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

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 takeontheweek@wsj.com. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Further Reading Why Gasoline Prices Are Rising Faster Than Usual This Year Inflation Victory Is Proving Elusive, Challenging Central Banks and Markets For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

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 takeontheweek@wsj.com. 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 .

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 takeontheweek@wsj.com. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Listen to WSJ’s Take On the Week: https://on.wsj.com/3r5DbS7

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 takeontheweek@wsj.com. 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com.

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 takeontheweek@wsj.com. 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)

BlackRock’s Rick Rieder leads the $10 trillion asset manager’s global asset allocation team and he’s excited about a return to normalcy in 2024. He’s expecting strong economic growth and he’s hoping the Fed will speed up its interest rate cuts this year. Plus, he explains why he likes bitcoin and what his big worry is right now.

Why will DoorDash’s earnings report deliver a better check-up for the U.S. economy than Marriott, Coca-Cola and Kraft-Heinz this week? Because the affordable luxury of food delivery is a great barometer for how much Americans are still willing to spend. Jason Helfstein, Oppenheimer and Company’s managing director and head of Internet research, tells us why he’s giving the stock a buy rating and how he thinks the latest changes to minimum wage laws will affect stockholders. And it’s still all about inflation. WSJ markets reporter Eric Wallerstein joins us to break down why this week’s CPI inflation report could really move markets. Plus, Valentine’s Day is on the way, which for many means gifts. We look at which sector might see a boost from the holiday of love. Further Reading As CFOs Prepare for an Unpredictable 2024, Here’s What Tops Their Checklists Investors Are Almost Always Wrong About the Fed Why Inflation Is Rising Again: Breaking Down the December CPI Report 11 Valentine’s Day Gifts to Warm Her Heart (and Everything Else) For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

This week, multinational food, snack, and beverage company, PepsiCo is set to release their fourth quarter financial results. The soda maker has made headlines recently after their products were removed from European supermarket chain, Carrefour. The split follows a recent announcement by PepsiCo's chief financial officer, Hugh Johnston, that the company is expecting to slow price hikes this year. Jeremy Goldberg, portfolio manager at Professional Advisory Services, joins us to share what these moves will mean for investors. Then, we're turning our attention to CVS Health Corp’s earnings this week. The retail pharmacy chain recently announced plans to close dozens of pharmacies inside Target stores as pharmacies struggle to grow retail profits. WSJ reporter Anna Matthews joins to share what this means for the company's future and what it says about the state of drugstores. We wrap up the show with a 'happy birthday' to Meta, which will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Facebook later this week. Sal Rodriguez, WSJ's social media reporter, joins us to discuss what the tech giant may be looking forward to next. Further Reading PepsiCo, Grocery Giant Bicker Over Who Dumped Whom CVS Is Closing Pharmacies Inside Some Target Stores

This week, the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee is expected to release a decision on interest rates. When will the central bank finally begin lowering rates? Former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard joins us to share his thoughts on the decision and what he thinks the Fed needs to prioritize next. Plus, ready or not, tax season is here. Tax filing season starts January 29 and we want to understand what this means for you and your investments. WSJ reporter, Laura Saunders, joins us to share what investors should be paying most attention to as they prepare their filings. Plus, we’re gearing up to enter Apple’s virtual world. The technology company is set to release their mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro, at the end of the week. The company also faces added pressures from Microsoft as the company briefly overtook Apple as the largest U.S. company by market value. Could virtual reality be what keeps Apple on top? Further Reading Stocks Fall on Rate-Cut Pessimism Fed Posts Largest-Ever Annual Operating Loss How Much Is the Standard Deduction and Should I Take It on My Tax Return? How You Can Grab a 0% Tax Rate For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

As we look ahead to what this year will hold for the markets, one question looming is the results of November's presidential election. While nothing is certain, it’s very likely that President Biden will be the Democratic nominee for president. So what can investors and everyday Americans who are thinking about their bank accounts, jobs and families expect from the rest of 2024 and the next four years if Biden is re-elected? To find out, we’re talking to Jared Bernstein, chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, an agency within the White House that gives the president advice on economic policy. Bernstein previously served as Biden’s chief economist during his first two years as vice president, from 2009 to 2011. In this bonus episode, we'll talk with Bernstein about jobs, the national debt, inflation, China and the trade war, and whether the U.S. economy needs more stimulus or some serious budget cuts.

What are business owners' biggest worries and how are they feeling about the economy? This week, the National Association for Business Economics, or NABE, is expected to release its first survey of the year. We spoke with Constance Hunter – a senior adviser at MacroPolicy Perspectives and a past president of NABE – about how investors should be thinking about this data and what it could mean for the economy and financial markets in 2024. And, in our roundtable with WSJ reporters Sharon Terlep and George Downs we discuss Boeing's recent issues with its 737 Max jet and its upcoming earnings call. Further Reading Consumers Start 2024 on Strong Footing After a Jolly Holiday Boeing’s Pile of Problems Gets Bigger as a Crucial Buyer Hesitates Can Boeing Repair the $12 Billion Hole in Its Reputation? Inflation Is Down, but It Wasn't 'Transitory' For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.

Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff joins us this week to talk about housing and the state of tech and investing in private markets. Although mortgage rates have fallen from their peak in 2023, there may not be enough inventory to bring in potential homebuyers. Rascoff tells us about what he sees as potential obstacles and successes for the housing market. And, as an entrepreneur and a venture capital investor who has co-founded some of the most well-known companies in the U.S., including Hotwire.com, Rascoff also tells us how he’s reading the markets as we get into 2024. Plus, the World Economic Forum begins this week. The annual meeting, held in Davos, Switzerland, brings together cultural, policy and business leaders "to shape global, regional and industry agendas." From AI to unexpected economic optimism, WSJ deputy editor in chief Charles Forelle will discuss what he’ll be looking for from the conference. Further Reading Investors’ Hope for 2024: A Return to Long-Lost Normalcy The Hidden Force Pushing Mortgage Rates Down Facing Housing Shortages, Cities Try Cramming More Units on Lots Misinformation Seen as Top Global Risk in Year of Pivotal Elections For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com .

Investors are bullish on big companies, but what about the small ones that drive almost half of U.S. economic activity? Arlan Hamilton leads a venture capital firm that invests in these small firms and has a front-row seat. Her fund, Backstage Capital, has invested in hundreds of small companies that are hoping to become large ones and she’ll tell us what she sees happening right now and what’s on the horizon. Plus, is banking back? Bank stocks soared at the end of 2023, with a couple even outperforming the S&P 500. It shows investors have put the banking crisis that sunk the market in March behind them. But is the coast all clear? And how did we get here? We’ll find out from WSJ banking reporter Rachel Ensign as the three largest banks in the country — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — are all scheduled to report their earnings on Friday. Further Reading WSJ Reports: Small Business The Coming Deluge for Small Business U.S. Small-Business Sentiment Kept Sliding in September How the Fed's Fight Against Inflation Could Hit Small Business First Republic Crashed and Burned. This Bank Wants to Copy Its Business. How the 2023 Bank Crisis Can Still Be Felt in 2024 Best Banks and Credit Unions for 2024

The new year is upon us, and this week we’re telling you what you need to know to make sense of the markets as we head into 2024. It’s our final episode of 2023, and what a year it was: a long-forecast recession never materialized, the U.S. economy saw solid growth, and the stock market delivered spectacular returns – all while rising interest rates put the squeeze on borrowers and the housing market. So what should we expect for 2024? David Kelly, chief global strategist and head of the Global Market Insights Strategy team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, joins us to share his outlook and explain what you should be on the lookout for next year. Then, we're taking on questions from our listeners about the economy, mortgage rates and what’s next for the Federal Reserve. Further Reading: U.S. Inflation Expected to Keep Slowing Will the Fed Cut Interest Rates in 2024? | Market Takes How the Fed Will Shift Its Focus in 2024 If You’re Worried About the Economy, Here’s What You Can Do The Math for Buying a Home No Longer Works. These Charts Show You Why. For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com .

The financial markets seem convinced that interest rates are poised to come down next year. But officials at the Federal Reserve aren’t committing to rate cuts yet. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, who was on the Fed’s rate-setting committee this year, joins WSJ’s Take On the Week to discuss why “all things are on the table” when it comes to interest rates, including potential rate hikes, and why he thinks there is still a risk of recession. Plus: what’s keeping him up at night, and why he says it may be time for the Fed to shift its focus from inflation to the slowing U.S. labor market. Further Reading Fed Official Says Central Bank Isn’t ‘Really Talking About Rate Cuts’ Chicago Fed’s Goolsbee Says Fed May Need to Shift Its Focus to Jobs Fed Begins Pivot Toward Lowering Rates as Inflation Declines For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.