Markets Weekly podcast (20 July 2026): How AI affects economies

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.

Higher debt, heavier bond issuance and fiscal uncertainty are changing the fixed income landscape. In this week’s podcast, Michel Vernier, Head of Fixed Income Strategy, joins co-hosts Julien Lafargue, Chief Market Strategist, and Judiyah Amirthanathar, Market Strategist, as they explore why long-end yields could remain volatile, why rates may stay higher for now, and where investors can still find value across credit.

In this week’s podcast, Julien Lafargue, Chief Market Strategist, is joined by a new co-host, Judiyah Amirthanathar, Market Strategist, to discuss key topics on investors’ minds. These include the outlook for US interest rates, the impact of inflation on company earnings and the implications of the surge in AI-related spending.

AI-driven earnings growth has supported a rally in equity markets this year. But does the latest earnings season suggest this has more to run?

The major central banks kept interest rates unchanged in July, but what happens next? The latest policy meetings were all about the message (or lack of) from central bankers. In this week’s podcast, Michel Vernier, Head of Fixed Income Strategy, joins host Julien Lafargue, our Chief Market Strategist, as they analyse the latest interest rate decisions in the US, Europe and the UK, how the bond markets have reacted and what they mean for the outlook for rates.

What could Andy Burnham’s first week as UK prime minister reveal about future government policy? In our latest podcast, we explore the political, economic and market implications of the UK’s new leadership and the changes announced so far. Listen in for insights from Julien Lafargue, Chief Market Strategist, Alex Jackman from the Regional Corporate Affairs team at Barclays and Luke Mayberry, Investment Strategist.

AI-related companies have helped to propel markets to record highs this year, but how much will AI reshape productivity, labour markets and economic growth? In this week’s podcast, Lukas Gehrig, Head of Quantitative Macro and Thematic Strategy, joins host Julien Lafargue, our Chief Market Strategist, to explore how much AI could penetrate people’s jobs and whether productivity gains can offset slowing demographic trends.

AI has changed how quickly we can gather and understand information, but what is it doing to the quality of our decisions? In this week's podcast, Alex Joshi, Head of Behavioural Finance, and Rob Smith, AI and Data Science Strategist, join Julien Lafargue, our Chief Market Strategist, to explore 'cognitive surrender' and consider how to keep making good decisions. They also discuss the shift from AI chatbots to AI agents, the rising costs of using AI agents and the anticipated trends that could be seen over the rest of the year.

Property continues to dominate the headlines, as speculation over stamp duty reform and news of recent high-profile activity grabs investor attention. In this week’s podcast, Stephen Moroukian, our real estate financing specialist, joins Julien Lafargue, our Chief Market Strategist, to discuss the interest rate environment, amid sticky inflation and volatile energy prices, and consider what’s in store for house prices in prime central London and across the rest of the UK.

The first half of the year has witnessed mixed performance in currency markets with the US dollar strengthening, due to its safe-haven status and US economic growth, while sterling weakened on political uncertainty. In this week’s podcast, Bhaskar Gupta, Head of FX Distribution in the UK, joins Julien Lafargue to discuss what investors can expect from the major currencies for the rest of the year.