Trading Perspectives: An Economic Podcast Sara McPherson

With all the supply chain issues and distribution problems, at what point do American companies start to produce more products in the United States? Surely, they have learned their lesson over the last 12 months. Also, what premium will American consumers pay to know the product they want will be made in America and available on demand? Finally, what will it take to get more factories open in more areas of the US? This week Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the prospects of the US onshoring more production after years of outsourcing. 

With all of the red ink in the markets thus far, what are investors supposed to do? Should they continue to “buy the dip,” even though that doesn’t seem to be working? Is this because all news seems to be bad news? Is that why investors have been throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water? How do investors stay calm and carry on? This week Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the frustrating start to the year and how to best avoid making a mistake. The problem is, while simple, the best advice is almost impossible to follow.

With all the news in Washington about forgiving student loan debt, what does this all mean for the economy, society, and the future of higher education? Who really benefits? Who is hurt? What are the likely outcomes? What is the reasoning behind doing this at this point in time? Finally, who is to blame for this mess? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the debate about “forgiving” some portion of student debt. Is this a good thing? Or does it make the situation worse?

While finding quality childcare has always been a challenge, it has become increasingly more so since the start of the pandemic. This has had a depressing impact on the labor force participation rate, especially women. It seems like the government is helping out everyone but working moms. Why? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, the gang talks about the rising cost of childcare and potential solutions. 

With available homes few and far between and mortgage rates on the rise, fears of the demise of the housing market are increasing. This naturally begs the question, how long can this go on? Will the housing market crash again? Will a decline in housing lead to a financial crisis like it did in 2008? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney, and John discuss the differences between then and now, and what a downturn could mean.

The dreaded word recession has recently been rearing its ugly head in the news media. Is the US doomed to have one in the near future? If so, just how bad will it be? As bad as 2008, when it seemed like the world was going to end? Or will it be like some other recessions, which we didn’t even know about until after the fact? Does the definition of recession vary from household to household? In this week’s episode Sam, Courtney, and John talk about the difference between perceptions and reality when it comes to economic recessions.