WSJ's Take On the Week

The Wall Street Journal

WSJ's Take On the Week brings you the insights and analysis you need to get a leg up on the world of money and investing. We cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance. Join The Wall Street Journal's Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried in conversation with the people closest to the hot topics in markets to get incisive analysis on the big trades, key players in finance and business news. The duo will bring actionable insights to a range of investors and business leaders while also entertaining a broader audience with lively, relatable conversations. Episodes drop Sundays.

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127 episodes
Updated July 26

Episodes127

Newest first

February 15 · 29 min
The Consumer Shock From Tariffs Isn't Over. When Will Prices Peak?
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos are joined by Frances Donald, chief economist at Royal Bank of Canada, to break down the K-shaped economy, where different groups are thriving financially while others struggle. They ask: How could Walmart hit a trillion-dollar market capitalization despite consumer sentiment near record lows? Next, Donald analyzes what could be hiding the true health of the American household, from front-loading purchase
February 8 · 30 min
Why This VC Says AI and Robotics Will Put Every Human Job at Risk
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, our hosts Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried get into why the market still hasn’t made up its mind on Kevin Warsh’s nomination as the Federal Reserve chair, and why gold and silver trades fell on the news. Then Telis says he’ll be looking at Coinbase and Robinhood’s earnings this week to help make sense of bitcoin's falling value. Our hosts then break down the software selloff that followed Anthropic’s release of new legal tools. After the break, M
February 1 · 30 min
Will the Next Jobs Report Reveal the Real Cost of AI on Employment?
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried are joined by WSJ economics reporter Justin Lahart to discuss why gold has smashed records, and how global instability and the "Sell America" trade has fueled the rally. Next, they look ahead to Amazon’s earnings to see if the e-commerce giant can prove AI investments are boosting the bottom line, as Meta did, or if ongoing layoffs signal deeper issues in the labor market. Justin also previews this week’s
January 25 · 28 min
The Risks Behind the Expected $5.3T AI Data Center Funding Boom
We are knee deep into earnings season, and WSJ’s Take On the Week co-hosts Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried dive right into what companies they’ll be keeping an eye on this week. Our hosts compare the divergent strategies of Chevron and ExxonMobil as they navigate geopolitical instability in Venezuela and a push for cheap oil from President Trump. Telis and Miriam highlight some rising and and not-so-rising stars in the AI story: Seagate and Meta. Then they look at the return of the “Sell Americ
January 18 · 25 min
Why This Morgan Stanley Exec Says Tariffs Will Be Struck Down
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, Telis Demos and Gunjan Banerjii—in her final appearance as regular co-host—are joined by incoming co-host Miriam Gottfried. Our trio get into the high-stakes bidding war between Netflix and Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery and why Netflix shareholders may be skeptical of the deal. Then the hosts dive into the historic rally in gold and silver, and whether the debasement trade is back after news of an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair J
January 11 · 25 min
HBO’s ‘Industry’ Creators on Banking Culture, Risk, Fraud and Short Selling
In this special edition of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Miriam Gottfried and WSJ banking reporter Alexander Saeedy go inside the high-stakes world of HBO’s financial television drama “Industry.” They are joined by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, former bankers turned co-creators of the show, to unpack how real-world market dynamics inspire the series. Down and Kay reflect on their early careers at Morgan Stanley and Rothschild, and explain why season 4 shifts away from the fictional trading floor
January 4 · 31 min
WSJ’s Take On the Year: Market Trends to Watch in 2026
AI’s surge in demand for memory and storage drove some of 2025’s biggest stock market winners, including hard-drive makers Seagate Technology and Western Digital, and AI chip maker Micron Technology. Retail trading platform Robinhood also put up a blockbuster year and made its S&P 500 debut. And the bidding war by Netflix and Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery propelled the entertainment giant into a top market performer. Not all companies fared as well, with those tied to health care and cons
Dec 21, 2025 · 36 min
How This Fed Hawk Views the Economy, Inflation, AI and Jobs
In this week’s episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos and guest host WSJ Chief Economics Correspondent Nick Timiraos are joined by Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, to discuss the state of the U.S economy, interest rates and the central bank itself. Hammack shares her views on what she’s hearing from businesses in her district and what that could mean for consumer prices and the labor market. She emphasizes the importance of Fed independence and t
Dec 18, 2025 · 16 min
Inside China’s Pursuit of Tech Dominance–and What It Means for the U.S.
This week we’re bringing you an episode of our sister podcast What’s News Sunday, a weekly show tackling the big questions about the biggest stories in the news. In this week’s special episode, Lingling Wei, WSJ’s Chief China Correspondent, focuses on how China has been making major inroads on the technology front from artificial intelligence to autonomous driving, complicating its relationship with the U.S. She is joined by Peter Landers, WSJ’s Asia Business Editor, and Victor Wang, a Silicon V
Dec 14, 2025 · 23 min
Why a Crack in the AI Boom Could Trigger a Recession
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos and guest host Hannah Erin Lang discuss the Federal Reserve's recent rate cut and whether further easing is expected in 2026. They get into the upcoming CPI report, which is expected to show stubborn inflation, and how that could pressure consumer stocks like Nike and General Mills. The hosts also look at the busy slate of global central bank decisions from the EU, the U.K., and Japan — highlighting how a potential rate hike f
Dec 7, 2025 · 26 min
Why the Fed’s Balance Sheet Matters as Much as Its Interest-Rate Decision
In this week’s episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos is joined by WSJ markets reporter Hannah Erin Lang to discuss the return of investor optimism as the S&P 500 approaches all-time highs ahead of the FOMC’s upcoming meeting. They also analyze the next test for the AI trade: earnings from Oracle and Adobe this week. Plus, the U.S. dollar is sliding as the Federal Reserve prepares to cut rates while Japan signals hikes. The hosts discuss how this could drive capital abroad. After
Nov 23, 2025 · 27 min
Is It Time to Diversify Away From U.S. Stocks Into Global Markets?
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos and guest host Hannah Erin Lang discuss the volatility of the AI trade and how Nvidia's earnings report at least somewhat helped restore investors’ faith. They analyze new signals from retailers, including those who recently reported earnings, such as Target and Walmart, about the K-shaped U.S. consumer economy and the uneven spending patterns heading into the crucial Black Friday and holiday season. The hosts also note that t
Nov 16, 2025 · 25 min
How Trillions in New AI Debt Will Test the Bond Market
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos discuss the lingering economic impact of the U.S. government shutdown and why a lack of crucial inflation and jobs data is making the outlook murky for the Federal Reserve. Next, Nvidia is set to report its third-quarter earnings this week. And Morgan Stanley estimates that only half of the roughly $3 trillion in global data center spending through 2028 could be funded by projected cash flows. So how are te
Nov 9, 2025 · 30 min
Amazon and Netflix Are Winning: Can Old-School Media Compete?
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos and guest host Miriam Gottfried discuss the Supreme Court case challenging President Trump's reciprocal tariffs and how that’s playing out in the markets. Next, they look at affordability as the winning message from recent elections, such as Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign to be the next mayor of New York City. Plus, they explore the recent drama in the private credit market after executives at Blackstone downplayed the “
Nov 2, 2025 · 21 min
How One Investor Is Profiting From Consumers’ Love of Travel
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, guest host Miriam Gottfried speaks with Eric Resnick, CEO of private equity investment manager KSL Capital Partners, about the resilience of the travel and leisure sector. He explains why he sees leisure travel demand as a powerful anchor that allows the sector to defy pressures typically seen during an economic downturn. We dive into the outlook for corporate travel, the challenges facing new hotel construction, the rising experiential economy a
Oct 26, 2025 · 22 min
Why This Analyst Says Robinhood Is More Than a Meme Stock
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos discuss market speculation, from the recent sputtering in the gold rally to what to expect from this week's Federal Reserve meeting. Next, Apple is reporting earnings this week, but the company saw a bump after a research report was released saying the company saw strong sales with its latest iPhone. Later, Robinhood has come a long way since the meme stock mania, entering the S&P 500 company earlier this
Oct 19, 2025 · 25 min
Why This Legendary Investor Says We're in a Stock Market Bubble
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos dig into the latest big bank earnings and what they signal about the health of the U.S. consumer. Next, they explore the disconnect between potential economic warning signs and the market’s speculative fever, where the “buy the dip” mentality continues to drive stocks to new records. Finally, they look ahead to the upcoming earnings from Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper, Colgate-Palmolive, Ford and GM. Then, aft
Oct 12, 2025 · 26 min
If Trouble Is Brewing for Banks, Here's Where to Spot It
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Telis Demos is joined by Miriam Gottfried to tackle gold’s continued rally. They discuss the debate over whether its surge is a bet against the U.S. dollar or simply "catastrophe insurance" against a faltering AI-led stock market. Plus, with the U.S. government shutdown delaying key economic reports, investors are turning to Bank of America, Carlyle Group and likely this week’s bank earnings for clues on the economy's health. After the b
Oct 9, 2025 · 30 min
Trump Is Meddling With the Fed. Why Don’t Markets Care?
In both economics and politics, there is a widespread view that central banks should be free of political pressure, with cautionary tales around the world of what happens when politicians meddle: out of control inflation, spiraling debt crises and economic collapse. And with the U.S. Federal Reserve's independence now under attack by President Trump, WSJ chief economics correspondent Nick Timiraos joins business and finance editor Alex Frangos, markets reporter Chelsey Dulaney and senior markets
Oct 5, 2025 · 23 min
Why This JPMorgan Analyst Says Now Is the Time to Buy Municipal Bonds
In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos explore how the Federal Reserve’s independence, a government shutdown and volatility around tariffs are driving gold to hit record highs. Then, does videogame maker Electronic Arts’ $55 billion buyout signal a long-awaited M&A boom? Plus, they discuss the “debasement trade” and how concerns over the U.S. dollar are also fueling a rally in bitcoin ETFs issued by firms like BlackRock. Then after the break, G

WSJ's Take On the Week

The Consumer Shock From Tariffs Isn't Over. When Will Prices Peak?

Why This VC Says AI and Robotics Will Put Every Human Job at Risk

Will the Next Jobs Report Reveal the Real Cost of AI on Employment?

The Risks Behind the Expected $5.3T AI Data Center Funding Boom

Why This Morgan Stanley Exec Says Tariffs Will Be Struck Down

HBO’s ‘Industry’ Creators on Banking Culture, Risk, Fraud and Short Selling

WSJ’s Take On the Year: Market Trends to Watch in 2026

How This Fed Hawk Views the Economy, Inflation, AI and Jobs

Inside China’s Pursuit of Tech Dominance–and What It Means for the U.S.

Why a Crack in the AI Boom Could Trigger a Recession

Why the Fed’s Balance Sheet Matters as Much as Its Interest-Rate Decision

Is It Time to Diversify Away From U.S. Stocks Into Global Markets?

How Trillions in New AI Debt Will Test the Bond Market

Amazon and Netflix Are Winning: Can Old-School Media Compete?

How One Investor Is Profiting From Consumers’ Love of Travel

Why This Analyst Says Robinhood Is More Than a Meme Stock

Why This Legendary Investor Says We're in a Stock Market Bubble

If Trouble Is Brewing for Banks, Here's Where to Spot It

Trump Is Meddling With the Fed. Why Don’t Markets Care?

Why This JPMorgan Analyst Says Now Is the Time to Buy Municipal Bonds