The Journal.
Podcast

The Journal.

by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

346 episodes

The most important stories about money, business and power. Hosted by Ryan Knutson and Jessica Mendoza. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal. Get show merch here: https://wsjshop.com/collections/clothing
Ask about The Journal.Answers are grounded in this source's posts from the last 30 days.

Recent Posts

346 posts
The $275 Million Margaritaville Drama

The discussion provides no specific publicly traded investment, ticker, price target, or actionable trade. Treat Margaritaville as a business theme only; its licensing profits are described as too uncertain to support an investment judgment. For real estate or other illiquid assets, weigh available cash flow and liquidity—not just headline asset value—against ongoing spending needs. The estate dispute also highlights the value of clear trustee roles, information access, and succession planning.

Americans Are Grumpy About Prices. Why Are They Still Spending?

No specific stock or real-estate purchases are supported by these insights; they describe economic trends rather than actionable buy recommendations. Treat resilient consumer spending cautiously: $1.25 trillion in credit-card debt and a 4.1% saving rate suggest households may pull back if finances tighten. Monitor spending and employment for signs of a slowdown, rather than relying on sentiment alone.

The Fall of Kimberly Guilfoyle

The provided information contains no actionable investment opportunities: American Dream was dissolved, and its $75 million revenue figure was only a projection. Treat U.S. natural gas exports as a broad policy theme, not a trade recommendation, since no companies or projects are identified. The American Express (AXP) account request is unrelated to the company’s investment outlook.

Red, White and Who? The Inflation Election

No specific stocks, funds, or cryptocurrencies were recommended, so there is no high-conviction trade to act on from this discussion. Monitor inflation, fuel prices, and tariff developments, which may pressure consumer spending, small businesses, and farm economics. Treat data-center growth as a theme to research, while weighing potential job creation against rising energy costs.

Why Oura Put Its IPO on Pause
  • Treat any future Oura IPO as a watch-and-reassess opportunity, not a buy: wait for updated financials showing stronger recurring subscription revenue and profitable customer acquisition.
  • If Oura relaunches its IPO, compare its valuation with results and scrutinize insider selling; the previously discussed $15 billion valuation and lack of a revised date are not a current investment case.
  • Avoid treating popularity alone as proof of durable growth: Fitbit, Peloton, and GoPro were cited as cautionary examples, and no specific buy or sell recommendation was provided for Apple, Google, or Eli Lilly.
My Monday Morning: Ludwig Göransson

The discussion provides no actionable buy or sell thesis, price target, or timeframe for Spotify (SPOT) or Accenture (ACN); the advertising partnership alone does not establish a meaningful financial impact. Anthropic is private, while the mentions of Recruit Holdings (6098.T), McDonald’s (MCD), Carnival (CCL), DoorDash (DASH), and Best Buy (BBY) are promotional—not investment analysis.

Can Xbox Get Back in the Game?
  • Treat Microsoft (MSFT) as a watchlist holding rather than a gaming-turnaround buy: Xbox has declining revenue and roughly 3% margins, while its strategy reset still needs to prove itself.
  • Track the next Call of Duty launch as a near-term test: players must buy it for $70 at release or wait a year for Game Pass, revealing whether launch sales can recover without undermining subscriptions.
  • Consider Sony only after further research; the discussion gives no standalone investment case or price target.
Rogue Pilots Are a Growing Safety Threat. No One Knows How to Stop Them.

No high-conviction, actionable investment opportunity is supported by these insights. Treat Boeing (BA) as a safety and reputational risk to monitor, but the causes remain under investigation and no financial impact or price target is provided. The mentions of Spotify (SPOT), Accenture (ACN), and ServiceNow (NOW) are promotional and lack investment-relevant evidence.

Why Chinese Fentanyl Factories Are Making Peptides Now

Avoid investing in gray-market peptide suppliers: many products are unapproved, and the sector faces significant quality, regulatory, and enforcement risks. The reported rise in crypto purchases of peptides—from about $200,000 to more than $10 million monthly—does not identify a specific cryptocurrency or support a direct crypto investment. For exposure to peptide-based treatments, focus on FDA-approved medicines, including approved GLP-1 drugs, and verify the manufacturer and product before investing.

Red, White and Who? The Anti-AI Voters

The AI data-center buildout is a long-term infrastructure theme, but rising local opposition and potential power-cost, water-use, and regulatory constraints could slow projects or raise costs. Monitor Alphabet (GOOGL/GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), and Meta (META) for signs that their Ohio projects are securing community support and absorbing infrastructure costs; the insights provide no price targets or specific buy recommendations.

Is Xi Jinping’s Health Declining?

Review your portfolio for concentrated exposure to China and companies that rely on Chinese markets, since leadership uncertainty could disrupt policy, diplomacy, and economic activity. Assess holdings that depend on Chinese rare-earth supplies for supply-chain risk; the insights identify no specific securities, price targets, or alternative investments.

Google Put AI in Schools. Test Scores Plummeted.
  • Treat Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) as a mixed, long-term AI-in-education opportunity: Gemini could deepen use of Google’s school ecosystem, but the discussion provides no price target or explicit buy recommendation.
  • Before investing specifically on this theme, monitor school restrictions and independent evidence of learning outcomes; adoption alone does not prove educational benefit.
My Monday Morning: Randy Bresnik
  • The transcript offers no high-conviction, actionable investment opportunity: it names no relevant space-sector stocks, price targets, or investment timelines.
  • Treat Artemis, Blue Origin, and SpaceX as long-term space-sector themes only; the discussion provides no public-market thesis or financial evidence.
  • Ignore the mentions of Spotify (SPOT), Accenture (ACN), Uber (UBER), and Tremfya as investment signals—they appear in ads or lack supporting financial analysis.
How Cocaine Is Flooding Into Europe

No actionable investment opportunities are identified: the cocaine-trafficking discussion concerns an illegal market, while the Toyota and Nordstrom Rack mentions are advertisements, not investment analysis.

The Vigilante Taking Down Job Scammers

The episode provides no high-conviction stock trades or actionable price targets for MSFT, ACN, SPOT, BKNG, KDP, or UBER. Treat cybersecurity and online fraud prevention as a research theme, not a specific investment recommendation; no companies, timeframes, or targets were identified.

Our Reporter Tried Meta’s Viral AI Agent. Should You?
  • META is a company to watch as its Muse AI agent gains early adoption, but the discussion provides no price target or buy recommendation.
  • Before investing based on Muse, look for evidence of sustained usage and improvements in reliability, privacy, and security; the product is still early and can make mistakes.
  • Treat potential disruption to online advertising from AI agents as a theme to monitor, not a specific trade: no affected companies, financial estimates, or timeframe are provided.
How China Swiped the Secret to American Blueberries

China’s blueberry production has surged, pushing prices down and squeezing growers’ margins; avoid assuming that rapid sector growth translates into attractive producer returns. Driscoll’s is privately held, and the insights identify no specific public ticker or direct trade. Treat investments tied to premium crop genetics cautiously: unauthorized propagation and costly enforcement can undermine their value.

Why ‘What’s for Dinner?’ Is Harder than Ever

No specific stocks, tickers, or actionable trades were identified in these insights. Watch for food retailers that show pricing power without losing budget-conscious shoppers, while recognizing that persistent food costs may push consumers to trade down. Treat pressure on restaurants and interest in prepared meals as broad consumer trends, not investment recommendations.

Will a Rent Freeze Fix NYC or Make it Worse?

Treat New York rent-stabilized housing as a policy- and cost-sensitive investment: assess building condition, vacancies, financing access, and rent rules rather than assuming rents will keep pace with expenses.
The experts disagree on the scale of landlord distress; Moody’s estimated that up to 6% of landlords could face serious default risk under a four-year rent freeze, so avoid treating broader crisis claims as settled.
Watch for potential opportunities in housing renovation, development, and affordable-housing financing if permitting reforms or public funding move forward, but the discussion identifies no specific stocks or projects.
View comments about OceanFirst and rent-stabilized lending as an unverified sector risk signal, not a stock recommendation.

The Epic Drama at Lululemon
  • Avoid treating Lululemon (LULU) as a near-term turnaround: sales are weakening, competition is intensifying, and the new CEO has not yet laid out a detailed plan.
  • Watch for sustained improvement in North American sales and a clearer, more distinctive product strategy before considering LULU; no price target or explicit buy recommendation is provided.
  • The insights do not establish an actionable trade in Nike (NKE), On Holding (ONON), or Under Armour (UAA), and provide no investable details on private competitors such as Alo and Vuori.