Pods & Recs: No. 166
Today we have Jim Rogers with a look back to 1987, Ben Hunt on Bitcoin, how people are racing digital horses that cost $16,000, and Leonard Mlodinow on how randomness rules our lives.
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Investing
Epsilon Theory Podcast: The Epsilon Theory Podcast Ep10 — In Praise of Bitcoin. This episode features both a discussion and Ben Hunt reading his recent piece, In Praise of Bitcoin. He discusses the narrative around bitcoin, why it can be viewed as art, and what he expects from the government regulating it and Wall Street trying to capture value from it. It’s one of the more fascinating episodes of the year. [May 5, 2021–50 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link
The only difference to Wall Street between gold and bitcoin is that gold is tired and bitcoin is wired. The King is dead. Long live the kind. This is the artistic genius of Wall Street.
Real Vision: Finance, Business & The Global Economy: Jim Rogers: Identifying Opportunities While Markets Are Up to A Fever Pitch. Legendary investor Jim Rogers shares his outlook on the markets and why the current environment reminds him of the time before the 1987 crash. After looking back at 1987 and sharing how he navigated that crash, he touches on stocks, bonds, crypto, ex-U.S. stocks (China, India, and the EU), and why commodities, especially ags, are cheap. [May 1, 2021–37 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link
How I Built This with Guy Raz: Eleven Madison Park: Daniel Humm. Humm’s entrepreneurial and life journey is really inspiring. He dropped out of school at 14, had a child at 18, and came to the U.S. to be a chef. He joined forces with Danny Meyer to run Eleven Madison Park and eventually earned a 4th star from the NY Times (the NYT gives roughly one 4* rating per year). After buying out Danny Meyer and later buying out his partner right before COVID started, he felt like he needed something different to be fulfilled again. His work with food banks and serving those in need rejuvenated him, and now he’s reopening Eleven Madison Park with part of fees for reservations going to those in need. [May 3, 2021–1 hour, 14 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link
The Pomp Podcast: #549 Alex Taub on Digital Horse Racing. Taub is an investor and user of Zed, a new digital horse racing ecosystem. He shares a broad overview of the ecosystem, which includes horses selling for $16,000+ and being bred in a ‘stud farm,’ and explains how this digital world relates to the physical world. It’s a wild listen but entertaining even if you think it’s nuts. [May 7, 2021–58 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker
The Meb Faber Show
The Meb Faber Show: #307 — Vikram Mansharamani, Harvard Lecturer and Author — In All Bubbles, You Usually Have A ‘This Time It’s Different’ Story. Vikram Mansharamani is a Harvard lecturer, global trend spotter, and author of BOOMBUSTOLOGY: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst, which uses multiple lenses to spot financial bubbles. In this episode, Vikram talks about the Internet bubble, housing bubble, and what he sees today with the rise of SPACs, student sentiment, and monetary and fiscal policy. He explains why skyscrapers and stadiums help predict where there is excess in the market. At the end he walks through a number of topics, including why it’s important to think for yourself, why he’s bearish on India, and even some UFO’s. [May 3, 2021–59 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link
The Meb Faber Show: #308 — Best Idea Show — Maciej Wojtal, Amtelon Capital — I Saw Iran As Potentially The Biggest Transformational Opportunity Since Russia. Maciej Wojtal is the founder and CIO of Amtelon Capital, an investment fund focused on Iranian equities. He begins by sharing how the the 2015 nuclear deal between the US and Iran sparked his interest in Iran. He shares what he learned early on — the country has a resilient economy with great demographics — and when paired with companies trading at 3–4x earnings, he was compelled to set up his firm in 2018. Then he walks through what it’s been like over the last few years: handling new sanctions under the Trump administration, 70% currency depreciation one year, and, most recently, the impact of COVID. Lastly, he shares the possibilities for the country going forward and the potential for foreign inflows to drive valuations up in the near future. [May 5, 2021–58 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link
The Rest
Talks at Google: Ep143 — Leonard Mlodinow | The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives. Mlodinow is the author of one of my favorite books, The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives. This talk covers a lot of topics in the book — how stats are misrepresented to us in so many ways, whether it’s in medicine, investing, or something as simple as coin tosses. He also talks about humans’ inability to decipher randomness in data and what’s actually statistically significant. If you’re a data geek, this is a must-listen. [April 30, 2021–42 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Breaker | Website Link
Unlocking Us: Brené with Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce D. Perry on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. Dr. Perry’s work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has reshaped clinical practice. He and Oprah recently came out with the book, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. They both talk about the impact both big and small trauma has on us, creating emotional and physical consequences. Then they share the one thing that is so powerful to help negate the negative side effects — connecting with others and feeling like we belong to something. This isn’t just for those who are therapists; if you’re a parent, spouse, or work with others, this work is eye-opening and will help you be more empathic towards others in all situations. [May 5, 2021–1 hour, 13 minutes] Spotify | Website Link
When you are in the presence of people who give you signals, both physical and emotional social signals, that you belong, your stress response systems are better regulated, your reward systems get stimulated, which decreases the probability that you’ll seek maladaptive ways to get reward through drugs or other things.
The Think For Yourself Podcast: Episode 28: My Conversation with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. Warren has a really interesting story and is someone you can’t listen to and not end up really respecting. He was on the 1982 Ivy League championship basketball team at the University of Pennsylvania, became a lawyer, and served as the COO of the Minnesota Vikings. He talks about the adversity he overcame as a child and his path from athlete to lawyer and working within athletics. He also touches on a lot of current issues within college athletics, helping schools and athletes navigate COVID, and players focusing on inequalities over the past year. [May 3, 2021–57 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google
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