Forward Guidance

Liquidity may be sending a very different signal than most investors think, challenging the dominant narrative around growth, rates, and risk.

We sit down with Michael Howell of CrossBorder Capital, a leading voice on global liquidity, to unpack where we are in the cycle and why his framework diverges from consensus views on markets and the economy.

We explore the liquidity vs. business cycle divide, yield curve dynamics, Treasury-driven liquidity, rising commodities, and why all signals may be pointing toward a late-cycle shift. Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro

02:31 Global Liquidity Turning Lower

06:24 Liquidity Cycle vs Economy

11:29 Recession Fears vs Data

17:28 Treasury Stimulus and Buybacks

23:40 Why Bond Volatility Matters

31:56 Warsh and the Next Regime

39:29 What Interest Rates Really Mean

47:13 Positioning for Turbulence

58:08 Where to Follow Michael

FOLLOW MICHAEL

› X/Twitter – https://x.com/crossbordercap

› Substack – https://capitalwars.substack.com/

FOLLOW THE SHOW

› Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance

› Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc

› Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx

› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks

DISCLAIMER

Nothing said on Forward Guidance is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Markets are ripping higher, but something underneath feels increasingly disconnected from reality.

This week, we break down the growing dominance of flows, derivatives, and policy over fundamentals, and what that means for how markets actually move.

We explore extreme positioning, retail chasing, sticky inflation, policy incentives into midterms, and why capital markets may be losing integrity in an environment driven by liquidity and narrative rather than fundamentals. Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro

03:20 Historic Rally, Broken Market

06:09 Dollar Weakness Drives Everything

08:39 Volatility, Retail, And Trump

12:11 What Actually Moves Markets

16:52 Allbirds And AI Mania

21:04 Inflation Is Turning Higher

26:32 Midterms And More Stimulus

30:07 Housing Versus Asset Prices

34:00 Negative Real Yields World

FOLLOW THE SHOW

› Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance

› Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc

› Quinn – https://x.com/qthomp

› Tyler – https://x.com/Tyler_Neville

› Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx

› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks

RESOURCES

› Weekly Roundup Charts – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wFcQCeXRDIJX9c7g0Vn1H2IcBHNXdbbN/view?usp=sharing

DISCLAIMER

Nothing said on Forward Guidance is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

AI is reshaping how decisions get made in markets, but does faster insight actually create better outcomes, or just new risks?

We speak with Jan Szilagyi, CEO of Reflexivity and former global macro investor, on how AI is being deployed inside hedge funds and why this moment may be more transformative than the ChatGPT hype cycle suggests.

We explore AI-driven idea generation, solving small sample size problems, execution gaps, labor disruption, and whether a world of universal AI tools compresses alpha or expands it. Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro

02:01 From Druckenmiller to Macro

05:28 Why the Name Reflexivity

07:58 Why AI Unlocks Finance

11:40 Solving Small-Sample Macro

17:19 Known and Unknown Unknowns

23:15 When Data Beats Chatbots

28:27 Does AI Kill Alpha?

34:02 Best Strategies for AI

39:13 Jobs, Productivity, and Policy

45:10 Compute Needs Real Resources

FOLLOW GUEST

› Reflexivity X – https://x.com/ReflexivityAi

› Reflexivity Website – https://reflexivity.com/

FOLLOW THE SHOW

› Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance

› Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc

› Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx

› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks

DISCLAIMER

Nothing said on Forward Guidance is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Markets are sending mixed signals with geopolitics, inflation, and positioning all pointing in different directions, raising concerns about whether this rally is real or just a temporary squeeze before the next leg down.

This week, we break down how the proposed ceasefire and AI acceleration are colliding with market structure in a battle of fundamentals vs flows.

We explore AI-led productivity boom, Trump's political dilemma, Fed policy uncertainty, gold’s resurgence, and whether dispersion, not direction, is the real trade. Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro

04:21 Ceasefire Reality Check

07:28 Positioning Fuels the Bounce

11:25 Can VIX Stay Low?

14:28 Countertrend Rally or Not?

19:09 AI Compute Still Leads

28:11 Ads (Arkham, Blockworks IR)

30:06 Fed Cuts or Wishful Thinking?

34:05 China The New Bond Haven?

38:13 Best Trades in This Regime

44:14 Gold and Market Manipulation

49:50 Buy Non-US Again?

FOLLOW THE SHOW

› Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance

› Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc

› Quinn – https://x.com/qthomp

› Tyler – https://x.com/Tyler_Neville

› Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx

› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks

RESOURCES

› Weekly Roundup Charts – https://drive.google.com/file/d/18AkSBzt_7Y_B8HX6BdbUyJ-kr7Q6Sqsq/view?usp=sharing

SPONSORS

› ARKHAM

Arkham is a crypto exchange and blockchain analytics platform that allows traders and investors to look inside the wallets of the best traders, largest funds, and most influential players in crypto — and act on that information.

Sign up to Arkham: https://auth.arkm.com/register?ref=blockworks

Eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Users residing in certain jurisdictions will be excluded from onboarding.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing said on Forward Guidance is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

A war few expected to last this long is exposing how fragile global systems really are, raising a deeper question about whether we're witnessing a temporary disruption or the end of a the U.S. unipolar era.

Geopolitical analyst Jacob Shapiro joins us to break down the Iran conflict, the Strait of Hormuz, and how shifting power dynamics are reshaping global markets and strategy.

We unpack shipping flows, supply chain fractures, energy chokepoints, multipolarity, and why markets may be underestimating cascading global disruptions. Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro

02:42 Iran War Framework

07:23 What Actually Matters

11:46 Counting Ships, Not Headlines

15:59 Beyond Hormuz

20:20 Hidden Supply Chain Risks

25:20 Ads (Arkham, Blockworks IR)

27:11 How Long Until Damage?

32:01 Negotiations or Theater?

35:55 Why Markets Still Shrug

40:18 China’s Quiet Advantage

47:56 The Bull Case Remains

FOLLOW GUEST

› X/Twitter – https://x.com/JacobShap

› Website – https://jacobshapiro.com/

FOLLOW THE SHOW

› Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance

›. Felix– https://x.com/fejau_inc

› Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx

› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks

SPONSORS

› ARKHAM

Arkham is a crypto exchange and blockchain analytics platform that lets traders see inside the wallets of top traders, funds, and influential players in crypto — and act on that information.

Sign up: https://auth.arkm.com/register?ref=blockworks

Eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Users residing in certain jurisdictions may be excluded from onboarding.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing said on Forward Guidance. isa recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.