Episode notes
Five US banks reported earnings this morning and they were all terrific. Today on the show, Lex editor John Foley joins Rob Armstrong to discuss the stunning results for banks and why it’s all part of the AI boom. Also they go long Count Binface again and long hog farms turning into data centres. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Unhedged
-
23 Jul 2026 · 19 min
How JPMorgan won
JPMorgan has become by far the biggest bank in the US and one of the largest in the world. But how did it do it? Today on the show, Rob Armstrong and US banking editor Joshua Franklin talk about the incredible growth of JPMorgan over the past 20 years and ask what will happen when Jamie Dimon retires. Also they go short the Magnificent 7 and long power trips. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See…
-
21 Jul 2026 · 18 min
The forecast for prediction markets
Prediction markets can tell us what everyone thinks. They can also encourage breaking the law. Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong take the measure of a world where you can bet on anything. Also they go long cash and long mansions in London. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
16 Jul 2026 · 21 min
Should private credit be public?
Stocks offering access to private credit funds have taken off, and crashed, in recent years. Is this the fiery end to a bad idea or a golden chance to buy a piece of a good idea? Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong look at the arguments for retail access to private credit. Also they go short The Odyssey and long air conditioning stocks. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…
-
9 Jul 2026 · 22 min
The Fed’s silent treatment
The US-Iran conflict is back on, inflation is sticky and US interest rates are steady — for now, anyway. Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong discuss the quieter Fed under new chair Kevin Warsh, and try to make sense of his silence. Also, they go long ducks and novelty political candidates from outer space. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
7 Jul 2026 · 20 min
Software stocks got crushed. Did they have it coming?
The index of big US software groups has fallen by about 20 percent over the past year, as investors worry that AI will make software businesses obsolete. Today on the show, Rob Armstrong and Katie Martin make the case that enterprise software isn’t going anywhere. Also on the show: We go long the one analyst with a sell rating on SpaceX, and long “int-egg-rity” (sorry). For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast.…
-
2 Jul 2026 · 23 min
Halftime for the markets
We’re halfway through the year and the markets are thriving but look different than they did six months ago. The Magnificent Seven are struggling, while chip makers are soaring. Inflation is up but wages are stalling. Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong try to figure out where we are and where we’re going. Also they go short the anchovy market and long dogs. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at unhedged@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast.…
-
8 Oct 2026 · 22 min
Is France too blasé about borrowing costs?
France’s borrowing costs are skyrocketing. And its leading candidates for next April’s presidential elections - on both extremes of the political spectrum - seem alarmingly unalarmed. All of this gives hosts Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong, and markets correspondent Ian Smith, a bad feeling about where things might be headed. So does another eurozone crisis beckon? Plus, Katie and Rob go long Norway and John Le Carré, while Ian shorts oversized cars. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at…
-
6 Oct 2026 · 20 min
There is only one trade
It’s starting to look like every market is becoming a one-trick pony. Since the summer, stock markets would have been down – were it not for the Big Tech companies galloping ahead on the back of AI. Corporate bond issuance and even the US dollar are also riding high on the AI trade. But what if that pony turns out to be a bucking bronco? Rob Armstrong and Katie Martin saddle up and find out. Plus Rob goes long TIPS, and Katie shorts acronyms… such as TIPS. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer . Until October 28 you can save on a standard…
-
1 Oct 2026 · 20 min
Hyperscale my debt!
While most people are distracted by the latest blow-up in US Treasuries, our hosts Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong lift the lid on a less watched corner of the debt markets. The world’s hyperscalers – giant companies such as Amazon and Meta – need to borrow as much as they can to build the data centres needed for the AI boom. FT markets reporter Emily Herbert tells us what their elephantine debt issuance has been doing to corporate bond markets around the world. Plus, Katie shorts sniff tests, Emily goes long soup and Rob entrusts his life savings to a supermarket manager in Surrey. Read a…
-
29 Sep 2026 · 19 min
An ode to stock picking
Over the summer, the FT held a revamped version of its stock picking game – think fantasy football for the global equity markets. Some 13,000 people took part – a shocking number considering how unfashionable active fund management has become in the real world. Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong invite their FT Money colleague Nathan Brooker, who runs the competition, to discuss the psychology of stock picking, and whether it has a future in real life. Plus, Nathan shorts holiday spoilers, Katie shorts pesky kids, and Rob throws active investors some love. The FT’s next stock picking game…
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
