Markets Weekly podcast (2 February 2026): Currency market special

In this week's podcast, Michel Vernier, Head of Fixed Income Strategy, joins host Julien Lafargue to reflect on the bond markets in 2025 and provide insights on what will be the driving forces in 2026. They discuss if central banks are done with interest rate cuts and if the bond markets are too complacent about the inflation outlook. Additionally, they explore what large-scale, AI-related capital expenditure means for credit markets.

In this week’s podcast, Stefano Mascoli, Head of FX and Capital Markets in Monaco, joins host Julien Lafargue to discuss the drivers behind the recent sharp moves in currency markets. Are investors witnessing a structural shift in the US dollar? How much further could the yen rally? And what role did the prospect of a coordinated US–Japan intervention play in markets?

The US economy is creating far fewer jobs, but is this just a temporary soft patch? Lukas Gehrig, our Head of Quant Macro and Thematic Strategy, joins host Julien Lafargue, Chief Market Strategist, to delve into the trends shaping the US labour market – from tougher immigration and shifting demographics to advances in artificial intelligence – and why they matter for investors.

In this week's podcast, Dorothée Deck, Head of Cross Asset Strategy, joins host Julien Lafargue to discuss how market leadership is broadening across companies, sectors and regions. They cover what’s driving this shift, why investor sentiment remains fragile, and why earnings delivery is becoming increasingly important. They also preview the key themes for the Q4 reporting season – from AI‑related productivity to capex trends and the durability of mega-cap earnings – and share early insights from US bank results.

In this week’s podcast, Ivelin Stankov, Investment Strategist, joins host Julien Lafargue to discuss cryptocurrencies. Is Bitcoin a form of digital gold? What role can Bitcoin play in portfolios? And what should investors expect from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in 2026 and beyond?

In this week’s podcast, Alex Joshi, Head of Behavioural Finance, joins host Julien Lafargue to discuss the psychology of bubbles. What is a bubble and how does it work? Is there a bubble in equity markets today? And how can investors use AI to make better investment decisions?

This week’s podcast discusses the impact that UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget last week is having on the housing market. Our real estate financing specialist Stephen Moroukian joins host Julien Lafargue to discuss the state of the property market and outline the key Budget measures likely to have the biggest impact on investors in the sector.

This week’s podcast discusses the key themes of our recently released AI Outlook 2026: Agents of Productivity report, which examines the defining trends, opportunities and risks for AI in the year ahead. Lukas Gehrig, Head of Quant Macro and Thematic Strategy, and Rob Smith, AI and Data Science Strategist, join host Julien Lafargue to answer some of the key questions on investors’ minds. Can the hunger for compute and energy demand be sated? When will AI deliver the much-promised broad productivity gains? And what part will regulation play in the AI rollout?

Despite the strong performance in US equity markets this year and speculation of an AI bubble, there are still reasons for investors to be optimistic. In this special podcast, guests Dr Nouriel Roubini, Senior Economic Strategist, and Jason Cuttler, Senior Markets and Derivatives Strategist, both at Hudson Bay Capital join host Julien Lafargue to discuss how AI-driven growth should continue to outweigh less market-friendly policies such as tariffs, why they believe that the S&P 500 isn’t overvalued and why Japan and metals can offer investors diversification benefits.

As we unveil our Outlook 2026 report amidst a year marked by powerful AI-driven momentum, stretched equity valuations and growing concentration risks, the key question now is how investors should position as we move toward 2026. In this week’s podcast, Dorothée Deck, Head of Cross Asset Strategy, and Michel Vernier, Head of Fixed Income Strategy, join host Julien Lafargue to explore the forces behind recent market performance, the vulnerabilities emerging beneath the surface, and where we believe the most compelling opportunities and risks lie across regions, sectors and investment styles.