Barclays Brief

Credit markets often process stress before other parts of the market are able to. During periods of volatility, the signals they send can help investors distinguish between shocks that are likely to prove temporary and those that risk becoming more systemic.​
In this episode of Barclays Brief, Ronnie Wexler, Head of Equities, sits down with Drew Mogavero, Global Head of Credit Products and CEO of Barclays Capital Inc., to explore why credit markets have remained relatively stable during recent periods of stress. They discuss how investment‑grade and higher quality high yield have continued to find support and what this demand reveals about market conditions. ​
The conversation also looks at how credit signals can inform views across equities and rates, where stress tends to emerge first, and what today’s market dynamics reveal about the broader economic backdrop.​
​Listeners can hear more on this topic:​​​
Processing uncertainty in real time​​
Credit markets: What's ahead for 2026​
Private credit: Hidden interconnectivity​

Clients can read more on Barclays Live:​​
Not that quiet beneath the surface​​
Woes of waiting ​​

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Food delivery is changing fast, with last-mile autonomous hardware being developed and deployed at pace. In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined by Guillaume Galland to explore how robots and drones are beginning to reshape food delivery economics around the world.
Drawing on ground‑level observations from cities including Los Angeles, Helsinki, Dublin and Dubai, Guillaume explains why autonomous delivery adoption differs by geography, and why some markets are already seeing meaningful penetration.
The conversation breaks down the two core technologies now in play – aerial drones and ground‑based robots – and they discuss where each are best suited to excel.
The discussion also covers the economics driving momentum in the sector – how autonomous delivery stacks up against human couriers from costs, speed and reliability, and if they offer an enhancement for consumers and restaurants alike. They also look past the exciting developments and look at the hurdles that remain, ranging from regulation and operational complexity.
Crucially, this is not about replacing human riders altogether, as Guillaume explains. Physical AI is a structural lever that will sit alongside traditional delivery models, changing how the last mile works rather than removing people from it.
Listen in to understand where autonomous food delivery is gaining traction, what’s holding it back, and why it matters for platforms, restaurants and investors watching the future of last‑mile logistics.
Clients can read more on Barclays Live:
Robot at the Door: Last-Mile Shift

Listeners can also hear more episodes about developments of physical AI:
Robotaxis: The future of mobility
Rise of the humanoid robots
AI Revolution: China’s Five-Year Plan

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Prediction markets are suddenly top of mind for a range of people. From elections and sporting events to pop culture and breaking news, probabilities are flashing across screens in real time. What started as a niche concept is increasingly being treated as a signal for how uncertainty gets processed and priced.​
In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Ronnie Wexler sits down with US Gaming Research Analyst, Brandt Montour, to explore why prediction markets have surged into the spotlight. They dig into how these platforms work, why the “wisdom of crowds” has captured attention across media and finance, and what’s driving the growth in activity and valuations.​
The conversation goes beyond the hype, tackling the growing regulatory pushback, the tension between state and federal oversight, and the key differences between prediction markets and traditional sportsbooks. They also examine who’s winning, who’s losing, and what the rapid shift in capital across the gaming landscape may be signaling for investors thinking about how to position as this market continues to evolve.​
Clients can read more on Barclays Live:​
Mounting Opposition, but No Quick Regulatory Endgame​
Predicting a Sports Launch - 72¢​
Prediction markets for CPI?​

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Quantum computing has long been viewed as a future technology. Now, it’s poised to overtake classical computing systems in specific useful tasks in the next 12-24 months.
In this episode of Barclays Brief, Laia Marin joins Patrick Coffey to discuss why now may be the time for corporates and investors to engage with quantum computing. They break down the fundamentals, including the different modalities, and its potential to solve complex business problems, analysing unstructured data and developing complex optimisation solutions.
Laia also explores the current limitations of quantum systems, the competing qubit modalities racing to scale, and how quantum computing is additive to classical computing infrastructure, potentially allowing companies to integrate quantum capabilities alongside existing systems, rather than replacing them.
This episode offers an accessible overview of where quantum stands today – and how to start preparing for its impact.

Listeners can hear more on this topic:​
•Episode 20: Software: In the AI storm

Clients can read more on Barclays Live:
•Quantum Computing: The race is on
•Quantum Computing: Friend, not foe
•Quantum Computing: Correcting the biggest investor myths around quantum

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In recent months, market narratives have been dominated by geopolitical shocks, energy volatility and higher interest rates. But step back, and a much bigger story is coming into focus.
Advanced economies may be on the cusp of a new, historic investment cycle – one with the potential to rival the great build‑outs of the past, from 19th‑century railroads to the Apollo missions and the information‑technology boom of the 1990s.
While much of the capex narrative has focused on AI and the race by hyperscalers to build faster, more efficient models, this is only one part of the picture. Energy systems, electrification, defence spending and economic resilience are all reinforcing the scale of capital deployment now underway.
In this episode of the Barclays Brief, Patrick Coffey is joined by Christian Keller, Chief Economist at Barclays, to examine how 150 years of investment data show that long periods of under‑investment are often followed by powerful capex cycles and why after two decades of weakness, the latest numbers point to the early stages of one with historic potential.
Listeners can hear more on this topic:​
•Episode 22: Processing uncertainty in real time
•Episode 17: Metals & mining: meltdown or opportunity?
•Episode 7: US dollar & the AI capex cycle

Clients can read more on Barclays Live:
•Supersize me: The coming investment cycle
•Cracks, but not a crater (Q2 Global Outlook)
•Defence Quarterly: a 10-year cycle still to come?

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