Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On episode 256 of The Compound and Friends, Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are joined by Michael Santoli to discuss: the surprising strength of the stock market, what’s keeping the bull market alive, interest rates and the growing U.S. debt load, why corporate earnings remain so powerful, and whether today’s valuations can keep climbing. They also get into AI spending and the return on massive tech capex, market breadth and rotation, the rise of retail investors, options-income ETFs, why bears keep moving the goalposts, and what decades of market history can teach investors about adapting when the old rules stop working.
This episode is sponsored by DBMF.
To learn more about the world’s largest managed futures ETF visit dbmf.com/TCF
▶00:00 - Cold Open
▶12:11 - Meet Michael Santoli
▶13:53 - How Josh Brown Learned the Stock Market
▶21:12 - Nobody Really Knows What Comes Next
▶23:04 - The Mystery Broker Who Called the Market
▶28:56 - Why Are Interest Rates So High?
▶33:01 - The $40 Trillion U.S. Debt Question
▶37:14 - Why the Stock Market Keeps Going Up
▶54:49 - Why Bears Keep Moving the Goalposts
▶01:07:34 - Timeless Lessons From The Money Game
▶01:12:08 - AI Valuations: “Am I Dumb or Are They Dumb?”
▶01:18:04 - Michael Santoli on Closing Bell: Overtime
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🎙️Listen to our podcasts:
TCAF: podcasts.thecompoundnews.com/show/TCAF
Animal Spirits: podcasts.thecompoundnews.com/show/animalspirits
Ask The Compound: podcasts.thecompoundnews.com/show/ATC
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Investing involves the risk of loss. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be or regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions. Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are employees of Ritholtz Wealth Management and may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this video. All opinions expressed by them are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Ritholtz Wealth Management. See our disclosures here:
ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures
The Compound Media, Incorporated, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers.
#thecompound #investing #stockmarket #stocks
On episode 256 of The Compound and Friends, Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are joined by Michael Santoli to discuss: the surprising strength of the stock market, what’s keeping the bull market alive, interest rates and the growing U.S. debt load, why corporate earnings remain so powerful, and whether today’s valuations can keep climbing. They also get into AI spending and the return on massive tech capex, market breadth and rotation, the rise of retail investors, options-income ETFs, why bears keep moving the goalposts, and what decades of market history can teach investors about adapting when the old rules stop working.
This episode is sponsored by DBMF.
To learn more about the world’s largest managed futures ETF visit dbmf.com/TCF
▶00:00 - Cold Open
▶12:11 - Meet Michael Santoli
▶13:53 - How Josh Brown Learned the Stock Market
▶21:12 - Nobody Really Knows What Comes Next
▶23:04 - The Mystery Broker Who Called the Market
▶28:56 - Why Are Interest Rates So High?
▶33:01 - The $40 Trillion U.S. Debt Question
▶37:14 - Why the Stock Market Keeps Going Up
▶54:49 - Why Bears Keep Moving the Goalposts
▶01:07:34 - Timeless Lessons From The Money Game
▶01:12:08 - AI Valuations: “Am I Dumb or Are They Dumb?”
▶01:18:04 - Michael Santoli on Closing Bell: Overtime
👕 Check out The Compound shop: idontshop.com
🎙️Listen to our podcasts:
TCAF: podcasts.thecompoundnews.com/show/TCAF
Animal Spirits: podcasts.thecompoundnews.com/show/animalspirits
Ask The Compound: podcasts.thecompoundnews.com/show/ATC
The Compound Newsletter: thecompoundnews.com/subscribe
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/the-compound-media
Instagram: instagram.com/thecompoundnews
Twitter: twitter.com/thecompoundnews
Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@thecompoundnews
Investing involves the risk of loss. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be or regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions. Josh Brown and Michael Batnick are employees of Ritholtz Wealth Management and may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this video. All opinions expressed by them are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Ritholtz Wealth Management. See our disclosures here:
ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures
The Compound Media, Incorporated, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers.
#thecompound #investing #stockmarket #stocks
