Show Notes
Mark and Marisa dissect the raft of economic data released this past week, and debate what it means for the outlook. Chris joins the conversation and weighs in on where oil prices will settle. The group plays the Stats game – some tough stats. The discussion ends with Mark peppering our new colleague, Colin Ellis, with wide-ranging questions about the global economy.
More from Moody's Talks - Inside Economics
John Toohig of Raymond James joins Mark and Cris to tell the whole story on whole loan trading and what it says about the health of bank lending. The conversation covers consumer credit, mortgages, and commercial real estate. Activity was strong in the first half of 2026 and weak in the second. John explains why next year may flip the script given high rates. The discussion concludes with concerns about deposit flight and cyber risks in the age of AI. In a rarity, every statistic in the stats game earned Mark’s stamp of approval for relevance and difficulty.
John Leer, Chief Economist at Morning Consult, joins Inside Economics to discuss the mood of the consumer. John shares some interesting nuggets from Morning Consult’s survey, including differences in sentiment across regions, how consumers are feeling about AI and data centers, the job market, the War in Iran, and what this may mean for the upcoming Midterm Elections. Matt Colyar also makes an appearance and gives the group the run-down of this week’s CPI and PPI reports, which both came in hotter than expected. But first, Mark quizzes the Millennials in the group on their knowledge of Gen Z slang words.
The global economy is being buffeted by a seemingly endless series of shocks—from U.S. tariffs and the Russia-Ukraine war to turmoil in the Middle East. Who better to explain what it all means than our colleague Gaurav Ganguly, who leads our team of international economists. The conversation begins with Gaurav acing Mark’s stock market quiz and ends with a look at what the political shift to the right in many countries could mean for the global economy.
Dante joined the Inside Economics crew to discuss the September employment report, which told a more consistent story of a soft labor market. The team also dove into the bevy of other economic data released this week, including GDP, inflation, income, and spending. Recent data revisions were a recurring theme throughout the discussion, but in the end, the balance of revisions does not fundamentally change the team’s outlook.
Wayne Best, Chief Economist at Visa and The Wall Street Journal’s Most Accurate Forecaster of 2025, joins the Inside Economics team to discuss the state of the economy with a focus on consumer spending. Despite a similar forecast for next year, Wayne is slightly more sanguine than the Inside Economics team about the durability of consumer spending. The discussion then leads to a surprising and fascinating look at Wayne’s recent research on the generational wealth transfer. Over the next 20 years, the Boomers will pass on trillions in wealth to their heirs, but it may not be the macroeconomic boon many are expecting.