WSJ's Take On the Week

• 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 break, Telis is joined by Chris Whalen, chairman of Whalen Global Advisors, and they get into this week’s coming earnings from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and more. Whalen explains why real trouble is brewing for banks in commercial real estate and private equity. And he shares what indicators he is looking out for in their earnings this coming week. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at [email protected]. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading: Gold Prices Top $4,000 for First Time Gold Screams ‘Debasement Trade.’ Bonds Say Otherwise. Stocks Fall After Report Raises Concerns About AI Profitability A New Wall Street Trade Is Powering Gold and Hitting Currencies The Unofficial Jobs Numbers Are In and It’s Rough Out There Big Banks Are Spinning Market Chaos Into Gold Credit-Card Users Are Cautious Now. Rate Cuts Could Open the Floodgates. Want to Know Where the Economy Is Headed? Look at These Banks For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter.  Follow Gunjan Banerji here and Telis Demos here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 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 columnist James Mackintosh for our roundtable podcast exploring the impact on today’s investors, markets and the economy. Plus, Nick details the fallout from President Trump’s attempt to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook and unpacks the historical context of what has shaped our idea of Fed independence, including the Great Depression, World War II and the high inflation of the 1970s. And they discuss how politics can impact the Fed’s goal of regulating the economy and keeping inflation under control. Further Reading Fed Minutes Reveal Divide Over Outlook for Cuts The Supreme Court Just Became the Last Line of Defense for Fed Independence Supreme Court Allows Lisa Cook to Keep Her Job for Now Fed Independence Reaches Its Moment of Truth as Supreme Court Weighs Cook’s Fate Powell’s Last Stand: Balancing a Tricky Economy and Intense Political Pressure Trump Says He Is Removing Fed Governor Lisa Cook Appeals Court Rejects Trump Request to Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook Why the Market Doesn’t Care Much About Trump Firing the Fed’s Cook Further Podcasts The Federal Reserve Under Siege Extreme Inflation From A to Z: Argentina Extreme Inflation From A to Z: Turkey Extreme Inflation From A to Z: Zimbabwe For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on the Street Column and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Send us an email to let us know what you think of the roundtable format: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 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, Gunjan sits down with Neene Jenkins, head of municipal research at JPMorgan Asset Management, to dive into municipal bonds, which are used to fund infrastructure, highways, sewer systems and school districts. Is higher education issuing more debt because of federal challenges? Later, they discuss the sector's resilience to government shutdowns, and Jenkins answers a key question: How likely is a recession? This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at [email protected]. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Municipal Bonds May Not Remain This Cheap For Long Are Muni Bonds Still a Darling on Wall Street? It Depends Who You Ask A Mystery in the High-Yield Muni Market: What Are the Riskiest Bonds Worth? ETFs Are Flush With New Money. Why Billions More Are Flowing Their Way. A Once Unstoppable Luxury Housing Market Is Starting to Crack Electronic Arts Goes Private for $55 Billion in Largest LBO Ever For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter.  Follow Gunjan Banerji here and Telis Demos here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Will AI Spending Pay Off? Or Are We in a Bubble?

  Artificial intelligence spending is hitting epic levels as Big Tech companies shell out for massive data centers to power new chatbots and other AI services. But will the spending--expected to amount to trillions of dollars in the coming years--pay off for investors? This week on our columnists roundtable, business and finance editor Alex Frangos, markets reporter Chelsey Dulaney and senior markets columnist James Mackintosh are joined by Heard on the Street tech columnist Dan Gallagher to discuss the promise of AI. They discuss the major investment deals announced by Nvidia, OpenAI, Oracle, Microsoft and Alphabet and dig into the use of debt to finance growth, including by companies like CoreWeave, which has emerged as a key player in the data-center buildout.  Plus, they separate fact from fiction when it comes to comparisons between AI and the dot-com bubble. And, finally, our panel answers a question from our previous about the tax implications of buying gold. Further Reading Spending on AI Is at Epic Levels. Will It Ever Pay Off? Debt Is Fueling the Next Wave of the AI Boom What the Dot-Com Bust Can Tell Us About Today’s AI Boom CoreWeave, Meta Enter $14.2 Billion AI Cloud Infrastructure Deal Nvidia to Invest Up to $100 Billion in OpenAI Nvidia Has a Problem: Too Much Money Oracle Is the New Nvidia, for Better or Worse For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on the Street Column and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Automakers Are Hitting the Brakes on EVs. Will That Help Their Stocks?

  In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Gunjan Banerji and Telis Demos kick things off by talking about perpetual futures or “perps,” which are offering turbocharged bets on bitcoin. Next, with the September jobs report out this week, they break down what investors should be looking out for beyond the headline number. Later in the show, Telis is joined by John Murphy, a managing director of strategic advisory at Haig Partners, for a deep dive into what the end of the EV tax subsidy this week could mean for the auto industry. Then, Murphy makes the case for why the best strategy for Ford, Stellantis and GM may be to focus on their truck businesses. Later, Telis asks: Does the end of the EV credit mean a renaissance for the internal combustion engine? This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Gunjan Banerji, lead writer for Live Markets, and Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at [email protected]. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Why Ford’s Made-in-America Strategy Hurts It in Trump’s Trade War Ford's Big EV Dilemma Auto Industry Takes $12 Billion Hit From Trade War Detroit Rediscovers Its Love for Giant Gas Guzzlers Get Rich or Get Wiped Out: Bitcoin’s Hottest New Trade Detroit Rediscovers Its Love for Giant Gas Guzzlers For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com, WSJ’s Heard on The Street Column, and WSJ’s Live Markets blog. Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter. Follow Gunjan Banerji here and Telis Demos here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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