Latest Interviews

Germany’s army chief on AI, drones and the future of the tank | The Economist

Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, Shashank Joshi

German land forces are prioritizing five critical capability gaps, including indirect fires, electronic warfare, and AI-enabled command and control, to support a future where tanks serve as manned "motherships" for unmanned systems. Concurrently, military strategists are treating data as a vital ammunition reserve that requires automated exploitation to overcome human processing limits on the modern battlefield. This transition faces significant NATO-wide debate regarding the optimal balance between emerging technologies and legacy platforms, a tension recently highlighted by high-profile resignations in the UK defense ministry over innovation concerns.

What the IPO Boom Means for the US Equity Outlook

Ben Snider, Alison Nathan

The U.S. IPO market has surged to its highest first-half volume since 2021 with nearly 50 deals totaling $120 billion, driven by capital demands for the artificial intelligence sector and a return of large corporations to the public market. While the Goldman Sachs IPO Barometer signals strong sentiment above its long-term average, the current environment remains distinct from historical bubbles as equity valuations stay below peaks seen in 2000 and 2021. Analysts project a continued bull trend for the S&P 500 through 2027, though they warn of potential volatility emerging as investor leverage rises and IPO lockup periods eventually expire.

ITPM Flash Ep115 Defence against the Machine

Dieter Plas

Amidst a shifting AI landscape dominated by energy demands and a new agentic CPU era, a massive cybersecurity catalyst has emerged from Anthropic's internal Mythos model, which exposed thousands of critical global vulnerabilities without public release. Experts warn this creates a narrow defensive window before adversarial nations potentially replicate these capabilities, prompting a focused trade thesis on the Cyber First Trust Nasdaq Cyber Security ETF (CIBR). To capitalize on this thematic momentum, a structured options strategy involves buying 10 November $90 calls while selling 5 August $95 calls for a net debit of roughly $5,550, targeting a 3:1 return if the ETF rallies 29% by year-end.

BofA's Hari Gopalkrishnan on AI Strategy with Julie Hyman

Hari Gopalkrishnan, Julie Hyman

Bank of America is allocating over $4 billion annually to scale AI from pilot programs to enterprise-wide deployment across its relationship management and credit underwriting operations. This strategy prioritizes solving specific business problems with rigorous governance focused on customer experience, return on investment, and safety, resulting in tools currently serving 25,000 advisors with plans to expand to 50,000. Despite significant efficiency gains, the bank maintains a growth trajectory by hiring 20,000 new employees this year to leverage AI for increased client capacity rather than workforce reduction.

How the US-Iran Deal Could Affect Oil Prices

Daan Struyven, Alison Nathan, Don Stroyven

Following a diplomatic breakthrough between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Brent crude prices retreated from over $120 to the low $80s as markets priced in a normalization of Middle Eastern supply by late July. Goldman Sachs forecasts average prices of $75 to $80 per barrel through 2027, noting that while most demand losses from the 14% production shock will recover, structural shifts like accelerating EV adoption in China may leave a 500,000 bpd deficit relative to pre-conflict baselines. Despite the recent sell-off, prices are expected to remain elevated by roughly $20 due to lingering security premiums and low inventories, with upside risks to $130 outweighing downside scenarios where quick recovery drives prices to $60.

Can Donald Trump secure a deal with Cuba? | The Economist

Donald Trump, Dr Christopher Sabatini, David Rennie, Sarah Birke, Christopher

A proposed transactional framework seeks to secure Cuban economic relief, including lifting the oil embargo, in exchange for a credible multi-party election plan. Key figures like Marco Rubio and Donald Trump aim to satisfy the Cuban-American voting bloc by offering a political roadmap that prioritizes economic liberalization over immediate regime change. Despite skepticism regarding the administration's long-term commitment, proponents argue that even a flawed agreement could dismantle the current stagnant leadership structure.

Is global culture dead? | The Economist

Tom Wainwright, Adam Roberts

Contrary to the expectation of cultural convergence, streaming data from 2019 to 2025 reveals a sharp global rise in local artist representation as audiences prioritize national identity over global homogeneity. This shift has compelled major platforms like Netflix to abandon failed "global first" productions in favor of domestic-focused strategies, while democratized technology and user-driven algorithms have further suppressed elite curation in favor of hyper-local viral trends. Consequently, charts in nations from Brazil to Mexico now show dominant local shares, with only specific language-sharing or Anglophone outliers remaining significantly influenced by foreign content.

Why are young Indians joining the Cockroach Janta Party? | The Economist

Tom Sasse, Rosie Blau

Launched by Boston-based consultant Abhijit Dipka as a satirical response to a Supreme Court Justice's remark, the "Cockroach People's Party" evolved into a physical street protest in Delhi where 1,000 to 2,000 young Indians demanded the resignation of the Education Minister over exam scandals. While the movement has amassed millions of digital followers and frames the unrest as a reaction to systemic failure and economic stagnation, analysts caution that its impact is limited by a lack of organizational cohesion and the ruling BJP's continued popularity among the youth. Although street politics has historically driven change in India, observers suggest this specific mobilization remains in its infancy and lacks the sustained leadership necessary to challenge the government effectively.

The Outlook for AI-Related Stocks and US Interest Rates

Muhammad Qubbaj, Chris Hussey, Mohamed Koubaj

In an interview on the Goldman Sachs trading floor, Mohamed Koubaj analyzed how recent Non-Farm Payrolls and CPI data shifted market expectations from rate cuts to hikes while geopolitical tensions and stretched equity valuations fueled volatility. Koubaj characterizes the current AI rally as a generational opportunity anchored by real earnings, yet warns that debt-funded investment structures could face stress in the credit market within 12 to 18 months as leverage cycles normalize. Looking ahead to the upcoming FOMC meeting, he anticipates a consensus-driven approach under Chair Jerome Powell to balance resilient labor data against sticky inflation, with Middle East developments remaining a critical variable for oil price stability.

Can Trump's UFC fight restore his popularity among men? | The Economist

Trump, James Bennett, John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard

The administration's strategy of framing political support for President Trump as a performance of masculinity, exemplified by a scheduled White House UFC event, is failing to retain young male voters who prioritize tangible economic improvements. Despite efforts to rally this demographic through masculine posturing, the lack of a manufacturing renaissance and persistent issues with affordable housing have weakened the correlation between voting for Trump and feelings of manliness. Consequently, the political landscape reflects a deeper structural crisis where the administration's narrative of blaming external forces contradicts the lived reality of job markets and challenges the historical Republican archetype of the protective "daddy party."

Can the US-Iran ceasefire hold? | The Economist

Gregg Carlstrom, Rosie Blau

Iran violated a US-mediated ceasefire by launching ballistic missiles against Israel in response to unauthorized Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, prompting immediate Israeli retaliation against Iranian military and industrial sites. While President Trump publicly rebuked Prime Minister Netanyahu for undermining the agreement, the US administration is simultaneously working to restrain further escalation without directly engaging in combat. This cycle of limited strikes and diplomatic maneuvering now tests the stability of the fragile truce, with the future of the peace deal hinging on Washington's ability to enforce strict limits on Israeli operations.

What SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic's IPOs mean for investors | The Economist

Joshua Roberts, Jason Palmer

SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are executing simultaneous "giga IPOs" projected to inject up to $4 trillion into the US stock market, driven by urgent capital needs and a strategic push to capitalize on AI-driven market euphoria. While index providers plan to rapidly integrate these valuations into benchmarks like the S&P 500 within days, analysts warn that high price-to-sales multiples and historical IPO underperformance trends suggest significant risks of price volatility and subsequent declines for early investors. This surge marks a structural shift where tech giants prioritize massive capital raising over shareholder returns, potentially reversing previous capital flows as firms speculate on future revenue streams like Mars colonization and space-based data centers.

Copper: AI Hype or Supply Squeeze?

Adam Crook, Tony Kim

A commodities strategist analyzes the divergence between gold's resilient safe-haven performance during the Iran conflict and the skepticism regarding its near-term upside caused by shifting macro rates. The trader assesses silver's limited upside potential due to its tight correlation with gold, while maintaining a neutral stance on copper despite AI-driven demand narratives that conflict with current global surplus levels. Finally, the outlook for aluminum projects a temporary physical deficit and price appreciation through summer before a surplus is expected to emerge following the resumption of Middle Eastern production later in the decade.

Why are Gen-Z socialists obsessed with taxing billionaires? | The Economist

Generational shifts are driving a move from traditional progressive taxation toward novel levies on immovable wealth, exemplified by New York's new pied-à-terre tax on non-resident luxury properties. While economists debate whether targeting static assets like real estate avoids the innovation-killing pitfalls of direct billionaire wealth taxes, the discourse is increasingly expanding to include inheritance reform and one-off proposals in states like California. As AI-driven IPOs generate new ultra-high-net-worth individuals, this debate is poised to redefine fiscal policy beyond the narrow "billionaire" label in both the US and UK.

Will European Equities Outperform the S&P?

Sharon Bell, Chris Hussey

European equities have surged to near all-time highs driven by a 6–7% average upgrade in earnings estimates within the commodity and financial sectors, supported by resilient economic growth and planned German fiscal spending. Goldman Sachs has raised its 12-month Euro Stoxx 600 forecast to 660, citing the region's broader market breadth and the underappreciated potential of heavy asset companies in defense, aerospace, and utilities that are benefiting from global infrastructure and defense spending. While analysts project high single-digit returns for Europe over the coming year, the market is expected to trail U.S. and Asian performance due to lower energy independence and the concentration of tech dominance in American hyperscalers.