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This Time Is Different

Malcolm Ethridge and Ricky Mulvey

Long-form conversations that challenge consensus thinking about markets, money, and the economy. We question the narratives everyone else accepts and welcome contrarian ideas.

Hosted by Malcolm Ethridge and Ricky Mulvey

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29 episodes
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Yesterday · 45 min
Who Does Your AI Actually Work For?
AI agents want your credit card, and new research suggests they may not find you the best price. Ricky and Malcolm ask who these tools are actually beholden to. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: - Why Malcolm is watching Apple’s Mac mini, and how it became a way to skip the line for GPUs. - The Financial Times report that OpenAI’s annualized revenue is closer to $50 billion than $70 billion and why that the AI trade under the microscope. - How Paramount’s $52 billion financing package for Warner Bros. connects to the Ellison family’s other company, and what it could mean for the big, risky movies Ricky wants to keep seeing. - New research that suggests AI shopping agents may steer higher-income users toward pricier options. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Malcolm Ethridge, Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Heather Horton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 6 · 51 min
Bilal Little on Leveraged ETFs and AI Agents
Leveraged ETFs have a reputation problem, and AI agents are already slipping past the security checks meant to stop them. Direxion's Bilal Little joins Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge to separate the real risks from the misconceptions. Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge, and Bilal Little discuss: International equities trading at a 30-35% discount to US peers. Bilal pushes back on the idea that leveraged ETFs are driving widespread market volatility. An AI agent that lowballed a Facebook Marketplace sale, let a stranger show up unannounced, and left its owner holding a bad review — and what it means that these agents are already slipping past CAPTCHAs and light authentication. Why there's currently no real guardrail layer standing between an AI agent and your inbox, bank account, or social media, and what that gap means for retail investors experimenting with tools like Meta's Muse. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Malcolm Ethridge, Ricky Mulvey Guest: Bilal Little Engineer: Heather Horton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 29 · 56 min
Will Healthcare Costs Take More Jobs Than AI?
Mark Cuban says rising health benefit costs will get more people fired or not hired than artificial intelligence will. Ricky and Malcolm dig into the claim that polite society isn’t supposed to talk about. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: Why healthcare costs, now close to $19,000 per employee per year, could cost more jobs than AI. What GLP-1 drugs are doing to company budgets, including Bank of America's $250 million a year in spending. Why Oracle is warning its creditor that it may struggle to make payments on a data center, and what OpenAI's delayed IPO has to do with it. Why SoftBank's near-10% high-yield bond offering to buy more OpenAI shares is a sign markets are getting more skeptical, and why bond fund holders may already be exposed to the AI trade. Why Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara might be the book Malcolm needs to download next, plus Ricky's case for Costco, Disney parks, and Trader Joe's. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Malcolm Ethridge, Ricky MulveyEngineer: Heather Horton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 22 · 47 min
OpenAI Really Cares About Safety
Sam Altman told Fortune that OpenAI is delaying its IPO because of safety concerns. Ricky and Malcolm think the real story is something else. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: Why Sam Altman's "safety" excuse for delaying OpenAI's IPO looks a lot more like a company that isn't ready to speak to Wall Street. The AI researcher who quit his job over how "dangerous and irresponsible" these companies are, then admitted on national TV that he still owns his shares. Why the federal government is quietly taking equity stakes in companies like Rigetti Computing. What a Yahoo Finance analysis of 17 companies that cut deals with the Trump administration says about who actually profits. Ricky's new car purchase, the used-car market that refuses to depreciate, and tips for speeding up time at a dealership. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Malcolm Ethridge, Ricky MulveyEngineer: Heather Horton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 15 · 47 min
Apple Finds the Crease
Apple dropped a new folding iPhone. Are you ready to pay $2k for one? Ricky and Malcolm are joined by special guest Dylan Lewis, now with The Morning Brew! They discuss: Malcolm's case that this is Apple's "Jordan Mania" moment even if he's not buying one himself. Why Apple's stock is up roughly 40% over the past year, why it’s a "safety trade" story as CEO John Ternus takes over. Robinhood's tokenized-stock push and why AMC's CEO isn't a fan. Aura's IPO: 74% revenue growth, 5 million paid members, and a killer word-of-mouth acquisition number. Are fitness wearables investable? Why Dylan is interested in financial planning for new parents, like setting up a 529 plan. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Guest: Dylan Lewis Engineer: Heather Horton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 8 · 50 min
Real Money Secrets Aren't on TikTok
Tax tricks used by billionaires are now showing up in the algorithm, but the real money secrets aren’t going out on social media. Ricky and Malcolm discuss: Winmark, a royalty-collecting franchisor (Play It Again Sports, Once Upon a Child) trading at a 52-week low, and why Ricky is interested as a long-term investor. The 351 exchange strategy the ultra-wealthy use to defer capital gains taxes, and why the version being pitched to retail investors on TikTok rarely pencils out. Gary Vaynerchuk's VeeFriends, how their being sold to collectors, and if cards can provide “alpha”. K Money, a suspended securities broker turned Facebook "investing luminary," and how his $800,000 fund actually got spent. Why "if they were really that good at it, they wouldn't be telling you about it" is a solid rule of thumb for filtering financial advice on social media. A few real-life "avoidable risk" lessons from Red Rocks, and Ricky's Tesla-vs-Civic dilemma as his EV lease runs out. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Host: Ricky Mulvey Co-host: Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 1 · 50 min
Cybersecurity Stocks' Comeback
AI didn’t kill all software. In fact, some of the big dogs in cybersecurity may be stronger than before. Ricky and Malcolm discuss: Bitcoin's return to favor, and whether it's a trade or a decade-long hold. Why CrowdStrike and Okta are rallying, and the CISO survey stat behind the next leg of cybersecurity spending. The "SaaS-pocalypse" that may still be coming, and how private equity gets hurt. Ricky's Medicare for All reporting, and the cost assumption nobody's talking about. TRICARE's opaque drug pricing, and why other developed nations pay less for U.S.-made drugs. A mailbag question on investing real money for a college asset management timeline. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Host: Ricky Mulvey Co-host: Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 25 · 51 min
Matt Argersinger: The AI Trade Is Musical Chairs
Future US stock returns may not follow its historical success. Former Motley Fool senior analyst Matt Argersinger sits in for Malcolm this week. Ricky and Matt discuss: - 30-year Treasury yields near two-decade highs, and what that means for income investors who remember 2% bonds.- A real estate investment trust that Matt thinks is a great value. - The case for playing defense on the AI trade. - Ricky’s reporting on debanking.- Mercado Libre, gold, and covered-call ETFs. - When it actually makes sense to pay for active management, versus indexing. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Matt Argersinger Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 18 · 46 min
The Only Sane Person in Crazy Town
The economy is unhinged! Ricky and Malcolm discuss: Gen Z redirecting investing dollars toward gambling. Malcolm as the lone voice of caution on a CNBC panel of market bulls. Bill Ackman's return to Netflix as an activist investor and his shaky track record with the stock. Reddit's inclusion in the S&P 500, and why Google and OpenAI need the site for AI ambitions. Cerebras' wild earnings swings, the buildout of "collateralized chip obligations," and Malcolm's case about semiconductor shortage, which may not last forever. Ricky's reporting about margin debt, which is at a record amount in the US stock market. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Malcolm Ethridge, Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 11 · 42 min
When to Sell a Stock You've Owned for Years
Malcolm bought a popular tech stock a few years ago and just decided it's time to sell. How did he know? Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: Why Malcolm is selling a streaming giant after a multi-year run, and why he believes there are signs the company's best growth days are behind it. Mercado Libre, the "Amazon of Latin America," and why a company trading off profit margins for a decade of growth might be a stock you just hold and don't overthink. The little-known Fed rule that hasn't been touched since 1974, how it could effect the record levels of margin in the US stock market. A listener question on the K-shaped economy: what would it actually take for the bottom half of the K to catch up to the top? Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 4 · 51 min
Why Smart People Take Dumb Money Risks
A 24-year-old hedge fund manager said he had more "situational awareness" than anyone on Wall Street. Then his leveraged bets on memory chipmakers blew up, forcing a fire sale to Ken Griffin. Wall Street is pretty smart. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: - How Leopold Aschenbrenner's AI manifesto and multi-billion-dollar hedge fund imploded within months, and what it says about ego. - South Korea's leveraged ETF boom, and what a 30% single-day swing in SK Hynix says about the stock market. - What free solo climber Dean Potter's story (via HBO's The Dark Wizard) reveals about risk tolerance vs. risk capacity. - Why AI chatbots are quietly rewriting the dating game, and what a Bloomberg story on "chat phishing" says about how people communicate now. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 28 · 1 hr 3 min
ServiceNow's Pitch: A Kill Switch for Rogue Bots
ServiceNow is down 50% over the past twelve months. Investors are doubting the company's place in a world with AI agents. But, maybe the software giant is figuring it out… Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: - OpenAI’s latest scandal. Its bot broke out of a sandboxed test environment and hacked its way into another company’s servers using stolen credentials. - Ricky passing the CFP® exam. - ServiceNow’s pitch for an AI “kill switch,” and why Wall Street isn’t buying it (yet). - Tesla’s robotaxi miles dropped 36% quarter over quarter, and nearly all of its net income came from SpaceX stock gains. - Why Gen Z women are financially “momming” their boyfriends, and what it says about the dating economy. - The financial lessons hiding inside Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 21 · 52 min
Canaries in the AI Coal Mine
Uber, Tesla, xAI, Meta, and now IBM have all quietly signaled the same thing: AI is too expensive. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: Whether "gotcha questions" in media interviews (from Tucker Carlson to JD Vance on Rogan) actually work Why Malcolm bought Netflix into weakness after a disappointing earnings report, and picked up Cerebras (CBRS) as a bet against Nvidia's pricing power. The "canaries in the coal mine" for AI spending: Tesla and Uber capping employee AI token usage, Meta and xAI signaling they overbuilt data center capacity, and IBM's ugly pre-released earnings blaming AI infrastructure costs Why Ricky bought VICI Properties, the landlord behind Caesars and MGM on the Las Vegas Strip, as a hideout trade disconnected from AI The other half of the K-shaped economy: falling grocery unit sales at PepsiCo versus surging same-store sales at Costco A listener question on gifting money tax-free to kids for a home down payment. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 14 · 53 min
Remember Nvidia’s Memory
Nvidia’s valuation is the cheapest it has been since the AI boom. Traders’ attention moved to memory chipmakers. They may have forgotten that Nvidia makes advanced memory systems. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss:- An unpaid intern getting “fired” for demanding $32 per hour, and if unpaid internships should even be legal.- What investors forgot about Nvidia.- President Trump’s financial disclosures, and Malcolm’s prediction on insider trading legislation.- Why Ricky thinks Dave & Buster's has a midlife crisis after the arcade chain announced that it will host raves. Could this be a good time for some activists to get involved? Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 7 · 1 hr
Welcome to Crazy Town, Population: $1.4 Trillion Margin Debt
US margin debt, what investors borrow from their brokerages to buy securities, rose 54% from a year ago. Don’t take the punch bowl away! Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: Malcolm’s prediction that Sam Altman will have to walk back OpenAI's spending commitments in the back half of 2026. The mechanics of triple-leveraged ETFs, and how they're driving 10% single-day swings in stocks like Micron without any individual investor buying the underlying company. The Cut’s article "It's Hard to See My Parents Living So Lavishly While We're Struggling." Stories of rich parents refusing to help their children; a loan a dad wouldn't cosign, and the daughter who found out at graduation she owed $80,000 in loans from her parents. The history of corporations in America, and how an idea that Alexander Hamilton implemented could be used today; profitable companies that serve the public interest. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 30 · 53 min
Polymarket's Fake Bets. Wendy’s Becomes a Meme Stock.
Polymarket reportedly paid creators to post videos of themselves "winning" bets that didn't exist. The Wall Street Journal found 118 videos showing nearly $900,000 in winnings — bets that, in reality, would have lost more than $166,000, placed on a creatively misspelled lookalike site. Meanwhile, Wendy's is drawing more Wall Street Bets chatter than SpaceX, 80% of its borrowable shares are already sold short, and the internet has decided a $7 burger stock might be the next GameStop. Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss.: - The summer box office recovery, and what movie audiences want. - The Polymarket "poiymarket" fake-bet scheme. - Whether Wendy's is the next GameStop. - Netflix as a "durable good" and why it's trading at a discount to the market. - The clipping economy, why one operator estimates 90% of what you see online is advertising in disguise. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 23 · 53 min
Is The Market Too Hot To Trust?
Elon Musk says SpaceX could hit $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, a fifteen-fold jump from 2027 estimates. Parts of the market feel like they're on fire. So where does a long-term bull actually put money when they don't want to chase 40%-in-a-week moves? Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: The REITs they're using as cover in an overheated market — cold storage, data centers, and class-A office — and Malcolm's "what's the yield" test for every one of them. Why "fiduciary" might not mean what you think, and how to tell a real one from a salesperson. State Farm's plan to cut agent pay and lean on AI, and what it signals about white-collar work. Why Gen Z is trading like the system is rigged, and whether they're wrong. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 16 · 57 min
Is the American Dream Dead? w/ Freddie Smith
Is the American Dream Dead? w/ Freddie Smith Over the past 50 years, Americans created roughly $140 trillion in new wealth. Roughly two SpaceX’s worth of wealth reached the bottom half. Actor-turned-economic-commentator Freddie Smith argues the American dream isn't dead, but the timeline to reach it has become unreasonable for the typical worker. Is he right, and what would it actually take to fix it? Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge are joined by Freddie Smith, author of the upcoming book Generation F****d, to discuss: Freddie's radical tax plan: scrap every federal tax and replace it with a 10% levy on gross revenue. The case for banning stock buybacks, and Malcolm's pitch to just raise the dividend instead. How a capital gains tax holiday for mom-and-pop landlords could unlock frozen housing supply. Whether regular 401(k) investors are locked out of the real growth happening in OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Guest: Freddie Smith Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 10 · 52 min
The Real Reason for Big Tech Layoffs
Google is raising $80 billion, and nearly 40% of it is going to the IRS, not data centers. Is Big Tech cutting employees to pay a tax bill? Ricky Mulvey and Malcolm Ethridge discuss: Why index funds are forced to buy SpaceX at a bad time The Nasdaq rule change that helps big IPOs, and possible reasons why the exchange declined to answer Ricky's questions Why Malcolm is making a list of stocks to buy when the hype dies Whether RocketLab is still a good investment. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 2 · 1 hr 2 min
Why Did SpaceX Buy $131 Million of Cybertrucks?
SpaceX is mostly an AI company now. Or, that’s where it sees most of its total addressable market in one of the largest economic opportunities “in human history.” Well, that's according to the company. Malcolm is more skeptical. Is this the last big bang in the AI bull market? What's buried in the SpaceX S-1 that nobody's talking about. Whether OpenAI's IPO will land with a thud in SpaceX's shadow Gen Z trading bars for $300-a-month gyms — status symbol or genuine shift? Why ChatGPT gave Ricky very bad advice in a Tokyo pharmacy How American entertainment companies could build “venture capital arms” for content. Want to contact us? thistimepod@gmail.com We are proud to be in the Airwave Media network! Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Hosts: Ricky Mulvey, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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