Animal Spirits Podcast
The Compound
SummaryAnimal Spirits is your weekly deep dive into the messy, exhilarating, and often counterintuitive world of markets and personal finance. Hosted by Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson, the show moves beyond the day-to-day noise of financial headlines to explore what is actually driving the economy and investor behavior. Whether they are unpacking the structural evolution of the Nasdaq 100, dissecting the resiliency of the U.S. economy, or questioning whether the latest tech boom is a bubble or a fundamental shift, Michael and Ben bring a grounded, practical perspective to complex topics. The podcast features a unique blend of formats. In their regular episodes, the hosts tackle everything from market sentiment and retail trading trends to the psychological traps that lead investors to try and time the market. In their signature Talk Your Book series, they bring on industry experts to demystify specialized areas of the financial landscape, such as private assets, emerging market bonds, and the critical infrastructure powering the AI revolution. What sets the show apart is its focus on long-term strategy over short-term speculation. The hosts are quick to challenge conventional wisdom, helping listeners cut through the fear and greed that often dominate financial discourse. If you are looking for a show that balances technical analysis with the human side of investing, Animal Spirits provides the clarity and context needed to stay the course in any market environment.
Updated Jul 6, 2026
Episodes
Talk Your Book: How SpaceX Got Into the Nasdaq 100
Invesco expert Paul Schroeder explains the index methodology behind how companies like SpaceX land in the Nasdaq 100.
Is Debt Fueling the Rally? (EP. 471)
Sky-high leverage is fueling market volatility, but this broad-based rally remains far from a bubble.
Talk Your Book: Investing in the Power Grid
Modernizing the power grid is the essential, long-term infrastructure play powering the global AI and data center boom.
Everything is Outperforming the S&P 500 This Year (EP. 470)
Small caps, value, and emerging markets are outperforming the S&P 500 as the market rally finally broadens out.
Talk Your Book: AI Is Not a Bubble
Portfolio manager Dr. Ankar Crawford explains why AI is not a bubble and how supply constraints fuel future growth.
How Much is $1 Trillion? (EP. 469)
Whether AI is a massive bubble or a life-changing investment, the best strategy is avoiding the need to call the top.
Talk Your Book: The Case for Investing in Emerging Market Bonds
Emerging market bonds now offer lower volatility and higher yields than developed market debt due to fiscal stability.
The Teflon Economy (EP. 468)
Despite market pullbacks and ongoing fears, the resilient US economy keeps defying recession calls.
Talk Your Book: Diversification in Private Assets
Advisors are moving beyond traditional portfolios by incorporating private markets to target better risk-adjusted returns.
The Biggest Short Squeeze of All-Time (EP. 467)
The market is hitting historical records as AI-driven momentum continues to defy traditional fear-based indicators.
Talk Your Book: Why Rising Rates Won't Hurt You Anymore
Rising interest rates are creating rare, opportunistic entry points for investors in the municipal bond market.
A Fire Alarm For Interest Rates (EP. 466)
Rising interest rates and the yield curve are normalizing rather than signaling an imminent market crash.
Talk Your Book: Investing in the Rise of the Robots
The humanoid robotics industry is rapidly advancing as physical AI creates the next massive global investment wave.
The Fat Pitch For Bears (EP. 465)
The stock market is currently offering a fat pitch for bears, but investors should beware of betting against it.
Talk Your Book: Is the Nasdaq 100 in Another Bubble?
A data-driven deep dive into the Nasdaq 100 reveals why the current AI-led market is fundamentally different from 1999.
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