The David McWilliams Podcast

• Is America the Next Big Short? With Michael Lewis

  In a week where the U.S. stock market has been rocked by recession fears and escalating trade tensions, we sit down with renowned author Michael Lewis, known for works like Liar's Poker, The Big Short, and Moneyball, to dissect the economic landscape. The S&P 500 plummeted 5.7%, marking its worst week since September, while the Nasdaq Composite saw a 4% drop, largely due to concerns over trade wars and slowing economic growth. Tesla's stock took a significant hit, falling 15% in a single day and marking a 50% decline from its all-time high in December. Michael Lewis shares his insights on how trust, or the lack thereof, shapes financial markets, especially under the unpredictable policies of the Trump administration. We delve into the psychology driving economic decisions and explore whether America's current trajectory mirrors the conditions that led to previous financial crises. So, is the U.S. economy teetering on the edge of another "big short"? Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Germany Wakes Up: Britain Breaks Out

  For 70 years, Germany kept its head down; an economic juggernaut, but a military lightweight, happy to let America call the shots. Not anymore.J.D. Vance’s off-the-cuff dismissal of Europe as a lost cause, combined with Trump’s America First foreign policy, has done something extraordinary: it’s forced Germany to step up. And when Germany steps up, the whole world shifts. And one of the shifts could well be, the UK running back to the EU and for the first time in 10 years Britain needs Europe and Europe need Britain. The great reconciliation is next! Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Casement, Congo & the Comeback of Empire: Is Trump Reviving Imperialism?

  Neo-imperialism is marching, loud and proud, straight into the heart of global politics. Between Trump’s quiet dealmaking in Riyadh, to his open musings about annexing Canada, the last few weeks have shattered the illusion that the age of empire is behind us. The world order of the last 70 years is crumbling, replaced by raw, transactional power. Trump and Putin are set to carve up Ukraine, billionaires are circling mineral-rich territories like vultures, and Washington’s foreign policy has been reduced to a simple equation: If you have resources, we’ll take them. This episode draws an eerie parallel between Trump’s tactics and one of the most brutal imperial heists in history; King Leopold’s reign of terror in the Belgian Congo. Just as European powers once justified plunder with the rhetoric of “civilization,” today’s resource grabs are wrapped in the language of “economic deals.” And at the heart of exposing that brutality was Roger Casement, a man who paid with his life for revealing the truth. Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The King’s Gambit: DIY Declan, Trump’s Market Meltdown & Musk’s 18th-Century Twin

  What do DIY stores, French financial bubbles, and Elon Musk have in common? Kicking off with a detour into The Pope’s Children and the perils of being a DIY impostor, we quickly shift gears to the real story: the Trump Dump. As financial markets recoil from the chaos of MAGA economics, we dive into history for a striking parallel: John Law, the 18th-century financial mastermind who convinced France to bet everything on his wild vision of a new economic order. Law promised a dazzling future, just as Musk does today, but his empire of speculation collapsed, taking the French monarchy down with it. What happens when the richest man in the world gets inside the head of a leader hungry for power? Are Trump and Musk unwittingly following the script of Law and the Duke of Orléans? Are we on the brink of a modern-day financial reckoning? With markets tanking, Bitcoin crumbling, and the spectre of stagflation looming, we explore the dangerous dance between speculative hype and economic reality. Will history repeat itself, first as tragedy, then as farce? Buckle up. Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Deutschland Dilemma: Voting Blocs, Power Shocks & the Bundeswehr Rocks with Katja Hoyer

  Germany’s latest election has sent shockwaves across Europe. The CDU has reasserted itself, but the far-right AfD continues to gain ground, fuelled by economic anxieties and social media echo chambers. Meanwhile, younger voters are breaking in radical new directions, young men shifting right, young women embracing the far left. With NATO under strain, America’s global leadership in question, and the war in Ukraine forcing Germany to confront its historical reluctance to lead, Berlin is at the heart of an unfolding geopolitical realignment. As German arms manufacturers see their stock prices soar, the Bundeswehr prepares to fill the security vacuum left by the U.S. withdrawal from Europe. Will Germany finally embrace its role as the continent’s dominant power, or is it doomed to remain an economic giant but a political pygmy? Historian Katja Hoyer joins us to break down the election results, the shifting tides of power in Berlin, and what it all means for the future of the European project. Is this the moment Germany finally steps up, or is Europe heading for a deeper divide? Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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