what this week’s earnings report from Paramount could tell us about what’s coming next — for streaming, for entertainment and for media conglomerates on Wall Street. Then, we turn our attention to the upcoming personal consumption expenditures report, or PCE. The report is slated to be released on Thursday and with stocks looking priced for perfection these days, we’ll unpack what investors need to know to be ready. WSJ market reporters Gunjan Banerji and Sam Goldfarb join for a roundtable discussion on what the report means for the markets. Lastly, we’re celebrating the extra day this month with Mark Maurer, reporter for WSJ’s CFO Journal publication. Mark shares how chief financial officers at some of the largest companies, like Chipotle, Walmart, and Delta Airlines, are getting investors ready for leap day.

Further Reading

Skydance Backers Explore All-Cash Deal to Gain Control of Paramount 

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

Chipmaker Nvidia is having a strong start to the year. The company is currently the best performing stock in the S&P 500 for 2024 and the third-largest company in the U.S., with a value of about $1.8 trillion. But how are investors feeling about Nvidia’s success? Ahead of the company’s earnings report later this week, we’re speaking with Cathie Wood, CEO and chief investment officer of ARK Invest, who recently went from a buyer to a seller of Nvidia stock. Cathie shares insight into that decision and what she’s most looking forward to from this week’s report. You can hear an extended conversation with Cathie Wood - plus other exclusive content - on WSJ SPECIAL ACCESS. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcast. Then, we’re turning our attention to Thursday’s existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors. Few markets have been as impacted by inflation as the housing market. With mortgage rates touching the highest level in 23 years in October, we bring on WSJ housing reporter, Nicole Friedman, to discuss what that means for potential homebuyers and sellers. Lastly, we keep Nicole around to discuss inflation and how it’s shifted homeowners to focusing less on selling and more on renovating their homes. We’ll also be looking out for signs that prices are rising again in the earnings reports we’re expecting this week from Walmart and Home Depot. 

(Correction: Nvidia is the third-largest company in the U.S. An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly said it was the fourth-largest. (Corrected on Feb. 20)