Markets Happy Hour Podcast with Aoifinn Devitt

Markets Happy Hour Podcast - May 22, 2026 - Ships Passing in the Night

in this week's Markets Happy Hour Podcast we do a quick whistlestop tour through the traditional balanced portfolio, since it is the traditional bond and equity allocations that are attracting all of the buzz right now. From bond markets balking at rising fiscal obligations to equity markets drunk on optimism the balanced portfolio is a schizophrenic one. The oil price has been moving in opposite fashion to the newsflow regarding ships and the Strait of Hormuz and given the limited positive newsflow about two China-bound tankers making it through in the past 24 hours, the oil price fallen. Markets have responded positively to indications of a deal in the near future although little concrete has been stated. Equity markets have also been boosted by the US administration's commitment to invest in quantum computing as well as the ongoing outperformance in revenues from companies such as Nvidia. The "sprint" to IPOs by Anthropic, Open AI and SpaceX signify the desire to capture the momentum of today's heady markets. New highs have been reached in markets and investors show no signs of backing down. On the other hand bonds have rarely looked less attractive, and there has been a widespread sell-off and desire to exit duration. These two counterveiling sentiments are in a tense balance as we await further news in geopolitics.

Markets Happy Hour Podcast May 14, 2026 - Live from New York

In today’s podcast we come to you from a conference room in New York City with a two guest roster fresh off an investment committee where we all play a role. I’m delighted to be joined by Jon Chesshire of Sindia Capital and Jesus Amadeo, CFO of MDRC. We gathered to discuss our usual five topics - reflecting on the fact that New York City, like other key metropolitan centers, is experiencing a higher level of inflation than the “national” rate across the rest of the country. This underscores the unevenness with which inflation is felt, and why every institution and investor needs to factor their own inflation experience into a return assessment. We move then to discuss the new Chair at the Fed, the fact that Susan Roberts suggested that persistent inflation might lead them to hike and not cut next, and pondered whether the new Fed Chair was likely to set a new direction - with fewer updates, signalling and telegraphing of intention. We ask whether this might trouble markets that are used to a more regular diet of communication from the current Fed. Might we need to wean ourselves off the relative certainty and approach of “no surprises” that the current Fed has promoted? We ask what a U turn in bonds would look like and stress that the economic picture is unlikely to be robust enough to absorb a change of direction. Turning to jobs, we discuss the relatively strong recent jobs picture in the US and note that wages have started to decouple from deflation again - being largely flat over recent months. Moving to equity markets we examine the earnings season like no other that is continuing to stun markets, not just here but also in Asia, and markets are exhibiting a very clear rotation from the Mag 7 names into the semi-conductor picks and shovels names in order to “follow the money”. Finishing with a look outside the US we ask what opportunities exist in countries such as China, which is growing market share significantly in areas like robotics, maritime engineering and advanced railway, and where the stock market is displaying similar exuberance. Even Europe has unearthed some gems in the semi-conductor and AI adjacent space, underscoring that not all of the tech action has to happen in the US, and that there is an abundant and maybe underserved market in Europe that might need attention.

Markets Happy Hour - Live from Sydney - featuring Annette Beacher of Hesta

In today's Markets Happy Hour Podcast, we are back in a salon-style session - this time live from Sydney on the eve of Tuesday's budget. Our special guest if Annette Beacher, investment manager of Hesta, an Australian Superannuation fund with over AUD$100 m in assets under management. This conversation is in the usual podcast format but we include data points and discussions of Australian economic fundamentals such as the recent third consecutive rate hike by the Royal Bank of Australia, and the inflation and led to it. We discuss the unique structure of the housing market here, the role it plays for consumers, and the state of the jobs market. We spend some time on the Superannuation system and the split of assets that most clients experience, the underpinning demand for Australian equities and the need to seek return abroad too, given the rising volume of assets in the mandated system. After a breakdown of the drivers of the Australian equity market snd a comparison with the AI and tech narrative driving the US indices we bring things back to local again by looking at the likeky contents of the next day's budget.

Markets Happy Hour Podcast - May 7, 2026 - When Hormuz Hath No Fury

In today's Markets Happy Hour Podcast we are joined by Kristina Hooper, Chief Market Strategist of Man Group. a global alternative investment manager. In this role, she provides views and insights on the economy and markets.

Markets Happy Hour Podcast May 6, 2026: Model Comparisons - Live from Singapore

In today's Markets Happy Hour Podcast, which we held "salon style" in Singapore with a diverse group of guests, we bring you highlights from our multi-faceted discussion. First we track the spread of the inflation epidemic into this part of the world - note the divergence from economies with inflation at a six year high (Vietnam) and economies where inflation has succumbed to longer term deflationary expectations - as in Japan. We track the inflationary changes - which are impacting the region - in some areas more than others and ask whether affordability is an issue. This leads to a question as to whether an markets have the same K shape as the US market, and whether inequality is likely to persist and impact consumer demand – just as in the US a small percentage of the population (10%) are responsible for 50% of the consumer spending. We discuss recent equity market volatility and the new highs just reached, then assess the latest news regarding GameStop and E-Bay, as well as the consulting ventured being pursued separatelyThen we move to what investors are underestimating about this region - and the swiftness and dynamism behind AI rollouts, healthcare advances, and building from the ground up particularly in China are noted. The recent blocking of Meta's acquisition of Manus highlights the perceived threats to national security as well as IP and the protectionist responses that this is inducing.