Explore every episode of the podcast Trillions

What's a new way to invest in artificial intelligence? And what's the latest tax strategy for wealthy investors? There's no shortage of exchange-traded funds, but some of the latest launches reveal important trends — and also what fathers can learn from their sons.

In this week's New ETFs to Watch episode, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber — joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee — sift through the latest launches. They highlight the Investment House ETF (TIH) and the growing use of ETFs to defer taxes, how the Yorkville America MANGOS Plus Index ETF (FRUT) is betting on the next generation of AI winners, and whether investors really want a hedged version of Bitcoin (HBIT). They also explore Eric's negative aura.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Vanguard is synonymous with low-cost index investing. But as the firm marks 50 years since the launch of the first index fund, something surprising has happened: After decades of relentless gains, Vanguard’s share of the fund industry has plateaued. For most companies, that would be bad news. Yet Jack Bogle might have seen it differently. More than 30 years ago, Vanguard’s founder said he’d know his mission was succeeding when competitors became so cheap that Vanguard itself began losing market share.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber — joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee — revisit Bogle’s legacy. They trace the unlikely rise of the index fund, why it took decades to catch on and how Vanguard’s low-cost model eventually forced the rest of Wall Street to change. They also explore what Vanguard’s plateau means now that the Bogle Effect has become so much bigger than Vanguard itself. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil has been one of the wildest trades of the year, surging and retreating as US tensions with Iran — and US President Donald Trump's endless hopes for a deal — have repeatedly whipsawed markets. For traders, the go-to exchange-traded fund for playing those moves has long been the United States Oil Fund (USO). But another, lesser-known fund has been gaining momentum. The USCF Energy Commodity Strategy Absolute Return Fund (USE) can go long or short across a range of energy commodities, offering investors a more dynamic way to play the oil market.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Bloomberg Intelligence's Andre Yapp to explain why USE is the ETF of the moment. They explore how its active strategy differs from USO, what “absolute return” actually means, and why trading oil through futures comes with risks most investors rarely encounter. They also dig into one potentially attractive feature of USE: Unlike USO, it won't leave investors dealing with the dreaded K-1 tax form.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ETF industry has packaged everything from stocks and bonds to Bitcoin and leveraged bets on individual companies. So why not your favorite sports team? New filings from Volatility Shares would create ETFs tied to the performance of each NHL franchise. And those filings are just the latest sign that the worlds of ETFs and sports betting may start to converge.

On this episode of Trillions, Joel Weber is joined by Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst Athanasios Psarofagis to examine the growing lineup of sports-themed ETF filings. They break down how the proposed NHL funds would work, review the filings for prediction market ETFs, discuss another filing for an actively managed fund that would essentially make sports bets on investors' behalf, and explore why ETFs face significant competition from existing sports offerings. None of these products has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, but if history is any guide, it may be too early to bet against them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ETF industry had a record year in 2025. Somehow, 2026 is shaping up to be even bigger. More than $1 trillion has already poured into ETFs, launches continue at a breakneck pace and trading volume is on track for another record — putting the industry within reach of an unprecedented back-to-back “Triple Crown.” But the boom isn't just about more money and more funds. Some of the most interesting action is happening in places that looked settled not long ago.

On this episode of Trillions, Joel Weber is joined by Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst Athanasios Psarofagis to spotlight five themes defining the ETF market right now. They examine the industry's record-setting run, a bull market that's gone global, Goldman's sudden appetite for ETF acquisitions, and new battles over the marquee S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indexes. Plus, they look at one of the year's more surprising comeback stories.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ETFs are already famous for their tax efficiency, but a growing corner of the market is pushing those benefits further than ever. What if you could sell a massive stock position without paying taxes on it - at least not yet?  Welcome the 351 conversions - custom built funds that allow investors to swap concentrated stock positions into diversified portfolios without paying gains taxes. 

On this episode of Trillions, Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas dig into the growing world of 351 conversion ETFs and how it actually works. Bloomberg News reporters Denitsa Tsekova and Zachary Mider, two of the journalists behind the story "The Latest Tax Dodge For the Ultra-Rich Is a Customized ETF,” join the conversation. Is this a smart tax alpha strategy or a cheat code in the tax  system? Where will the IRS draw the line? They break down how the 351 conversion actually works, why the Treasury officials are taking closer look and how billionaires like the family behind the Hot Pockets are using them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ETF market is on pace for a record  year - not just in the number of launches but also for the range of issuers entering the market. With competition intensifying, there’s no shortage of noteworthy funds to keep an eye on.

In this week’s ETFs to Watch episode, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Bloomberg news cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee to break down the standout launches at the moment. They break down iShares’ and State Street’s long-awaited challenge to Invesco’s Nasdaq-100 dominance and the winner of the US-listed 2x leveraged SK Hynix ETFs smackdown. They also discuss the first actively managed multi-token ETF from T Rowe Price and whether Y’all Street Physical Gold ETF’s pitch for investors to store their gold in American soil is actually a good idea.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The confluence of single-stock ETFs and leverage has reached a fever pitch this year. Products tied to companies like SpaceX, Micron and SK Hynix are proliferating, attracting billions of dollars from traders — and raising concerns they're beginning to influence the very stocks they're meant to track. In some markets — we're looking at you, South Korea — regulators have even stepped in to pause new launches.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James Seyffart and Baird Strategas ETF strategist Todd Sohn about what's fueling the boom, how these products actually work, and whether fears that they're becoming a threat to markets are justified — or overblown. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tokenization has been a Wall Street buzzword, only now it's becoming real. Beginning this summer, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation — a little-known utility at the center of the US financial system that processed securities quadrillion in transactions — will begin creating blockchain-based "digital twins" of stocks, bonds and ETFs. The goal isn't to replace traditional investments, but to make them more portable, programmable and useful in ways that haven't been possible before.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by DTCC's global head of digital assets, Nadine Chakar, along with Bloomberg News reporter Isabelle Lee, to unpack what tokenization actually means. They explore how ETFs could evolve in a tokenized world, why investors might eventually want a digital wallet alongside a brokerage account, and whether blockchain technology represents the biggest challenge — or the biggest opportunity — the ETF industry has faced since its inception.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Trump Accounts are designed to give millions of American children a head start in the stock market. Besides the kids who are eligible for $1,000 in free money, there's another surprise winner: the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM). Thanks to its rock-bottom 0.02% fee, the fund has become the default investment for the new accounts — a designation that could funnel tens of billions of dollars its way and even reshape the competitive landscape for S&P 500 funds.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber explain why SPYM is the ETF of the Moment. They unpack how Trump Accounts work and how they could reshape stock ownership in the US. Then they explore SPYM's surprising backstory, its rivalry with its older sibling, State Street's legendary SPY, and why the policy could, in Balchunas's view, ultimately make the US stock market "too big to fail."

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ETF wrapper has become investing's Swiss Army knife, packaging everything from stocks and bonds to gold and Bitcoin — and now, perhaps, even prediction markets. As issuers race to push the boundaries of what's possible, regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission are rewriting their playbook in real time.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber sit down with Brian Daly, Director of the SEC's Division of Investment Management, to discuss the explosion of "novel" ETFs, why the agency hit pause on prediction-market funds, and what it's learned from its handling of crypto ETFs. Daly offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how ETF filings are reviewed, explains why the SEC wants a more predictable process for evaluating new products, and discusses how regulators are balancing innovation with investor protection. Bloomberg News SEC and CFTC reporter Lydia Beyoud joins the conversation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SpaceX's record IPO quickly turned into a feeding frenzy in the ETF industry. Within days, about a dozen leveraged funds tied to the company — many of them almost identical — launched at the same time, setting off a battle for assets, attention and trading volume. The frenzy is reminiscent of the rush to launch spot Bitcoin ETFs. And obviously there are many other noteworthy new ETF launches.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber — joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee — dig into some new ETFs to watch. They discuss which leveraged SpaceX fund may emerge as the winner (SPCU), how to bet against AI (AIQD), Vanguard's long-awaited entry into high-yield bonds (VCHY), another addition to Corgi's rapidly expanding lineup (CBIL), and a Bitcoin fund (BTCK) that may have arrived a little late to the party. 

(Removes incorrect reference to AIQD in podcast published June 25, 2026.)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the asset management industry, there are two undisputed heavyweights: BlackRock and Vanguard. They rival each other in almost every category, but this month Vanguard overtook BlackRock as the largest US ETF issuer — a title BlackRock had held for two decades. Despite their dominance, the two firms have very different reputations, cultures and approaches.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Manuela Sperandeo, co-head of European iShares at BlackRock, and Jonathan Cleborne, managing director for Vanguard Europe. They discuss the rise of ETFs in Europe, passive investing in a market increasingly dominated by a handful of giant companies, and what it's like to compete with one another. This episode was recorded live at the ETFs in Depth Conference at Bloomberg's London headquarters.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, investors got hammered by the "SaaSpocalypse." The rise of AI sparked fears that software companies would need fewer workers, sell fewer licenses and spend heavily on technology with uncertain payoffs. Yet just a few months later, one little-known ETF — with only $2.5 million in assets — is quietly suggesting that software's death may have been slightly exaggerated.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence ETF associate Andrey Yapp about another ETF that's having a moment: Themes Cloud Computing ETF (ticker CLOD). They discuss what makes the ETF's holdings interesting, how recent earnings challenged the AI-doom narrative, and how such a tiny fund emerged as one worth watching.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SpaceX is finally going public — and at a valuation that's likely to make it one of the world's biggest companies the moment it hits the market. So what happens when a company worth as much as $2 trillion suddenly needs to be folded into indexes, ETFs, and portfolios built for a different era?

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Bloomberg Intelligence analysts James Seyffart and Sharoon Francis to unpack the dawn of the mega-cap IPO. They explore how index providers are rewriting decades-old rules to accommodate SpaceX, why passive funds could become some of its biggest buyers, which ETFs and mutual funds already have exposure to the company, and what it all means as other private giants — including OpenAI and Anthropic — prepare to enter the public markets.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ETF universe keeps getting bigger - and weirder. This year is already on pace to shatter records for launches and inflows; it's also producing some of the most niche, speculative and oddly specific funds the industry has ever seen. From leveraged bets on obscure semiconductor firms to thematic products targeting everything from lithography to nicotine, the race to capture investor attention is officially in overdrive.

In this "ETFs to Watch" episode, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Isabelle Lee, a cross-asset reporter with Bloomberg News, to break down a few new launches fighting for investor attention. They discuss Defiance's POET ETF (ticker POEL); Corgi's lithography and photonics fund (ticker EUV); Hexis's nicotine-focused ETF (ticker NICO); and Roundhill's "real world assets" HALO strategy (ticker LOHA). Along the way they make some detours to discuss leveraged IPO mania, Reddit skeptics, and, well, corgis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you invested at literally the worst possible moments in market history? According to Ben Carlson, the co-host of the Animal Spirits podcast and an advisor at Ritholtz Wealth Management, even the world's worst market timer could still become a millionaire. Carlson's new book, Risk & Reward, explores why long-term investing remains so psychologically difficult.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Carlson about his new book, which implores you to stop panicking and just stay the course. They discuss the genius of boring index funds, "fun accounts" as a behavioral release valve, whether buffer ETFs are financial Xanax and how the ETF wrapper may help turn tax efficiency into the new alpha. They also drill into Carlson's other big launch: Goaltender (GTND), a new ETF from Ritholtz, and go over why wealth managers are becoming ETF issuers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A long-dormant trade is suddenly showing signs of life. Prices are climbing. Volumes are spiking. And in a corner of the market that’s spent years in the doldrums, one ETF is catching a fresh buzz — thanks in part to the US Justice Department’s move in April to reclassify medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber debut a new monthly segment spotlighting an ETF that’s having a moment. This time, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Andre Yapp joins to break down the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS). The only cannabis-focused ETF with more than $1 billion in assets, it uses swaps to access marijuana companies just as shifting tax rules begin to ease the industry’s burden. The setup looks promising—but is this a real turning point, or just another short-lived high?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markets hate uncertainty — unless, it turns out, they don’t. Under US President Donald Trump, investors have endured tariff scares, geopolitical flare-ups and a steady drumbeat of headline-driven panic. Yet stocks keep climbing; April, in particular, was a blockbuster. Maybe the best way to understand this market is to stop trying to make sense of it.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence’s Athanasios Psarofagis about what ETF data actually says about investing during a Trump presidency. His grab bag of stats — March is cursed, Thursdays are rough and some of the biggest gains happen while you sleep — paints a picture of a market behaving very differently under pressure. Together, they unpack why it feels more volatile than ever and explore why the investors who come out ahead are often the ones who do the least.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every day, a handful of new exchange-traded funds come to market. Some rocket to instant glory. Others take their time, building assets month after month, year after year. And more than a few quietly disappear into oblivion.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber debut a new monthly segment that sifts through the flood of launches to pick out three ETFs worth watching. Whether the funds are potential hits, future mainstays or squarely in the “good luck with that” camp, the goal is to figure out what distinguishes them — and how they might help (or hurt) investors. Isabelle Lee, a cross-asset reporter for Bloomberg News, joins to discuss a late Bitcoin arrival, a rare launch and an expensive swing at value investing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a while, the artificial intelligence trade was almost comically simple: just buy Nvidia. But as the buildout of massive data centers accelerates, and the AI models running on them get more complex, some long-overlooked parts of the semiconductor world are suddenly back in view. One of the most important: memory. Dominated by a small group of global giants—SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron among them—it’s a corner of the market that’s been hard for investors to access in a targeted way. Until now.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence semiconductor analyst Jake Silverman to unpack the explosive debut of the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), which pulled in $1 billion in just 10 days. They break down why this fund could become one of the most successful thematic exchange-traded funds ever, what actually makes memory different from other chips, and why—despite its critical role in AI—it still trades a lot like a commodity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just when it feels like ETFs have done it all, along comes some filings that push the frontier. A trio of issuers wants to launch funds tied to prediction markets -- letting investors wager, from their brokerage accounts, on outcomes like which political party will control the White House or Congress. But how would these ETFs actually work? What else might get packaged this way? And will regulators ever sign off?

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber interview Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise and one of the filers, about why prediction market ETFs might make sense, how they’d work, and whether this is the start of a much bigger wave of event-based ETF investing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With each passing year, ETFs pull in trillions of dollars while mutual funds steadily bleed assets. And yet, mutual funds still hold more money overall. Now, a long-standing wall between the two may finally be coming down. Dimensional Fund Advisors has launched the first-ever ETF share class of an existing mutual fund, a structure made possible by the expiration of Vanguard’s once-protective patent.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Joel Schneider, Dimensional’s deputy head of portfolio management for North America, and Katie Greifeld of Bloomberg News. They discuss why Dimensional volunteered to be the guinea pig, why it chose its 45-year-old US Micro Cap Portfolio (ticker: DFMC), and whether this hybrid structure could reshape how trillions of dollars are invested.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the US and Israel's attack of Iran has reminded the world, oil remains as integral as ever to the global economy. But the ETFs for investing in crude come with some caveats—and are a big reason why Bloomberg Intelligence introduced its traffic-light system.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence's James Seyffart, an ETF analyst, and Vincent Piazza, a senior energy analyst. They discuss Piazza's "delay, disruption and destruction" outlook; how the United States Oil Fund (USO) came back from the dead; and what to know about other noteworthy energy ETFs such as XLE, CRAK and even BWET.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (FRDM) is having a moment. Launched seven years ago as a way to filter out autocratic emerging market countries and invest more in ones that have more freedom, it took a while to get going but it hasn't recently caught fire with a five year return of over 100%, which is 5x better than the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and even more than the Nasdaq 100.

On this episode of Trillions Joel and Eric speak with Perth Tolle, founder at Life + Liberty Indexes and the creator of FRDM, about the ETF's methodology, her experience growing up in China, how her life has changed with all the recent success and comparing and contrasting the US' freedom score with other developed countries.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gold and silver exchange-traded funds just experienced eye-popping trading volumes, with sharp price swings that drew in speculators chasing the momentum. The frenzy has cooled a bit, but the underlying forces haven’t disappeared. So what’s really behind the surge in precious metals—and is this just a tactical trade, or something more durable?

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with John Ciampaglia, chief executive of Sprott Asset Management, which manages gold, silver and uranium ETFs among other metals strategies. They discuss the debasement trade, what else is fueling gold’s rally, how gold compares with Bitcoin, what’s driving moves in silver and other metals and how Sprott’s uranium miners ETF generated a 450% return over the past six years.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cathie Wood is best known for exchange-traded funds, especially her flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK). But ARK also runs a less familiar product: the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX), an interval fund that holds stakes in private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic—firms expected to make a splash when they go public, perhaps as soon as this year. The fund has quietly become one of the few active strategies to outperform the Nasdaq 100, yet it still manages only about $500 million in assets and comes with caveats typical of interval funds (namely illiquidity).

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Wood, Brett Winton and Charles Roberts—the fund’s three portfolio managers—about how they decide which private companies to invest in, how they value assets that don’t trade publicly and whether some of these holdings could eventually find their way into ARK’s ETFs. They also discuss the structural challenges of gaining private-market exposure through ETFs and how issuers and investors are navigating those limits.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Venezuela bonds were up 100% even before the US ousted President Nicolás Maduro. Then they went up another 30%. And one actively-managed exchange-traded fund was positioned perfectly after buying the bonds in 2025.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Jim Craige, portfolio manager of the Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF ($VEMY), and Damian Sassower, who oversees emerging markets fixed income for Bloomberg Intelligence. They discuss why Venezuela bonds are surging, how Stone Harbor gained exposure, Craig's overall investing strategy, and how a restructuring might work. They also take a brief tour of VEMY’s other holdings, including countries such as Lebanon and Ecuador that have also seen increased returns.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To kick off the new year, Bloomberg Intelligence has its annual list of ETFs for your stocking-shaped portfolio. While these aren't buy or sell market predictions, the funds are worthy of your watchlist as they may help investors tap into or navigate important themes. And you never know, a few of them could even have a breakout moment you'll find yourself humble-bragging about.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Athanasios Psarofagis and James Seyffart, who helped write the team's annual report. The episode features 16 ETFs, including the tickers BINC, XOVR, MSOS, BUFB, UFOD, OTGL, VXUS, SBIL, RSST, SPYM, BOXX, GRFT, ITB, PXUI, PCLN and LRND.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Competing in the marketplace for exchange-traded funds — aka "The Terrordome" — is not for the faint of heart. It's like fighting a multi-front war where issuers have to market existing funds; engage in fee wars with the likes of Vanguard and BlackRock; and innovate in a rapidly changing industry, which now includes more than 300 firms. Only the strong thrive.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Brian Hartigan, the global head of ETFs and index investments at Invesco. The fourth-biggest ETF issuer in the US, Invesco has about $800 billion in assets under management and saw inflows of $67 billion in 2025. They discuss how the company competes against the industry's "Big Three," the secret behind QQQ's dramatic success and the surprising staying power of smart-beta ETFs. They also explore whether there are simply too many ETFs and how retail investors should assess volatile assets, like Bitcoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025 is arguably the single best year in ETF history as the industry has broken all-time records in the three primary categories: flows, launches and volume. What is behind these numbers and how long can these good times last?

On this episode of Trillions, Joel and Eric look at the year that was with Katie Greifeld, reporter and anchor at Bloomberg News and Todd Sohn, senior ETF technical strategist at Strategas Securities. The conversation also includes the boon in leveraged ETFs, option-based funds, industry consolidation and whether small caps or low volatility can ever mount a comeback.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So far this year, some 920 exchange-traded funds have launched in the US alone—a new record. Some are already juggernauts. Others are more about capturing vibes than assets. And then there are some intriguing sleepers that remain under the radar. So, which is the best new addition to the overall investing landscape?

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber welcome colleagues from Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Intelligence — Isabelle Lee, Denitsa Tsekova, Andre Yapp, Vildana Hajric, James Seyffart and Athanasios Psarofagis — to make their cases for the best new ETF of 2025. Executive Editor David Papadopolous returns to Trillions as a highly subjective judge with questionable methodology. Tickers mentioned in this episode include $MEME, $CAIE, $HUMN, $TEXN, $XDIV, $BSOL, $VBIL and $GXLC.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may not know the term autocallable, but you will. There’s a new type of high income ETF that tracks autocallable notes that yield 14% a year and is having instant success with flows coming in every single week since it launched in June. It’s all part of the boom in ETFs using derivatives (instead of stocks or bonds) to generate income streams. 

On this episode of Trillions Joel and Eric speak with Matt Kaufman, head of ETFs at Calamos Investments, about how autocallables work and the risks and rewards of investing in ETFs that track them. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The election of Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s first woman prime minister is putting a new spotlight on the country. Markets expect the “Iron Lady,” as she’s known, to continue some of the policies of Shinzo Abe, under whom the yen weakened while equities rocketed.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Jeremy Schwartz, chief investment officer at WisdomTree. They discuss the stellar performance of his flagship Japan Hedge Equity Fund, how Warren Buffett capitalized on Japan’s opportunities, why the country’s high debt-to-GDP ratio matters, what investors can expect from the new prime minister—and more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With so many assets at or near all-time highs, a rational investor might wonder how long can the good times last? And is now the time to consider an insurance policy for the inevitable pullback? And also, what sort of downside protection should you use, if any?

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg reporters Bernard Goyder and Suzanne Woolley about the spectrum of hedging strategies, many of which now involve exchange-traded funds. At one end are advanced approaches that involve the volatility index, or VIX, which can have big payoffs while also being as dangerous as juggling chainsaws. They also discuss more vanilla options such as Treasuries and gold, as well as buffer ETFs—aka “boomer candy.” 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The “American dream” has always been about money: financial progression and building wealth. But for many the concept is slipping further and further away as the country’s yawning wealth gap widens. So the question is: can you still climb the proverbial wealth ladder, or is the dream dead? And if there is still room to rise, how important is salary versus investments? How can exchange-traded funds help?

On this episode, Joe and Eric speak with Nick Maggiulli, author of the new book, The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life, and chief operating officer and data scientist at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Topics discussed include how the ladder breaks, pros and cons of different strategies for climbing it and how intertwined happiness and wealth are.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young people are looking for an easier way to accumulate wealth than working a 9-5 job for 40 years. This reluctance to follow the path of their elders has grown the appeal—and assets—of income-generating exchange-traded funds, which can generate anywhere between 2% and 200% yields, sometimes using complex derivatives.

This universe of ETFs has exploded in popularity, with the assets ballooning to $750 billion. And while regular payouts may sound alluring, investors might be prioritizing short-term action over long-term gains.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Vildana Hajric, a cross-asset reporter with Bloomberg News, about how these income ETFs work, why they appeal to young investors and what to know about their risks.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 A relentless barrage of headlines in recent weeks have all centered on exchange-traded funds. For the first time, there are now more ETFs than stocks (4,300 versus 4,200). Also of note, ETFs have also become prized listings for exchanges—perhaps even more than IPOs—because they trade so much.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Dave Nadig, president and director of research at ETF.com, and Athanasios Psarofagis, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. They discuss those stories as well those on passive ownership's increasing complexity; a different way to think about the Magnificent Seven; Vanguard's push into active management; Wall Street not seeing a need for tokenization; and the irony of European ESG equity funds having exposure to the nuclear arms industry.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s a mind-blowing stat: the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) is the fastest exchange-traded fund in history to hit the $10 billion mark outside of the Bitcoin ETFs. After a slow start, its price has doubled over the past three months, sparking massive inflows just as it hit its first birthday.

On this episode or Trillions, Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas look at why Ether is rallying, how big it could get and how investors should view it relative to Bitcoin in a portfolio. They are joined by Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise and Isabelle Lee of Bloomberg News.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ETF "Thunderdome" is an unforgiving and relentless environment. Which makes the exchange-traded funds from JPMorgan Asset Management so noteworthy. Led by its Chief Executive Officer George Gatch, the firm has carved out a unique niche — active ETFs — and then used its institutional muscle to move up the leaderboard while driving down costs. In an era where 75% of all active funds are seeing outflows, JPMorgan has found a way to thrive; in fact, it’s now the fourth biggest active fund company in the US. 

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Gatch about JPMorgan's secret sauce, his strategy in the active category, how his biggest products became such hits, why fixed income remains a promising space, what to watch in private markets and why he's avoiding crypto.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joel, Eric and Athanasios Psarofagis crack open the mailbag to answer some listener questions about ETFs.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You just might be able to experience the financial future today. A recent trend in investing has exchange-traded fund issuers creating funds focused on futuristic themes like humanoid robots, alien technology and quantum computing. The hope is to attract investors looking for the next big idea. But needless to say, not all of them will pan out—remember Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse?

On this episode of Trillions, Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas look at the recent flurry of futuristic theme ETFs, their prospects for success and how to do due diligence on them. They are joined by Bloomberg cross asset reporter Vildana Hajric.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the hottest themes of 2025 is defense companies as potential US isolationism has other countries scrambling to beef up their military. And within that it is European stocks that have really led the charge. This theme went from rags to riches overnight practically but it's been largely a winner take all category.

On this episode of Trillions Joel and Eric speak with Bloomberg Intelligence's Senior ETF Analyst for Europe, Henry Jim about the wild frenzy to launch European defense ETFs around the world to catch this massive wave of returns.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The narrative all year was "sell America" yet the stock market is positive on the year and flirting with all time highs after coming back from a brutal Q1. Like COVID this is a rally few predicted although this time the market didn't have the Fed's help. What happened? Why was everyone was so wrong?

On this episode of Trillions, Joel and Eric talk about the wide gap between narrative and price and why US investors are simply not giving up on US stocks. They are joined by Athanasios Psarofagis of Bloomberg Intelligence and Isabelle Lee of Bloomberg News.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In investing, there are many “rules.” And the rules are intended to help you, dear investor, make money. But if you’ve been around money — and especially if you’ve been around a lot of money … managing other people’s money, say — you know that people make a lot of mistakes, too.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Barry Ritholtz, the co-founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management and host of the Bloomberg podcast Masters in Business, about his new book, How Not to Invest. They discuss several of Ritholtz’s hot takes — all rooted in what not to do with your money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During her time as a commissioner at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Hester Peirce has often been a dissenting voice—especially on all things crypto. Now, as she approaches the official end of her term, her legacy may include an SEC that’s more aligned with the positions she championed.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber—along with stacy-marie ishmael, head of cross-asset and crypto coverage for Bloomberg News—interview Peirce at the SEC’s offices in Washington. Peirce discusses her search for “crypto clarity,” why “merit” doesn’t matter and how the SEC will evaluate the 80-plus crypto-themed exchange-traded fund filings—including ones involving Trump. She also discusses the “terribly mismanaged” process for Bitcoin ETFs and other hot topics including private assets and share classes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s that time of the year. Exchange, the big exchange-traded fund conference, was held in Las Vegas this year and brought together many in the ETF industry to talk shop and network. This year's big theme was ETF share class and the selloff in stocks, but no stones were left unturned under the scorching Nevada sun.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber go over Balchunas’s “man on the street” interviews with several of the attendees at Exchange, including representatives from VettaFi, Franklin Templeton, Natixis, FactSet, CF Benchmarks and ETF Guide.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day,” stock markets around the world plunged. Yet just 13 hours after Trump’s tariffs took effect, the president paused them for 90 days — for countries not named China, that is.

Markets soared in response to Trump’s backpedaling. The S&P 500 Index climbed almost 10% while the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped by the most since 2001. The Trump put, or the belief that the president uses the stock market as his scoreboard, appears to be alive and well after all.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber discuss what just happened, how ETFs fared and where cracks appeared. They also assess flows, volume and what to watch next.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is not your grandfather’s exchange-traded fund industry. What started as boring, predictable and passive has morphed into strategies and packaged trades being packed into new ETFs. These include leverage, options overlays and private assets. Given all of this upheaval, some from the old school are worried investors aren’t receiving the exposure and protection from issuers they think they are.

On this episode of Trillions, Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas talk to ETF veteran and author Dave Nadig about his buzzworthy blog post in which he borrows language from the hacker world, describing ETFs as “black hat” versus “white hat.” To figure out what these developments mean for the industry, they are joined by cross-asset reporter Vildana Hajric.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First Trust, the sixth-largest issuer of US exchange-traded funds, has managed to stay mostly under the radar in the investing world — and yet it's also perfected a lucrative, Vanguard-proof business model. The company's products are directed more at financial advisors than the retail world, and their funds, most of which are actively managed, have higher fees than typical index-tracking ETFs. Enter the First Trust sales force, which wields steak dinners, personal coaching, sports tickets and Hermès scarves to win business — practices that have attracted the attention of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg News reporters Emily Graffeo and Max Abelson about their recent First Trust story, “An All-American Finance Empire Drew Billions—and a Regulator’s Attention,” for Bloomberg Businessweek. They discuss CEO Jim Bowen's approach, how the company has distinguished itself from competitors, and why Finra is investigating the company's sales tactics.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.