Banks on Thin Ice: $395 Billion in Unrealized Losses and the Return of “Too Big to Fail”

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  More than half of U.S. mutual and exchange-traded funds are now passive—set-it-and-forget-it investments that blindly follow the indexes. While convenient, this concentration creates hidden risks. In the event of a major sell-off, the sheer weight of passive money could trigger violent market swings and magnify losses. True investing requires discipline, adjustment, and active decision-making—not blind faith in the herd. Ignoring this reality could turn passive investing into the market’s next black swan.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claims tariffs will pay down America’s debt—but the numbers tell a very different story. In this episode:The real difference between deficits and debt (and why Washington hides it)How Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs added $2 trillion in new debtWhy endless deficits make paying down anything impossible

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  U.S. banks are sitting on $395 billion in unrealized losses—six times the peak of the 2008 financial crisis. Thirteen straight quarters of red ink reveal a dangerous game of musical chairs as Wall Street scrambles for a greater fool to buy toxic paper. While small and mid-sized banks face real risk, the giants hide behind the safety net of “too big to fail,” creating moral hazard and distorting free markets. Once again, taxpayers are left to wonder: when the music stops, who pays the price?

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  People say “money is money”—but that’s not true. There’s money earned with integrity, and there’s money made through exploitation, manipulation, or outright unethical behavior. From Wall Street schemes to corporate landlords charging grieving families thousands after a loved one dies, the difference between good and bad money couldn’t be clearer. True capitalism and freedom only work when guided by morality and ethical guardrails. Without them, we justify anything—and the cost comes due later.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  After catching Spike Lee’s new film with Denzel Washington on Apple, I walked away reminded of more than just good storytelling. Beyond the nods to New York, the Yankees, and cultural icons, the movie offered powerful lessons on parenting, discipline, and the human struggle to wrestle with our better angels. From social media battles to respecting family values, the film sparked reflections on culture, music, and raising kids in today’s world. Sometimes, even in Hollywood, real wisdom shines through.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Big-name conservatives are sounding the alarm — but are they abandoning the First Amendment while trying to “save” it? In this episode:What Pam Bondi actually said and why it rips at conservative free-speech principlesThe legal line between ugly speech, incitement, and punishable conductWhy firing employees for hateful posts is a private choice — not a constitutional dutyHow cancel culture weaponizes social media — and why conservatives must be careful not to mirror itFree speech is messy. Protecting it doesn’t mean tolerating vile behavior — but legislating who must be fired is a slippery slope. This episode calls conservatives to defend the Constitution — consistently.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  After decades of covering the darker side of finance, politics, and human nature, the Watchdog on Wall Street is launching Light in the Darkness — a new project dedicated to uplifting stories that inspire. From acts of kindness and courage to lessons of faith and perseverance, this series highlights the unsung heroes and small moments that make the world a better place. Listeners and readers are invited to share their own stories, reminding us all that we belong to one another and that even the smallest act of good can shine in dark times.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  The Treasury says lower rates will fix housing—but that’s a fantasy. In this episode:Why money printing and interest rate suppression drove housing costs off the chartsHow ending subsidies and rich-people welfare would bring prices back to realityWhy corporate ownership of homes should be hit with a massive taxThe ugly truth about property taxes—you don’t really own your homeWashington won’t solve this crisis, because they created it. Here’s how to actually fix housing in America.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Everyone wants to believe happy stories about growth and stability—but the terrain says otherwise. In this episode:How “techno-feudalism” is locking power and wealth at the topWhy compounding growth math guarantees America’s global share keeps shrinkingThe $1.2 trillion debt interest bomb Washington pretends doesn’t existHow tariffs and bad policy are killing productivity while fueling inflationWhy immigration isn’t going away—because our economy is addicted to itThe cold truth about governance: localism works, centralization failsThis is the world we actually live in—not the fantasy one politicians sell you. The only way forward is to face the terrain and adapt.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Goya’s haunting painting of Saturn consuming his own offspring becomes a metaphor for today’s pension and Social Security crises. From France’s fiery protests to looming cuts in the U.S., aging populations are straining systems beyond sustainability. Baby boomers may have built the world’s wealth, but younger generations are left footing the bill. As demographics collide with fiscal reality, the question remains: who will be sacrificed next?