Episodes

Talk Your Book: How Private Credit Works
March 17, 2025

Talk Your Book: How Private Credit Works

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Phil Bauer, SVP and Portfolio Specialist at Calamos Investments to discuss how private credit differs from high yield, intricaci...
The Tariff Tantrum (EP.403)
March 12, 2025

The Tariff Tantrum (EP.403)

On episode 403 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: a healthy correction in the stock market, growth stocks getting slaughtered, bonds are working again, recession worries are back on the table, interna...
Talk Your Book: A Better 60/40 Portfolio
March 10, 2025

Talk Your Book: A Better 60/40 Portfolio

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by JD Gardner, CIO and Founder of Aptus Capital Advisors to discuss who Aptus is, shifting to riskier portfolios using options, usi...
Is a Recession Coming? (EP.402)
March 5, 2025

Is a Recession Coming? (EP.402)

On episode 402 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: GDP growth rolling over, the probability of a recession is rising, timing a bear market, Ray Dalio's crash calls, the crypto strategic reserve, the bu...
Talk Your Book: Custom Portfolio Protection
March 3, 2025

Talk Your Book: Custom Portfolio Protection

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Matthew Radgowski, CEO of Halo Investing to discuss the difference between buffered ETFs and structured notes, Halo's new struct...
Time to Get Bearish? (EP.401)
Feb. 26, 2025

Time to Get Bearish? (EP.401)

On episode 401 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the potential for an economic slowdown, Steve Cohen gets bearish, the labor market is slowing, giving the US economy the benefit of the doubt, the top...
Talk Your Book: State of The Real Estate Market
Feb. 24, 2025

Talk Your Book: State of The Real Estate Market

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Paul Baiocchi, Chief ETF Strategist of SS&C ALPS Advisors and Nick Tannura, Portfolio Manager and CIO of GSI Capital Advisors to...
Life and Death (EP.400)
Feb. 19, 2025

Life and Death (EP.400)

On episode 400 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Jon Carlson's story, dealing with grief, why financial planning matters, Jon's life advice, the power of kindness and the mundane, gambler's fallacy o...
Talk Your Book: A Short History of the Nasdaq 100
Feb. 17, 2025

Talk Your Book: A Short History of the Nasdaq 100

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Emily Spurling, SVP, Global Head of Index at Nasdaq and Mark Marex, Senior Director of Index and Research and Development to dis...
Is $1 Million a Lot of Money? (EP.399)
Feb. 12, 2025

Is $1 Million a Lot of Money? (EP.399)

On episode 399 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the shrinking number of small businesses, the stock market chart of the decade, why excess capital investment in technology leads to booms/busts, the ...
Talk Your Book: How to Eliminate Negative Alpha
Feb. 10, 2025

Talk Your Book: How to Eliminate Negative Alpha

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Cole Wilcox, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Longboard Asset Management to discuss if trend following still works for st...
The Dumbest Trade War (EP.398)
Feb. 5, 2025

The Dumbest Trade War (EP.398)

On episode 398 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the financial impact of tariffs, why AI could save the stock market, market return assumptions for the next decade, the Vanguard Effect, levered ETFs,...
Talk Your Book: Bitcoin for Anyone
Feb. 3, 2025

Talk Your Book: Bitcoin for Anyone

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Matt Kaufman, SVP, Head of ETFs at Calamos to discuss using downside protection for cash, understanding caps and buffers using B...
Your Budget Sucks (EP.397)
Jan. 29, 2025

Your Budget Sucks (EP.397)

On episode 397 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Future Proof Citywide in Miami, the DeepSeek rug pull on Nvidia, what this means for the Mag 7 stocks, the most beloved bear market of all-time, Howar...
Talk Your Book: The Private Credit Opportunity Set
Jan. 27, 2025

Talk Your Book: The Private Credit Opportunity Set

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Kyle Brown, CEO, President, and CIO of Trinity Capital to discuss valuations in the VC market, what advisors should be asking ab...
Trump Coin (EP.396)
Jan. 22, 2025

Trump Coin (EP.396)

On episode 396 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: a memecoin from the President, what's next for the crypto industry, the golden age of financial fraud, recessions are becoming less prevalent, how muc...
Talk Your Book: 3 Reasons to Buy Bonds
Jan. 20, 2025

Talk Your Book: 3 Reasons to Buy Bonds

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Dave Braun, Managing Director and Generalist Portfolio Manager at PIMCO to discuss why rates have been moving higher, if the Fed...
A Key Market Signal (EP.395)
Jan. 15, 2025

A Key Market Signal (EP.395)

On episode 395 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the devastating fires in LA, why homes are the most important financial asset for the middle class, a roundtrip in stocks since the election, why rate...
Talk Your Book: Moneyball Meets Private Equity
Jan. 13, 2025

Talk Your Book: Moneyball Meets Private Equity

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Greg Bond , CEO of Man Numeric and Head of the Americas for the Man Group to discuss how the private equity portfolio is constru...
Predictions For 2025 (EP.394)
Jan. 8, 2025

Predictions For 2025 (EP.394)

On episode 394 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: all sorts of predictions for the upcoming year, the AI bubble, the roaring 2020s of stock market returns, financial regrets at age 80, housing is the ...
Talk Your Book: Direct to Consumer Venture Capital
Jan. 6, 2025

Talk Your Book: Direct to Consumer Venture Capital

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Elia Infascelli, Partner and CEO of The Cashmere Fund to discuss celebrities within VC, utilizing networks for private investmen...
It Was a Very Good Year (EP.393)
Jan. 1, 2025

It Was a Very Good Year (EP.393)

On episode 393 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the year that was in the stock market, expectations for 2025 returns, the Steve Ballmer portfolio, record ETF flows, the new normal of speculation, ri...
Talk Your Book: Conviction in Growth Investing
Dec. 30, 2024

Talk Your Book: Conviction in Growth Investing

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by Charly Travers, Portfolio Manager at Motley Fool Asset Management to discuss how the Motley 100 Index is constructed, growth vs ...
Talk Your Book: The Economy is not the Stock Market with David Rosenberg
Dec. 29, 2024

Talk Your Book: The Economy is not the Stock Market with David Rosenberg

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are joined by David Rosenberg, Founder and President of Rosenberg Research , to discuss David's macro track record, thoughts on where the econ...