WSJ's Take On the Week

Hosted by The Wall Street Journal

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132

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Aug 2026

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About the show

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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September 13, 202630 min

A Breakthrough Cancer Vaccine Fueled a Biotech Rally. Can It Last?

Despite a rough past week for the healthcare sector, pharmaceuticals and biotech stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 this year. Investors have gotten excited over cancer treatment breakthroughs for Moderna, Merck and Revolution Medicines—plus regulatory shakeups at the FDA. But is market hype running ahead of reality? Can the rally last? On this week’s episode, co-hosts Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried are joined by WSJ’s Heard on the Street columnist David Wainer to discuss how AI and competition from China are shifting the market, where pharma M&A is headed next, and how everyday investors should navigate the sector. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Exclusive | Cheap Biologic Drug Alternatives Stall, Threatening U.S. Healthcare Savings Hype for Moderna’s Cancer Vaccine Is Running Ahead of the Math China is a Threat to Biotech’s Massive Bull Run 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 30, 202629 min

How AI Speculation Is Fueling the Small-Cap Stock Rally

On this week’s episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, host Miriam Gottfried and guest host Aaron Back, editor of WSJ’s Heard on the Street, preview the upcoming employment and inflation releases in advance of the Federal Open Market Committee’s September policy meeting. They analyze why these economic indicators will draw heightened focus under Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh. Then Miriam and Aaron dig into Nvidia’s recent blowout earnings and whether we will see that echo in Broadcom’s earnings this week. Next, Dan Rasmussen, founder and portfolio manager at Verdad Advisers, offers insight into the past year's small-cap stock surge following an extended period of underperformance relative to mega-caps. Rasmussen explains why private equity firms face a massive exit logjam from acquisitions of small companies due to inflated valuations. Finally, we ask Rasmussen: does value investing still work? This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Inflation Was 3.4% in July, Down Slightly From the Previous Month Fed’s Preferred Inflation Gauge Remains Above Target Range Nvidia Reports Blowout Quarter, Says Demand for AI Chips Is Getting Even Hotter Nvidia’s $279 Billion Supply-Chain Gamble Nvidia Has Become a Banker to the AI Boom, Putting It on Dangerous Ground Private-Equity Firms Are Sitting on a Nine-Year Backlog A Better Mousetrap for Buying Small Stocks Moderna Shares More Than Double on Success of mRNA Cancer Vaccine 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 23, 202632 min

What Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole Debut Means for Nervous Markets

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos preview the upcoming Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium—one of the longest-standing central banking conferences in the world. They are joined by Columbia Business School professor and former Federal Reserve Governor Frederic Mishkin, as well as the Journal’s Chief Economics Correspondent Nick Timiraos, to break down Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s major move away from explicit forward guidance. Together, they discuss why Wall Street is reacting with a "mini inflation scare" and rising long-bond yields, whether Warsh’s less-is-more communication strategy could undermine Fed credibility, and how his approach compares to Alan Greenspan’s legendary tenure. Plus, they examine what central bankers and investors need to watch for as Warsh prepares for his high-stakes speech in Wyoming. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh’s Honeymoon With the Bond Market Is Already Over Kevin Warsh Invokes Alan Greenspan to Shrink the Fed—and Strengthen Its Chair Warsh Opens Press Conference Reaffirming Commitment to 2% Inflation Bessent Leans Into His Role as America’s Bond Trader in Chief 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 16, 202635 min

How to Make Inflation Work for Your Portfolio

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, we dig into Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS! Our co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos are joined by Jill Cetina, finance professor at Texas A&M University and former official at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and the Treasury Department. Together, they analyze the latest inflation data and what it could mean for TIPS if Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh changes the CPI calculation. Later, Cetina explains why shorter-duration TIPS ladders and I bonds offer better risk protection than long-dated bonds, and why heavy Treasury bill issuance threatens market stability. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading These Bonds Offer a Rare Buying Opportunity Inflation Was 3.4% in July, Down Slightly From the Previous Month - WSJ The CPI and Inflation, Explained Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 9, 202635 min

How AI Spending Is Fueling the Economy Overall

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos dig into the shifting sentiment away from AI stocks and the pivot into consumer sectors. Are we heading into a new business-led economy, or will it continue to be a consumer-led economy? Before that, the hosts analyze the fallout from SpaceX earnings report and break down the evolving appetite for potential future IPOs for companies like OpenAI or Anthropic. They also set the stage for earnings reports coming out later this month from companies like Home Depot, Target and Lowe’s. Plus, Wells Fargo’s Chief Equity Strategist Ohsung Kwon joins the show to break down the massive, overlooked impact of tariff refunds on consumer staples earnings. He also explains why the cycle of capital expenditures in AI is acting as a vital engine for the broader U.S. economy, and why AI job replacement fears may be significantly overstated. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Wall Street Thinks It Knows How Tech Giants Will Make AI Pay SpaceX Needs to Make Its Bigger Rockets Work 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 2, 202634 min

Why Oil Prices Could Hit a Breaking Point by Year End

In this episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Telis Demos is joined by guest co-host and Wall Street Journal reporter David Uberti to break down the Federal Reserve’s latest moves, and what oil’s volatile pricing—exacerbated by the U.S.-Iran conflict—might mean for inflation and the Fed going forward. Then, BCA Research’s chief commodities strategist Roukaya Ibrahim joins the show to break down what’s behind oil’s volatile pricing. They discuss what current geopolitical tensions mean for oil and whether recent inventory data suggests a looming supply crunch. Plus, Ibrahim explains why the traditional link between gold and inflation has fractured, and how oil price shocks may impact the Fed. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Kevin Warsh Asked the Market to Speak. It Answered. Two Wars Put Stranglehold on Global Energy Supplies U.S. Emergency Oil Reserve Hits Lowest Levels Since 1983: Why It Matters 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 26, 202632 min

The Buried $150B Bet Inside the Top 20 U.S. Stocks

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, host Telis Demos and guest host Spencer Jakab, the Wall Street Journal’s investing columnist and writer of the Markets A.M. newsletter , are joined by Kaitlin Hendrix, asset allocation research director at global investment firm Dimensional Fund Advisors, to decode investors' surging interest in private markets. They break down how investors may already have exposure in their investment portfolios to private companies like Anthropic, Stripe and Flipkart, through holdings in companies like Alphabet's Google, Amazon and Nvidia. Hendrix explains why your public index fund might already provide the diversification you’re looking for, without the high fees. Plus, Jakab explains the way that big tech’s private company investments are boosting earnings to near-unprecedented levels. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Earnings Forecasts Are on Steroids 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 , written by our guest host: Spencer Jakab. Follow Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 19, 202634 min

How This $150B+ Wall Street Strategy Could Lower Your Taxes

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos are joined by Brent Sullivan, founder of Tax Alpha Insider, to dive into a hot, over $150 billion investing strategy called “tax-aware long-short.” This strategy aims to help wealthy investors beat the market while lowering their tax bill by using leverage and short selling to actively harvest losses. Sullivan breaks down how this compares to other forms of tax-loss harvesting and whether the strategy is worth the risk (and cost) for the average investor. He also explains other ways investors can implement tax-aware investing in their own portfolios. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, writer for WSJ’s Heard on the Street, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Stock Gains Without All the Taxes? How the Hottest Trade on Wall Street Works 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 12, 202637 min

Are Corporate Earnings in a Bubble? This Quarter Is a Test

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos preview earnings from Taiwan’s flagship chip maker, TSMC. They also break down why this coming week’s earnings from Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth Group and Abbott Laboratories won’t do much to save healthcare from its negative earnings growth expectations. Then, Miriam and Telis are joined by Christine Short, head of research at Wall Street Horizon, which is part of the financial-services company TMX Group, to decode why analysts’ corporate earnings expectations are reaching exuberant highs. They ask: How are companies achieving such strong results without massive revenue growth, and are those gains sustainable? Plus, Short explains how the AI buildout is reshaping corporate efficiency. They also discuss how companies like BJ’s Wholesale, FedEx and Nike are managing tariff refunds and what that has meant for consumers. They talk about what to expect from this week’s bank earnings, with JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and others slated to report. Then the hosts examine the broader market’s health and what the Late Earnings Report Index, or LERI, which tracks when companies report later than expected, might be signaling about future volatility. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Honey, I Shrank the Cash Flow Jet-Fuel Prices Have Plunged but Aren’t Resulting in Much Lower Fares Meta Rakes It In, Yet Still Borrows Billions for AI 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

June 28, 202639 min

Can Hot Consumer Companies Like Oura and Whoop Make Good IPOs?

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos dig into this past week’s tech selloff and how the market’s volatility reflected serious questions about spending for the AI buildout. They also look at how semiconductor players like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are navigating the noise, and why even deep-pocketed tech titans like Meta are tapping the debt markets. They talk about how SpaceX’s bond sale reflects a broader trend of companies borrowing to fund AI infrastructure. Another strategy to fund AI? Cutting jobs. They break down the latest AI-fueled layoffs from Oracle, and whether this week’s U.S. jobs numbers will tell us anything about the state of AI job replacement. They examine the trend of corporate tech pivots, highlighting Allbirds’ radical shift to AI infrastructure and its rebranding as Smartbird. Plus, Miriam and Telis are joined by health-tech analyst Stephanie Davis to assess whether consumer health companies make good public companies. They ask: Can health-tech wearables startups like Oura or Whoop be sustainable on their own, or are they better off absorbed by tech giants like Apple or Amazon? They break down consumer health companies’ failures of the past, including Fitbit’s meteoric rise and eventual acquisition by Google’s parent Alphabet. They also look at the broader "graveyard" of companies—from Peloton and GoPro to Roomba and Bird scooters—to see if any can replicate the rare, long-term success of a giant like Garmin. Heads up, we’re taking a break next week! We’ll be back in your feeds July 12. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, 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 takeontheweek@wsj.com . To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Crazy Rich Returns Lure Cabbies and Even Kids to Red-Hot Asian Markets Oura Rings Maker Files Confidentially for IPO After $11 Billion Valuation The Wearable Boom Is Real. The Investment Case Is Murkier 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 Miriam Gottfried here and Telis Demos here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.