Unhedged
Hosted by Kat Martin & Robert Armstrong · 16 decoded episodes · newest Oct 15, 2026
Katie Martin, Robert Armstrong and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind what’s happening in finance right now. Every Tuesday and Thursday.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Episodes 16
- Oct 15, 2026 · 23 minAI market fears spread from stocks to creditThe episode tests whether mounting stress around AI financing signals a broader bust or a routine correction in a speculative market.
- Oct 13, 2026 · 20 minAI wealth cushions consumers as mortgages and diesel biteThe episode tests whether rising household wealth can offset mounting costs before financial pressure reaches the economy and midterm politics.
- Oct 8, 2026 · 22 minFrance’s borrowing costs test Europe’s fiscal limitsFrance’s debt and political paralysis could force the ECB to balance fiscal discipline against the risk of destabilizing the eurozone’s second-largest economy.
- Oct 6, 2026 · 20 minAI megacaps mask a weakening US marketThe episode tests whether a narrow AI-led rally can keep supporting markets as higher rates pressure everything beyond the headline indexes.
- Oct 1, 2026 · 20 minHyperscalers turn AI ambition into a bond-market stress testThe borrowing needed to build AI infrastructure could reshape corporate credit markets and deepen investors’ exposure to a single, crowded theme.
- Sep 29, 2026 · 19 minStock-picking games expose the limits of market beatingThe episode tests whether stock-picking skill survives beyond a short contest, where luck, psychology and market structure can overwhelm analysis.
- Sep 24, 2026 · 22 minRising bond yields expose hidden risks across global marketsHigher borrowing costs are squeezing governments, companies, households, and leveraged investors while raising the prospect of another financial shock.
- Sep 22, 2026 · 17 minTurkey’s fund scandal exposes a deeper institutional fault lineThe alleged manipulation shows how weak oversight and political insulation can damage market confidence even when authorities contain the immediate crisis.
- Sep 17, 2026 · 20 minThe Fed reasserts control as markets question higher yieldsThe episode connects a politically pressured rate decision to inflation, bond-market credibility, fiscal concerns, and climate-driven food risk.
- Sep 15, 2026 · 22 minAI warnings collide with a bond-market stress testThe episode asks whether frontier AI’s risks deserve a market discount—and whether rising Treasury yields could expose the boom’s financial vulnerabilities.
- Sep 10, 2026 · 22 minOil shock tests central banks as Treasury policy hits its limitsThe episode connects an oil-driven inflation threat with the difficulty of managing currencies, bond yields and deficits through government policy.
- Sep 8, 2026 · 27 minUS assets face a credibility test as yields riseThe debate weighs whether America’s economic strength can offset political pressure, institutional doubts, rising borrowing costs and AI-related financial risks.