Making Markets

My guest this week is David Nadig. David is the Financial Futurist for ETF Trends and ETF Database and has had over 25 years of ETF experience. We start off by acknowledging the debate over active and passive investing. David and I discuss the potential dangers of passive funds on market discovery, the inelastic markets hypothesis, and the effects of massive inflows into index funds. This episode explores how leverage and options trading interact with these market dynamics and the broader implications on capitalism and market structures. Please enjoy my conversation with David Nadig.

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My guest today is Nir Kaissar. Nir is the founder and portfolio manager at Unison Advisors and one of my favorite economic commentators/columnists at Bloomberg. Today, he joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on the US economy. We start with the disconnect between the strong economic numbers and the sentiment amongst the population. We then cover indicators of recessions, the potential for a systemic crisis in Private Equity, the magnificent seven, and more. Please enjoy this excellent conversation with Nir Kaissar.

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My guest this week is Mark Dow. Mark started his career as an economist with the US Treasury and the IMF before he joined Wall Street. Today, he is the founder of behavourialmacro.com and runs a fund that combines his skillsets as a trader and an economist. In this discussion, we talk about why economists are usually bad investors, how Mark approaches markets, and we cover some provocative ideas - including how Quantitive Easing and Tightening have little effect and why Mark's not worried about US debt. Please enjoy this great conversation with Mark Dow

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Today, we're replaying my episode with Nik “The Carny” Lentz. It's not every day you talk to a UFC fighter turned trader. And this conversation is both intense and insightful. We start by talking about Nik's journey from a difficult childhood to a UFC career and his philosophy on fighting, parenting, and life. We then cover his move to trading derivatives full-time and his approach to position sizing, risk management, and more. This is a different kind of episode, but one I thoroughly enjoyed listening back to, and I hope you feel the same.

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My guest today is Saurabh Mukherjea, the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Marcellus Investment Managers. Saurabh is one of the most articulate fund managers in India, and today, he lays out a compelling case for investing in the country. We start by contrasting India with China and explaining why China receives all the attention despite the much better results from the Indian market. We also cover the bull case for India, the rise of domestic inflows in India, the Indian bond market, and close with a discussion of the risks and the themes Saurabh is excited about over...

My guest this week is Herman Narula, the CEO of Improbable. Improbable is an ambitious company that is building the infrastructure for an open metaverse. We dive into his vision for the metaverse, the technical requirements, the economic model, the role of blockchain, and more. We also cover the issues with AI regulations and the gaming industry. Please enjoy this conversation with Herman Narula.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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My guest today is Sajith Pai, a VC at Blume Ventures. Sajith is one of the leading thinkers on India, and today he takes us on a journey to understand this massive, fast-growing, and challenging market. We cover many of the unique features that define the country, such as the lack of trust and the low levels of debt. We also talk about segmenting the Indian consumer, the business models that work in India, the incredible rise of the startup ecosystem, and more.

If you want to learn more, I recommend you check out the 10-part Colossus...

In this quarterly recap, Matt turns the mic on Eric to delve into the remarkable performance of Q2, with the S&P up 4% and NASDAQ up 8%. They discuss the ongoing market strength, particularly driven by mega-cap growth companies and AI investment. The conversation covers the complexities active managers face, the unique AI spending cycle, the role of big balance sheets, and significant capital deployment. They also touch on historical market trends, fixed income perspectives, election year influences, and the rise of crypto. Please enjoy this second quarterly recap of 2024.

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My guest today is Nat Eliason, an internet creator and writer of the new book Crypto Confidential. Nat takes us on his wild journey in Crypto, where he made and lost millions, worked on exciting projects, and suffered through hacks and scams. We also talk about the Olympus project, how he’s built a career on being early and why he’s devoting the next phase to writing. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Nat Eliason. 

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episo...

My guest today is Richard Teng, the CEO of Binance. As a former regulator in Abu Dhabi, Richard was instrumental in making the city one of the world’s friendliest places for crypto. Today, he leads the world's largest crypto exchange into the post-CZ era. We talk about the painful lesson of the past year, working with regulators and putting the customer first. We also cover the Nigeria incident, the impact of the ETF, and why he’s bullish about the global regulatory outlook for Crypto. Please enjoy this conversation with Richard Teng.

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