WSJ's Take On the Week

Hosted by The Wall Street Journal

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137

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Oct 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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60 recent

October 18, 202632 min

What the Midterm ‘Affordability Election’ Means for Markets

It’s election season again, and affordability is on the ballot for voters. High gas prices, energy costs and persistent inflation continue to squeeze households—what does that mean for the upcoming midterm elections and the stock market? In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos break down the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, the sell-off in chip stocks and whether Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes are cooling the AI boom. Then, Monica Guerra, head of policy and geopolitical strategy at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, joins to discuss potential election outcomes, the possibility of a blue wave or divided Congress, and how local regulations on AI data centers and gridlock in Washington could impact investor portfolios and the S&P 500. 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 What Six Years of Inflation Mean for the Midterms Inside Bessent’s Treasury: Tension, Turnover and Unmet Economic Goals Midterm Anxiety Mounts for GOP as Democrats Try to Expand Battleground 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.

October 11, 202635 min

Why Cash Is King in the Era of Higher Interest Rates

Interest rates are up, and high-yield savings accounts are back— so why is so much of your cash still under-earning? In this episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, hosts Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried explore why it’s time to rethink where your money sits and treat cash as a true asset class. But first, Telis and Miriam explore how high interest rates are impacting the economy, from commercial real estate to private equity. Plus, they preview upcoming earnings from big banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and more. Then, MaxMyInterest founder Gary Zimmerman joins the show to share practical ways to unlock higher savings yields. Zimmerman shares his perspective on how to think about where you put your cash in this high-rate environment. Plus: will AI change the banking landscape and how we manage our deposits? 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 Choosing the Right Bond Strategy for Today’s High-Yield World Money Managers Are Asking Clients to Give the Bond Market Another Chance Treasury Takes Aim at Tax-Avoiding Investment Strategies Why Mortgage Bonds Are at Risk if Rates Rise—and if They Fall Wealth Management Has a $3 Trillion Problem: Investors Are Keeping Too Much Cash What Banks Stand to Lose From the Private-Credit Mess 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.

October 4, 202634 min

Why the SEC’s Proposal to Get Rid of Quarterly Reporting Is Bad for Investors

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Miriam Gottfried and Heard on the Street columnist Jonathan Weil break down why U.S. Treasury yields hit their highest levels since 2002, and how the delay of highly anticipated IPOs from AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic could reshape the market. Next, they analyze whether these postponements are solely driven by AI safety concerns or if they signal broader weakness in the IPO market. After the break, former SEC enforcement attorney Marc Steinberg joins the show to explain why the SEC’s controversial proposal to allow publicly held companies to elect semi-annual reporting could impact U.S. capital markets. He details the mechanical risks of this shift, arguing that reduced mandatory disclosure could trigger a wave of financial fraud and strip away essential investor protections. 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 Investors Don’t Want to Scrap Quarterly Reports. Companies Should Think Twice. Here’s Why the Fed Is on Hold—Maybe for a While Ohio State University Professor Tzachi Zach’s Tracker: SEC Semi-Annual Reporting Proposal Tracker (S7-2026-15) 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.

September 27, 202636 min

Making Sense of Sky-High Treasury Yields

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Miriam Gottfried is joined by guest co-host and WSJ markets reporter Sam Goldfarb to break down the unprecedented surge in the 10-year Treasury yield. Meghan Swiber, U.S. rates strategist at Bank of America, joins the show to discuss what influences these yields, and how a 5% yield affects everyday borrowing costs including mortgage rates, which are again topping 7%. Swiber unpacks the Treasury Department's surprising buybacks, and how this strategy compares to the actions the Federal Reserve took to mitigate the effects of the last financial crisis. Plus, how is the market reacting to the Fed, which is trying to battle inflation by hiking rates? 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 The Robust U.S. Economy Powers Through Rate Hikes and Rising Bond Yields A Guide to Owning Bonds When They Are Selling Off 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.

September 20, 202635 min

Will Real Estate Protect Your Portfolio if the AI Bubble Bursts?

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Telis Demos and Miriam Gottfried break down the conversation around AI safety and development, and how markets have reacted. Plus, OpenAI is now expected to have its initial public offering next year instead of this year. Will Anthropic follow suit? They also analyze the Federal Reserve's recent unanimous decision to hike interest rates, the mechanical impact of 10-year Treasury yields crossing 5%, and how these macroeconomic shifts are reshaping the bond market. Next, Jefferies equity analyst Jon Petersen joins the show to explain how rising interest rates and limited supply are impacting real estate investment trusts (REITs). They also discuss the impact of AI on the sector. Are companies like Digital Realty and Equinix poised to fare well in the data center buildout? What about industrial REITs like Prologis and Stag Industrial? Plus, Petersen breaks down why the REIT sector could be a healthy safe haven for investors if the AI bubble bursts. News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI. 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 Anthropic Researcher Quits Over ‘Out-of-Control’ AI Fears Fed Delivers First Rate Hike in Years With Unanimous Vote Malls Were Left for Dead. Now They Are the Top Performer in Commercial Real Estate. 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.

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.