On today's episode of the Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan are joined by Loren Smith, President of Skyline Policy Risk Group. The group delves into the addition of 353,000 jobs to the economy in January, which surpassed the expected 180,000 projected by market forecasters. They analyze the implications of this growth streak across various sectors and its potential impact on the Federal Reserve's approach to rate cuts. The discussion also explores recent nuances of the labor market,...

On this week's edition of What's at Stake, Andy Whitehouse, host and senior partner of Penta's NYC office is joined by President of Penta Matt McDonald, D.C.-based Partner Stacy Kerr, and Brussels-based Partner Conall McDevitt to discuss Penta's presence in Davos in January. Andy, Matt, Stacy, and Conall took to the mountains for the 2024 World Economic Forum. During the episode, the group shared their reflections on the week’s events, and unpacked the implications of global gatherings like...

This week on the Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan are joined by Nick Bunker, Director of North American Economic Research at Indeed to discuss the latest core PCE data. Nick discusses some of Indeed's proprietary labor market data, including its Job Postings Index, that shows that average wages are now outpacing inflation.  Nick brings his expertise to the conversation, discussing the Fed's next moves and the robust demand for workers across the globe. The group also forecasts future labor...

Tune in for another exciting edition of the Macrocast! This week, Ylan, John, and Brendan dissect how geopolitical chess moves—like Russia's recent maneuvers and the Houthi conflicts—pose a threat to economic stability. The discussion includes commentary on stagflation and the Fed's delicate interest rate tightrope walk, considering how these decisions could affect the approaching 2024 election cycle. Through this lens, Ylan, John, and Brendan analyze the fiscal philosophies of emergent...

In today's installation of our 2024 election series, host and Penta Senior Partner Kevin Madden is joined by Penta Director Brendan Conley and special guest David Kochel, an inside participant in six presidential campaigns and current host of the HighBall Politics podcast. The group breaks down the results of the recent Iowa Republican caucus, examining the political undercurrents that contributed to Donald Trump's significant victory. The discussion delves into the debate on the media's...

This week on What's At Stake, tune into the inaugural episode of our Artificially Intelligent Conversations series. Each month, Penta Partners Andrea Christianson and Chris Mehigan will dissect the AI latest news and developments from each side of the Atlantic, helping you understand how AI will affect stakeholder management, policy, and more. This week, they discussed two major reports released leading up to the World Economic Forum in Davos: one from the International Monetary Fund on the...

In this week's Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan unpack the global instability and domestic politics contributing to macroeconomic uncertainty. The group begins with a discussion of the oil markets, impacted most recently by U.S. strikes against Houthi rebels and geopolitics more broadly. Other factors, such as weak demand and rising U.S. reserves have put downward pressure on crude oil prices and contributed to price swings. Ylan, Brendan, and John continue their conversation about...

On this week's What's At Stake, Penta Partner Bryan DeAngelis speaks with Penta Partners and campaign veterans Kevin Madden and Stacy Kerr about campaign communications in 2024, an unprecedented year of global elections. The guests offer insights into the shift from the intimate, hand-shaking days of retail politics to the fast-paced digital landscape that now dominates voter interaction. They dissect the contrasting communications playbooks of Biden and Trump who, despite their age, are...

In this week's Macrocast, Ylan, John, and Brendan host a conversation with special guest Michael Strain, the Director of Economic Policy Studies and the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Their discussion begins by analyzing the addition of 216,000 jobs and a steadfast unemployment rate, examining how different economic indicators impact the Fed's interest rate decisions. Additionally, they reflect on how inflation impacts consumer...

Just in time for those looking to read more as part of their New Year's resolution, we're re-releasing one of of our favorite episodes of What's at Stake: the case for reading business books. In the episode, Penta President Matt McDonald joins partner Andrea Christianson to share his reading recommendations for those interested in business, including young professionals, aspiring leaders, and experienced executives. The two not only discuss their favorite books, but also explain why business...

On today's Macrocast episode, Ylan, John, Brendan, and John Dick of Civic Science chat about the latest inflation numbers from the core personal consumption expenditures price index, which rose less than expected in November. The group explained that the reaction to the news was broadly a "yawn" as the market remains focused on a soft landing. John Dick also talks through the latest Economic Sentiment Index. He explains that holiday spending will be strong, and notes that credit card debt and...

On this week's episode of What's at Stake, Penta Partner Bryan DeAngelis is joined by crisis management educators and experts, New York City Managing Partner Andy Whitehouse and Managing Director Jonathan Graffeo. The group discusses the fine line between a brand hiccup and a full-blown crisis and analyzes what makes or breaks a company during tumultuous times, focusing on how essential stakeholder relationships are during times of crisis. Andy, Jonathan, and Bryan explain strategies that can...

On today's Macrocast episode, Ylan, John, and Brendan cover the Federal Reserve's unexpected policy shifts, the implications of inflation on retail sales, and the current state of the oil market. They delve into the everyday effects of inflation on retail sales, questioning whether a decrease in inflation would strengthen or weaken consumer spending. They also note that the Fed appears to be simply keeping up with rapidly falling inflation, a win for those on "team transitory."  In their...

NOTE: This episode was recorded on Monday 12/11, with the introduction added on Wednesday 12/13 given late-breaking developments from the conference. On this week's edition of What's at Stake, D.C.-based Penta Partner, Christina Pearson, is joined by London-based Managing Director, Andy Williams, and New York City-based Director, Liza McIntosh. The group unpacks the high-stakes discussions and heated debates that took place at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).  The...

In this week's episode of the Macrocast, hosts Ylan Mui, John Fagan, and Brendan Walsh decode the latest jobs report, a surprising addition of 199,000 jobs with healthcare and government hiring leading the charge. Yet, they also investigate the sectors experiencing a slowdown, like wholesale and retail trade. In the face of a booming job market and the Fed's cautious stance, there seems to be an undercurrent of pessimism. Ylan, John, and Brendan also discuss the Biden administration's...

What’s it like to be an Associate at Penta? On this week’s episode of What's at Stake, Penta Senior Associate Lizzie Johnson chats with fellow Senior Associate Lauren Ott and Associates Aparna Iyer and Ben Korn about their experiences at the firm. Each had a different path leading to Penta, featuring a variety of educational and internship backgrounds that lend themselves to the wide range of teams and tasks that they work on. The group breaks down what day-to-day life is like as an Associate...

In this week's episode of the Macrocast, hosts Ylan Mui, John Fagan, and Brendan Walsh are joined by Matt Dell Orfano, Discovery Capital senior analyst and professor at Columbia Business School. The group sheds light on holiday shopping activity and its wider impact on the economy, specifically highlighting changes in pricing and shifts in consumer behavior. The group unpacks credit card usage and debt, and how they're reshaping consumer financing. They cite the steady rise in aggregate...

How should we think about the future of money?  On this week's episode, join Penta Managing Director Elliott Owensby and Director Oliver Edelmann as they delve into digital currency and its impact on payments. In this discussion, they explore central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, and insights gleaned from Atlantic Council's "Exploring central bank digital currency" event on November 28-29, 2023. The conversation emphasizes blockchain's transformative...

Explore generational labels and their impact with this week's host Bryan DeAngelis, head of the Washington, D.C. office, and guests Lauren Wolfson, a Penta Partner, and Daniel Cox, Director and Founder of the Survey Center on American Life and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Kelsey Eyre Hammond, research associate at the Survey Center on American Life. They delve into recent studies on the key differences between Generation Z and older generations, examining how...

What if the slowdown in retail sales and inflation was actually a good sign? Join your hosts Ylan, Brendan, and John, as they discuss the latest on the Federal Reserve. They also chat about lowering inflation and retail sales data, examining how these numbers might be an indicator of the market's cooling phase. With holiday shopping on the horizon, they also weigh in on Walmart CFO's slightly dampened expectations for the season and the role a decrease in food prices is playing in consumer...

This week on a crossover episode of What's at Stake and the Macrocast, host Ylan Mui is joined by Betsey Stevenson, economics professor at the University of Michigan, to discuss the real-world impacts of Claudia Goldin's work. This October, Goldin became the first solo woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics for her work on women's labor market outcomes and the gender pay gap. Goldin was Stevenson's mentor and professor at Harvard, and Stevenson provides incredible insights into Goldin's...

On this week's special edition of What's at Stake, join us as we journey through Asia's business landscape with Penta Managing Directors Deb Giam and Thomas Kwan, hosted by D.C.-based Partner Bryan DeAngelis. From their offices in Singapore and Hong Kong, the guests share data-informed insights on global trends, environmental concerns, geopolitical tensions, and economic growth in the region, drawing from their extensive corporate and financial experience. In the discussion, the group...

In this week's episode of the Macrocast, John and Brendan of Markets Policy Partners, alongside guest host Bryan DeAngelis, Partner and Head of the Washington Office at Penta Group, dissect the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain status quo and Chairman Powell's understated approach. They also weigh in on potential economic storm clouds such as China's economic outlook, rising energy costs, and the impending government shutdown. The latest jobs report revealed a major slowdown in job...

This week for What's at Stake, we're cross-posting an episode from communications podcast, The Crux. Penta's President Matt McDonald joined the Crux with Gary Sheffer, Professor of Public Relations at Boston University, and Mike Fernandez, Chief Communications Officer at Enbridge to talk about Penta's work and the latest issues at the forefront of public affairs and communications. The conversation focused on explaining Penta's unique approach to counseling our clients on public affairs and...

In this week's episode of the Macrocast episode, Ylan, Brendan, and John guide us through core PCE inflation rates, GDP surprises, and Fed Chair Powell's likely next moves. Looking forward to 2024, they predict what a recession would mean for presidential campaigns and the future president elect. They also examine how major players like the European Central Bank and President Trump have been influencing economic policies and markets around the world. Ylan, John, and Brendan also chat about...