Explore every episode of the podcast Two Blokes Trading

In this episode of the Two Blokes Trading Podcast, we’re joined by renowned trader and educator Jason Graystone founder of Tier One Trading and Greystone Education. Jason shares the raw, unfiltered truth about what it really takes to become a successful trader, from losing 40k to financial freedom.

If you’re tired of fake trading gurus selling dreams and want to hear what it actually looks like to build consistent profits through technical analysis, risk management, and mental discipline, this episode is for you.

Jason's journey from blowing £40,000 in his first few years of trading to achieving financial independence is nothing short of inspiring and more importantly, it’s real. No Lambos. No Rolex flex. Just process, patience, and relentless learning.

In this episode, Jason takes us deep into his trading journey from his early mistakes and emotional battles to the exact turning point that shifted everything. He explains how he built a methodical, business-minded approach to Forex trading, why he eventually quit day trading after his most profitable day ever, and how he now uses swing trading strategies to maintain consistent income while barely trading more than a few times a week.

We explore why trading psychology is more important than any technical setup, the dangers of early wins built on luck, and why backtesting your trading strategy is essential before ever risking real capital. Jason also shares his thoughts on the rise of AI in trading, why algorithmic systems still fall short, and how real edge in the markets comes from mental resilience and experience.

You’ll also learn about Jason’s two-stage model of financial freedom a practical framework for achieving financial independence through investing, asset building, and passive income and why most people are getting it wrong by following outdated financial advice.

What does Trump’s plan mean for the stock markets? With new tariffs, economic uncertainty, and shifting global capital flows, traders and investors are on high alert. In this episode of the Two Blokes Trading Podcast, we sit down with Aidan O’Donnell to analyze how Trump’s policies are affecting stocks, commodities, and currencies—and what opportunities might emerge from the chaos.

With Trump’s trade war 2.0 back in focus, the markets are responding with increased volatility. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have seen sharp pullbacks, while gold and silver have surged to new highs. Meanwhile, the dollar is weakening, and European and Chinese markets are showing unexpected resilience. But what does Trump’s plan mean for the stock markets long-term? Will we see a continued correction, or is this a buy-the-dip opportunity?

🔎 Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

📌 What Does Trump’s Plan Mean for the Stock Markets? – We break down the impact of 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and the broader implications of Trump’s economic strategy on the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and global equities.

📌 Stock Market Volatility & Risk Management – The markets are reacting to economic uncertainty. Is this the start of a bear market, or just another short-term correction?

📌 The Dollar’s Decline – The USD has been on a two-week downtrend. What’s causing it, and how does this impact global trade, inflation, and interest rates?

📌 China & Europe Gaining Strength? – While the U.S. stock market struggles, European and Chinese equities are seeing positive momentum. Is this a sign of global capital rotation away from the U.S.?

📌 Gold & Silver at Record Highs – Safe-haven assets are soaring, while oil prices remain under pressure. Is this a sign of recession fears, or just a shift in market sentiment?

📌 Metaglasses & The Future of Trading – Will AI-powered trading tools like Metaglasses change how traders analyze and act on market data? Aidan shares his insights on the future of finance and technology.

🔮 What’s Next for Traders & Investors?

With 2025 shaping up to be a critical year for financial markets, understanding what Trump’s plan means for the stock markets is essential for traders looking to stay ahead. Whether you're investing in stocks, trading forex, or analyzing commodities, this episode gives you a clear roadmap for navigating the turbulence.

📢 Like, Subscribe & Follow Two Blokes Trading for More Market Insights

#StockMarket #TrumpNews #MarketVolatility #TradingPodcast #DollarWeakness #TrumpTariffs #DayTrading #ForexTrading #Commodities #Investing #TwoBlokesTrading

In this episode, we’re joined by John White, co-founder of Positive Equity, to unpack what it truly takes to succeed in the high-stakes world of prop trading. Whether you're a beginner exploring how to get into trading or an experienced retail trader looking to take your skills to the next level, this episode is packed with invaluable insights from someone who's been through every stage of the trading journey.

John shares his incredible story of getting his start at Geneva Trading in Dublin straight out of college, with no prior trading experience. What drew him in was the promise of a career where your income matches your effort. Over time, John discovered that success in trading doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it takes years of dedication, learning, and adaptation. He explains that it took him at least two years before he felt confident in the markets and even longer before he saw meaningful financial rewards. This is a crucial reminder that prop trading is not a get-rich-quick scheme—it's a profession that demands grit, patience, and constant improvement.

One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation is John's breakdown of the trading edge—how traders develop a strategy that works and why that edge can disappear as market conditions change or more people discover the same opportunity. With market volatility, evolving macro trends, and ever-smarter competition, maintaining a profitable strategy requires constant evolution. As John puts it, the market is always moving, and so must you.

We also dive into what separates a successful prop trader from someone who eventually drops out. The key traits Positive Equity looks for are strong numeracy skills, competitiveness, and, above all, grit. Trading is full of setbacks. It's easy to enter the markets thinking it's as simple as buying and selling on your phone, but real success requires years of learning, managing your risk, and staying in the game long enough to learn the necessary lessons. As John explains, no one joins the trading floor as an instant success story, and no one wins without putting in the work.

For those wondering about the difference between prop trading vs retail trading, John provides some powerful insights. While retail traders often juggle trading with full-time jobs and limited screen time, prop traders have the advantage of being immersed in the markets all day, working within teams, and using advanced tools and risk management systems. This environment provides professional traders with better cost structures, higher-quality research, and the ability to patiently wait for high-probability setups. Retail traders often feel pressure to act within the small windows of time they have, which can lead to suboptimal decision-making.

John also shares valuable advice for aspiring traders looking to break into proprietary trading. His top tips? Start reading. Books like Market Wizards and Alpha Trader provide raw, honest insights into the real lives of professional traders, including their biggest mistakes and how they overcame them. He also recommends getting hands-on experience with simulator trading, taking it seriously, and building strong accountability, whether through a mentor, a peer, or even tracking your stats daily. Before risking real money, it's vital to spend the time mastering your process, understanding risk management, and learning how to handle losses.

And for those looking for that “hot stock tip”? John keeps it real—Positive Equity's traders aren't focused on long-term stock...

In this engaging podcast episode, seasoned trader Mark Gough recounts his early Bitcoin breakthrough, buying Bitcoin for less than $50 and explores how that pivotal move paved the way for a deep dive into both cryptocurrency and stock market trading.

Mark discusses the speculative nature of the crypto market, highlighting its extreme volatility and the power of technical analysis in navigating rapid market shifts, comparing crypto trading to “the stock market on steroids.” He explains the risks associated with meme coins and the pitfalls of chasing quick wins, while emphasizing the importance of reading charts and leveraging historical data for informed decision-making.

The conversation then shifts to broader market trends, where Mark examines opportunities in US stocks and Chinese investments, particularly in sectors like EVs and technology. He also touches on how global regulatory changes, trade tariffs, and shifts in the energy market are influencing investor behaviour. With a forward-looking perspective, the discussion delves into emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, and quantum computing—highlighting their potential to revolutionize trading strategies and reshape the financial landscape.

We are back for the new season of two blokes trading. In this podcast we discuss the impact of Trump's presidency on the financial markets, highlighting his pro-business stance and the influence of tech leaders like Musk, Zuckerberg, and Bezos.

The conversation also covers the potential market effects of US-China tensions and the rise of crypto, including the Trump coin.

Aiden O'Donnell, a financial analyst, shares his insights on technical analysis, the importance of both fundamental and technical analysis, and the current market trends.

Aidan notes the strong performance of tech stocks, the potential of Meta's glasses, and the resilience of Chinese assets despite political pressures. The discussion also touches on gold's all-time high and broader commodity trends.

This is the last podcast of the year & the Blokes discuss how 2023 has been a great year for traders.

2024 has a lot to live up too after a really strong year, seeing so many opportunities throughout the markets.

Tech Stocks have seen some great gains with the biggest winner in the S&P being Nvidia, seeing a 230% gain. This is a result of the current AI boom! Jonathan believes AMD could be one to watch in 2024, with the release of its newest chip.

Across currencies we saw some good volatility & directional moves. We also had some big moves in Oil & Gold with the former hitting all time highs, briefly!

As we close in on the end of 2023 the volatility is slowly winding down & the blokes suggest everyone to take a break & come back in 2024 refreshed!

We would like to thank all of our loyal listeners & wish you all a very happy holiday.

In this podcast Jonathan & Adam scan the markets, with the current theme being the trend is your friend!

This morning the markets were thin after thanksgiving on Friday, but we did see a slight pickup as the day went on. Markets are currently directional which is great for traders, the DXY remains bearish & stocks are soaring with market sentiment firmly risk on, as we approach the Christmas period.

Jonathan discusses how over the early years of his trading journey he let his bias dictate his decision making, regardless of the trend & even went through a period of counter trend trading. In recent years he has found his success rate increase when he aligns his bias with the trend. This lessens the amount of trading opportunities but has substantially increased the success rate of his trades.

Adam goes on to discuss how he feels there maybe a short term market shift about to happen as he believes the markets are currently overextended & we may see some cooling off, this might be the time to reassess the shorter term direction. However Adam feels that 2024 will be a strong year with Tech & AI growing rapidly. Adam also believes that global economies will recover next year & we may see a strong pick up, however Jonathan disagrees & feels it will take more time to fully recover.

The blokes go on to discuss the impact rising interest rates have had on the markets, plus how the world is adapting to a new way of life in this faced paced environment. 

The blokes move on to scan the markets looking at US Indices which are currently flying, with most of the blue chip companies taking advantage of the Santa rally. Jonathan goes on to give his opinion on Oil & Gold with the latter reaching 6 month highs. The blokes then look at some USD pairs with most markets taking advantage of Dollar weakness.

To conclude the episode, Adam shares his hot tips on the market, which are Disney & ASML, whereas Jonathan feels Nvidia has further to go due to It’s domination of the AI chip market, which is expected to grow by 38% annually for the next decade, almost ensuring continued upside for Nvidia.

You can join the blokes in our community & receive access to our education, market breakdowns, trade ideas, live webinars & much more.

Jonathan and Rory talk though the importance the economic calendar for all traders. A lot of traders believe that certain data doesn’t move the markets enough and that they should ignore it. But using this information to your advantage can give you a trading edge.

The economic Calendar provides real-time updates on economic news and trends, allowing individuals to make more informed investment decisions.

This information gives you a macro outlook, allowing you to a receive an insight into key data such as GDP, Inflation, Unemployment, international relations & political changes.

During the episode, Rory & Jonathan share how they use the data not just for volatility trading but to confirm or deny pre-existing biases we may have. For example, if you think the economy is struggling and the PMI report is growing each time, the market might not move but maybe you should change your bias? It’s about using the data in your favour to add further confirmations which will in turn help your consistency.

The Blokes then discuss the PCE index, which is released next week, what it means and the importance of it to traders. Rory mentions how the PCE is the Fed’s preferred method to gauge inflation along with describing exactly how it’s calculated.

If you really want to improve your trading, then you need to use all the resources at your disposal to build a bias whether that bullish or bearish.

Listen now to find out more!

One of the main talking points over the weekend was the production cuts from OPEC. It’s looking possible that over 1 million barrels per day could be cut from supply as fear enters the market that demand could be drying up.

We have already seen on Monday that price is up nearly 3% towards $78 and speculation is that it will continue towards 80.

DXY continues the move lower today as more negativity creeps in. There seems to be a strong risk on appetite in markets and with implied interest rates moving lower, strength in USD is fading as a break of 103 looks likely.

Other FX crosses seem to be taking advantage of this with USDJPY moving towards 148, USDCAD holding on the trend line and USDNOK moving lower from the higher oil prices (NOK benefiting)

Gold continues to move sideways unable to take advantage of a weaker dollar. Jonathan still holds his thoughts of selling gold at 2000 and narrowly missed a great shirt at price rallied above 1990.

Indices within the UK remain subdued as weaker oil prices impact the FTSE100 constituents. US indices continue moving higher with the NASDAQ pushing higher towards 16,000.

With the macro picture still not looking all positive but a soft landing looking more likely, how will you be positioned going into the remainder of 2023?

In this podcast , Jonathan and Rory discuss how to trade news headlines. The key is to understand the impact & domino effect these headlines can have on companies & markets. 

Immersing yourself within the financial markets is key to construct your trade and investment ideas. The example Rory covers, is around Maersk letting go 10,000 workers. We ask, if they are seeing less demand what does this mean for other stocks in the sector? What does this mean for the market, the economy and global trade?

We also talk about inflation and deflation problems in China and Japan. How the weak JPY is causing high inflation and how the strong CNY is causing deflation due to imports becoming cheaper. This also means exports are dropping which isn’t helping things as China received another huge stimulus pump earlier this week.

Jonathan also talks us through the many opportunities that have been in markets this year as we draw to a close. With so many moves in dollar, Jonathan talks us through how he was long dollar from July based off his bias that the fed were not going to cut interest rates earlier this year. Both Jonathan and Rory explain that the cuts in monetary policy there were due around this time, were pushed back so far that it was taken hawkish by traders hence the strong run higher in US Dollar/DXY.

Understanding how macroeconomics shape markets is essential to understanding trading and the Two Blokes Trading app is the best place to start.

Join our 1500 + members today and sign up for free below

In this weeks episode, Jonathan & Adam scan the markets & explain why you should hold fire amid uncertainty.

Monday has been a quite day & the blokes explain the importance of waiting for the right time to execute with Dollar currently consolidating.

Later in the week we have some high impact data coming out with US CPI & PPI & we should see a spike in volatility. This should offer some further insight into the longer term direction of markets.

Jonathan discusses his perspective on the markets, particularly USD/JPY of which he shared a trade in the APP earlier in the day which played out nicely, seeing a short spike in volatility.

A weak JPY has become a political issue for the government amid rising cost-of-living pressures. Unless BOJ intervene we could see a bullish move to the upside, but the blokes both agree it's likely that they will! 

Adam then offers his technical viewpoint on the markets across FX pairs & Gold with his current bias being further Dollar weakness, but there remains uncertainty in the markets & we should have a clearer picture later in the week.

Adam then offers his opinion across Tech stocks & remains bullish on semi conductors firms such as AMD & Nvidia with his pick being ASML Holdings.

The blokes share their market analysis & trade ideas on the Two Blokes Trading APP everyday, so don’t miss out!

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In this episode the Blokes discuss the pros & cons of limit orders.  Jonathan and Rory both discuss how & when they use limit orders in different situations.

Both Jonathan and Rory highlight that the advantages usually heavily outweigh the disadvantages. It allows you to target a specific target price & have that order waiting to execute even while away from the computer, meaning you will never miss an entry. Most part-time retail traders can’t sit in front of a screen 24/7, so by placing limit orders it allows traders to semi automate the process.  

Rory explains that the only slight disadvantage is in highly volatile markets where the trade can be executed and hit a stop loss in a matter of seconds however, chances of that are very slim out of the covid cycle.

Jonathan explains using limit orders correctly can allow you to find optimal entry levels rather than executing a trade at the wrong time. Also limit orders can be highly beneficial when price is trading within a range. For example, If an asset has a strong range and is continuously finding support and resistance at the same levels, orders can help remove any doubts.

Similarly both Jonathan and Rory agree that on larger one off trades, limit orders are useful for not missing a big move in the market. For example; recently when Gold hit 1800, before it was there, a lot of people would have thought it was a great level to buy. However, when price reached 1800, people were afraid to buy, having this order in place would have removed any psychological doubts & this will help you trade more objectively.

There is no doubt that if used correctly limit orders can improve your success rate & limit your screen time!

Make sure to join the app today where Adam, Jonathan and Rory give their daily rundowns of markets and analysis and join over 1500 people in one of the fastest trading communities.

Check out the FREE Two Blokes Trading Community for education, analysis & much more!

Is the Santa rally on its way or is this just an overreaction to some bad news that investors think is good news?

For a long time now, the narrative of “bad data = good news” has allowed equity markets to rally. However, Rory shares in the app and talks about it on todays podcast that over 75% of major data last week was negative. yet the market takes it as a positive.

While that may mean the Fed are not going to hike as much if at all, it does mean there is a deterioration within the economy and it’s why Rory says he is exercising caution within the equity space right now.

Jonathan discusses the increase in volatility throughout the markets, most notably the fall of the Dollar & the rise of stocks has changed the perspective for now & it’s time to reassess.

This week is quite on economic front, with the exception of Powell's speech, which may allow the markets to digest last weeks data & offer a clearer picture for the longer term direction of the markets.   

Jonathan shares his thoughts around the USD and notes that many dollar pairs such as GBP and EUR are all moving higher and taking advantage of this recent dollar weakness. We will have to wait until next weeks CPI report for further clarification of dollar positioning.

Speaking of taking advantage of dollar weakness, Gold failed to do so, still hovering shy of $2000 not able to break higher despite the sell off in USD. Both Jonathan and Rory agree that if gold can’t move higher now, what will make it move higher? It perhaps doesn’t look as attractive as other trades such as FX or the fixed income space.

Crude oil rose to nearly $83 on Monday morning trading but remains under pressure despite Saudi Arabia confirming an extension of its 1 million barrels per day additional voluntary production cut until the end of December, while Russia said it would continue with its additional voluntary supply cut of 300,000 bpd from its crude exports as well.

Finally, we have another busy week of earnings. Rory has shared the economic calendar and earnings calendar within the app, along with Jonathan and Adam, who are posting their daily analysis on the markets.

Join our community APP today at app.twoblokestrading.com

Rory takes a USDJPY short just before the podcast begins, but will USD/JPY tank? He explains the reasoning behind this move as well as the strong risk to reward that is favoured. Jonathan is holding off until we see 152 hit but will it be too late?

The question is will Bank Of Japan intervene after removing a pledge to defend the level with offers to buy unlimited amounts of bonds.

This week in the markets is Jam-packed with Data, Earnings, and everything in between. With ISM, PMI Services, NFP, FOMC, BoE and more. There is sure to be a further increase in volatility.

One of the biggest stock winners so far is Amazon after earnings were released better than expected with the share price jumping 11% as the outlook seems better than initially expected. The last time the stock has had such a two day stretch was a 17% rally from November 11, 2022.

The blokes look over other markets with Rory saying he is now short on Oil but would rather not be involved. There’s so many factors that could go against this such as the War in the middle east and the potential of OPEC supply, none of this can be confirmed or quantified and therefore, for now, both of the blokes agree they would rather rule it out. Data from China the US and EU also isn’t highly supportive of stronger economic conditions therefore demand for Oil may not be as strong as initially predicted.

Gold has found resistance at the $2000 level after a strong run higher. Jonathan explains how the major zone of 1800/2000 looks to be in play for quite some time and its likely with a stronger dollar, Gold will remain under pressure, unless of course we see any escalations in middle east.

DXY saw strong support last week from 105.50 and today at 106.00 to continue the push higher towards 107. Jonathan reiterates his long bias on USD & has been taking advantage of the cross pairs as a result. Jonathan also says with a lot of data due this week, there could be the potential for a lot of volatility and higher USD.

With lots of earnings this week from McDonalds, Pfizer, PayPal, Apple, Shopify and many more, it’s going to be an interesting week!

Join us live in the APP as we cover NFP this Friday!

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In this episode Jonathan and Rory continue to evaluate the risks from the Middle East & the uncertainty in the financial markets. Also looking at higher yields and central bank action from around the globe.

The war in the Middle East is still raging and shows no sign of stopping.  In the podcast Rory mentions the risk of other countries such as Iran getting involved and the potential catalysts that could being to the table.

The ECB are expected to hold rates this week however the door is open in the future for hikes as higher oil prices Continue to drive prices higher says Christine Lagarde and the ECB are cautions of this.

The US markets snapped a strong losing streak after better than expected earnings from Microsoft and Google. Google was down due to their cloud revenue being lower than forecast.

Higher yields in the US and across the EU/GB have punished stocks in recent days with the US S&P500 breaching the 4200 support level.  Hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman announced he was covering his short bond positions and now is looking to go long bonds as these attractive yields.

The Fed are almost certain not to hike rates next week however the door may be open in December as Jerome Powell is watching yields with caution.

To find out more , join the free app today at app.twoblokestrading.com

In this episode the blokes look at the impact of war on the financial markets & what markets are most effected.

The blokes also share their deepest condolences to the innocent people that have been effected by the war, especially the woman & children.

Jonathan discusses how there is always two sides to every war & how main stream media always have an agenda, so make your own opinion through valid sources.

Rory discusses how religion has & always will be a major cause in so many wars, along with the fight for power, money & resources.

Jonathan shares how he was compelled to an image drawn by the famous artist Banksy, depicting the innocents of children regardless of their cultural background.

While the war in the Middle East continues, the question for us traders is how does it effect the markets? Jonathan and Rory break down what exactly the implications are for now & may have in the future.

While neither countries involved are major contributors to the global markets, countries such as Iran are major oil exporters which account for nearly 2% of total daily production.

If they were to get involved and sanctioned, how would this impact commodity and energy markets? It would be negative and quite inflationary for markets causing a stronger dollar and weaker equities (similar to what we are seeing right now).

The History books will tell us "the greater the increase in oil prices, the more likely a recession eventually unfolds."

The question Jonathan wants to know is how much of this is priced in to the markets already. Unfortunately we don’t know what is priced in but what isn’t priced in is a deep escalation and involvement of Iran.

If the war stopped tomorrow, we don’t think markets would react hugely positively, maybe slightly. However any escalation could be detrimental to markets.

We are already seeing the cracks appear outside of the Middle East with inflation back on the rise, consumer spending strong however savings are down, credit card purchases are up and credit card delinquencies are increasing.

Inflation & Interest rates remain high with no signs of slowing down with the 10yr US Bond Yield breaking above 4.9% on Wednesday.

Why is all of this so important? Tune into this weeks podcast to find out more.

 Check out the FREE Two Blokes Trading Community for education, analysis & much more!

In this weeks podcast the blokes discuss the difference between technical versus fundamental traders.

We also introduce Adam Harris, a long term professional in the financial markets who has now joined the team and most will already have noticed his great analysis within the app already. Adam talks us through his background and years of experience. He starts by telling us exactly how he got into trading and the process that led him down the route of predominately becoming a successful technical trader.

The blokes share their opinions on their styles of trading, showing that regardless of how you analyse the markets whether that’s technical, fundamental or sentiment based, you can be still be profitable. There is a million ways to trade the financial markets its just perfecting your strategy to gain consistency over the long term. The blokes all agree that mentoring was key to success in their journey.

The podcast was also recorded over the US CPI release and with a 3.7% YoY figure and MoM beating expectations, Dollar strength has since ripped back through the market causing risk off selling. While Rory couldn’t keep a good internet connection, he was able to tell us more about his view on markets this week and what a higher CPI number means for markets going forward.

Following this the blokes discuss the rise in interest rates in the US & their opinion on the next US election with Adam of the opinion Biden will walk the next election due to uncertain times.

Adam also discusses in the podcast his best tips for new and upcoming traders and what he recommends doing when starting out.

In this podcast, Jonathan and Rory discuss the importance of using macroeconomic indicators. 

During the live NFP stream that Jonathan and Rory shared via the TBT app, Rory mentioned before NFP was released how he thought there would be a larger than expected number as he read reports on indicators that suggest employment is increasing.

Looking at reports such as the ISM and being able to take a collective data set of the recent initial jobless claims report, you can marry up the data and draw your own conclusions. This analysis can give you the edge when trying to forecast data releases.

On this point, Jonathan mentions the importance of using your own data and your own ideas rather than relying on other people’s ideas. Jonathan says, “We see it time and time again where Investment banks have conflicting opinions and these guys are supposed to be the industry experts”.

Rory also discusses the importance of not taking trade ideas directly from anyone. The main reason, it is that usually when things go wrong and its more often than not, they won’t post about it and let people know. This means people will be stuck in the trade with a losing position and won’t know when to get out.

To find out more about the importance of using your own data, make sure to join the app today where this topic is heavily discussed by Rory.

Check out the FREE Two Blokes Trading Community for education, analysis & much more!

I’m this episode, Jonathan and Rory breakdown the week ahead in the markets and discuss the moves of last week, including why gold is not so shiny for investors. The blokes also share their opinion on what markets to watch this week.

The ISM PMI came in above estimates however the S&P500 didn’t manage to take much advantage, closing nearly flat on Monday. However, tech is still being driven higher by just a handful of names.

Dollar continues the climb above 107 as traders wait for the NFP and ESR report on Friday to determine the US labour market conditions. The ISM said that employment was better and on Tuesday afternoon, JOLT job openings has risen higher than expected creating more openings and a stronger market.

Rory discusses in the podcast how there is 28% probability of a rate hike In November however there is a 6% probability of a 50bps hike in December, any wonder the dollar is rallying.

Speaking of dollar, EURUSD continues to be held lower now at 1.04 , close to parity and levels feared last year.

USDJPY pushed 150 before a huge shock lower to 147.50. Word on the street that the BOJ intervened in the open market. This would have pushed rates lower monetarily and we could hear commentary from them soon.

Gold now close to $1800 , what a tremendous fall it has seen since the break of 2000. A lot quicker than we anticipated, however given the dollar strength, it comes with no surprise. Are you long or short gold at $1800?

Oil has seen some rejection at the low $90’s and is now back below 90 at the high 80’s. Could winter demand start to push oil higher and what are the views on OPEC? All of our analysis is covered live in the APP.

We will also be covering Non Farm Payroll live in the APP on Friday, come watch us as we analysis the markets live!

Check out the FREE Two Blokes Trading Community for education, analysis & much more!

In this episode the blokes breakdown the markets & ask the question are stocks doomed?

The blokes discuss how it’s a great time to be trading! Markets are directional which presents huge opportunity to capitalise.

Rory also tells us how McDonald’s was founded. Have you watched the movie about McDonalds? If not it’s a great watch for anyone with an entrepreneurial mindset. I won’t spoil it here but I do suggest to watch it.

This week In markets we focus on Yields, consumer confidence, dollar strength and equities which remain pressured as market sentiment shifts!

A weak bond market which is effectively pushing yields higher and strength into the dollar is playing havoc on the equity market. As of 6pm London time on Tuesday, the S&P500 was down over -1.1% as dollar continued to surge and yields on the 10yr pushed past 4.5%.

Fed Member Neel Kashkari reiterated his statement that he expects another rate hike this year however that was closely followed by a statement saying he thinks there’s a 60% chance of a soft landing. I feel like he’s been told to say this as markets reacted the first time and ignored him on the latter.

China is also facing problems with the housing market under pressure and the major Evergreen defaulting on a 4 billion yuan payment which is putting pressure on the Chinese Yuan and Chinese equities which is also spilling into European and US markets.

Oil continues to hold at higher levels even though it is somewhat softer the last few days. Some economists have warned if oil exploration in the US is not more heavily invested in then there is risk of an under supply and prices pushed past $120 and even as high as $150.

Some favourite stock picks this week are still short ideas on UAL from Rory as higher fuel costs and potential for lower fares coupled with lower demand could impact top and bottom line. Jonathan is keeping an eye on MSFT to see whether their latest investment into the AI race will allow the stock to find some support.

Check out the FREE Two Blokes Trading Community for education, analysis & much more!

Jonathan and Rory dive into the facts to help understand if there will be a global recession coming soon? The blokes share their opinions on the future outlook across a global level.

In the podcast, they mention how we have avoided a crash in the economy despite higher interest rates and the cost of living crisis.  

Rory discusses what caused inflation in the first place as well as some home truths to why wages unfortunately will never catch up with prices, even in the long run.

The blokes also talk about how different geopolitical events can impact countries and how this filters down into markets and what traders need to be aware of.

Understanding that there are always three sides to any story is the key to understanding the market. All media across the world is biased towards an opinion or agenda but only the truth will allow you a clear vision to best predict the future.

Rory explains it is up to you to decide on what information to listen to, plus the importance of listening to all sides and how this can be brought back to trading.

Download the TBT APP now to chat LIVE with the Blokes! 

In this episode, Jonatan and Rory discuss how the DXY is on a 8 week winning streak, could it make a ninth?

The blokes analyse some last weeks action in markets including, the US CPI print coming in hotter than expected along with the influence it had on Equities and FX pairs last week, plus the impact it could have on the FOMC this Wednesday.

The Blokes also talk about how the ECB increased rates another 25bps to 4% and signalled to the market that they are likely done while they also revised up inflation forecasts, while lowering growth for 2023 and 2024.

This week in markets, the Fed interest rate decision is on Wednesday night and Rory talks us through what to listen out for including, what their inflation forecast will look like, what the FOMC expects in terms of growth, as well as their expectations of interest rates within the speeches and the all-important Dot Plot.

EU stocks have dropped off following the decline on wall street on Friday and Société general dropped 11% after the bank cut its outlook on profitability.

The Blokes also offer their thoughts on the BOE interest rate decision due on Thursday & the effect this could have on the GBP/USD pair! Goldman Sachs expect it to be the last hike. Some expect FTSE100 to lag global stocks next year however with the index already undervalued and oil prices increasing, could the giants such as BP and Shell look to hold the index higher?

Rory and Jonatan also talk through Netflix and United Airlines & why these two stocks are on their watchlist for this week.

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In this podcast we introduce Rajan Dhall & discuss the mindset of a successful trader. Raj has an extensive history and career in trading adding further value to our community, which we discuss in the podcast.

Rajan talks about trading psychology and the importance of it and describes how retail traders can become better traders by simply switching their mindset. He also talks about how retail traders can develop their own strategy around a work life balance. Raj also talks about what got him into trading, sharing his very interesting story of how his journey started as a fitness trainer at J.P Morgan.

Jonathan shares his thoughts on how retail traders battle with the psychology of trading & how traders can adapt a trading style that suits the individual. Jonathan also shares his journey of this and how he overcame the process. Jonathan firmly believes anyone can become successful in trading regardless of their background, once they are willing to learn, have the right information & follow the right process.

Raj also talks about the average success rate of many institutional traders being lower than expected & how this opened up his eyes to change his approach. Raj also discusses matching the process with the personality and the importance this can have on a trader. Ragan offers tips for traders at all stages of their journey, discussing what holds traders back & how to overcome this.

Rajan will now be sharing his analysis, ideas & expertise in the two blokes trading app, for our community.

Download the FREE Two Blokes Trading APP now!

In this episode, the blokes offer their opinion on the markets, taking a close look to see will Dollar strength continue with a busy economic calendar ahead!

Rory and Jonathan talk about their expectations of markets ahead of the US CPI and FOMC Interest rate decision next week.

The past week in financial markets has been a lot quitter than usual on a data front with the UK labour market conditions being reported slightly higher on Thursday Morning. On Wednesday 13th, the US CPI is due to be released and could change how the outlook is on broader markets.

Starting with European Indices, they have been weaker ahead of the ECB interest rate decision. Negative data has German Dax down as traders brace for the ECB policy decision on Thursday. While the German investor moral is slightly higher in September, Wholesale prices continued their decline dropping by 2.7%.

The US dollar and DXY seen natural resistance at 105 which was expected ahead of the key CPA data and FOMC interest rate hike next week. Rory shares his thoughts on how this data could shape the DXY stating a higher than expected CPI will likely move DXY higher well above 105 towards 106, whereas a lower than expected will see some cooling. He also thinks an inline reading will still be enough to drive DXY back above 105 as it will be 2 consecutive months of higher CPI reading which may give the FOMC a credible cautious but hawkish stance.

Jonathan also talks us through his thoughts on Gold and the Dollar. Jonathan remains bullish on Dollar, while he would expect Gold to fall potentially below 1900 again and towards 1870.

Tune into the podcast to hear the full rundown.

In this episode Jonathan and Rory discuss the well known statistic, why only 20% of traders make money. At the beginning of the podcast Jonathan runs through some statistics of the probability of footballers and golfers making it to a professional level.

Jonathan and Rory both share their experiences of what’s helped them throughout their trading journey, most notable having a mentor.

The blokes discuss with the growth of social media, there are now many charlatan traders, promoting their services to help other traders when they can’t trade properly themselves.

Rory also shared some thoughts about his University experience, how people are committed to 3 year degrees at University to then only be considered for further training whether that’s law, accounting etc.

Whatever job or profession you would like to do, it requires time to learn & refine the skill. Sometimes making mistakes along the way, the key is to learn from your mistakes & remain focused on the objective.

Therefore taking trading as a profession or a part-time job, it involves a similar process of training and learning and then practice the application. Everyone’s journey won’t be as much as 3 years but with hard work and commitment it can be vastly reduced, especially if you have the right mentor.

To summaries, how can you become one of the 20% of successful traders?

Commitment – Never stop learning

Preparation – Analyse before you execute

Discipline – Risk management & Psychology (Stay Objective)

Reflection – Always look to improve (Journal)

Mentorship – Learn from real professionals

To find our more on the confluences of the top percentile of traders and professionals, stay tuned to this weeks podcast.

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For the 7th consecutive week, the Dollar Index finished in the green closing above 104 to show strong support, the question is will the DXY hit 105?

Jonathan and Rory both discuss their thoughts on dollar going into a quieter week than usual for economic data however the market will only be gearing up for what’s to come next week as the US CPI is due to be released.  A hawkish release could see another strong dollar and the push to 105 whereas a dovish release could see DXY fall lower.

In Indices, US markets were closed on Monday following the labor day holiday. European indices had a strong start to the day but later in the session fell-off due to stronger efforts from China to support the property sector faded.

Jonathan talks about his views on GBPUSD, AUDUSD & USDJPY with his predispositions being short on both GBPUSD & AUDUSD pairs, as he is still bullish on Dollar. Both pairs are stuck in somewhat of a range but Jonathan thinks especially Euro has further to fall. Jonathan also believes there's further upside potential for USDJPY. Ones to watch!

The Blokes then offer their views on Gold & Oil. Both Rory & Jonathan agree that Gold upside maybe limited due to Dollar strength, whereas Oil has potential for further upside.

Jonathan also mentions how September can be a bearish month for stocks with negative returns so buying stocks may not be the perfect time according to past data. However he does mention, retail traders are not limited as most CFD products allow traders to short and still profit from the move.

There is so much analysis and information available on our app so make sure to join for free today at app.twoblokestrading.com

In this podcast, Jonathan and Rory talk about the 8th wonder of the world, Compound Interest. 

This is a term a lot of people are familiar with but not many are able to use it to their benefit. At the beginning of the podcast, Rory tells us a story of friend who had money saved away for years which grew exponentially but one day decided it was enough and wanted to buy a car. If they had waited another 15 years the money wouldn’t have doubled to buy 2 cars, but instead would have been over half a million!

Jonathan then explains how compound interest and the power of it can be used in trading. He Explains that by having a small account and achieving just 2% each week that the numbers will compound weekly. In less than a decade you could be trading with more than half a million, starting with as little as €5000. 

The blokes explain that Compound interest usually “doesn’t work” until the later stages as 10% of 1 isn’t much but when it’s 10% of 1 million, that’s when people think “it works” the gains have stayed constant, but the variable change is only in the nominal amount. 

The most important lesson to learn from compound interest is to stay consistent and not chase losses. Consistency will get you further than taking unnecessary risks and focusing on the short term. Jonathan also explains that too many traders focus on the short-term goals and not the long-term goals.

Make sure to join our free app today to learn more about trading and investing and join the fastest growing network. www.app.twoblokestrading.com

In this podcast , Jonathan and Rory talk about their predictions on the financial markets, looking at Dollar, Dax, Gold, Oil, Apple, and major FX pairs. There is a busy week ahead with high impact data releases including, NFP, US PCE which could give some hints around the next inflation. (CPI) reading as well as thoughts on how the FOMC will react at the next monetary policy committee meeting in September. A higher number will indicate potential further increases to monetary policy and a stronger dollar led by weaker equities and bonds.

Oil on the other hand has experienced a slight pull back following a 45 degree incline during July as demand was strong and supply levels from OPEC could be impacted due to production cuts.

In FX, The Euro has been declining steadily and Rory discusses his great short trades on the pair last week, he talks us through why he shorted it and what he is focusing on going forward. Rory also talks about his reasoning for being neutral on Cable but still bullish on USDJPY as there may be a chance, we don’t see an intervention from the BoJ.

For more analysis, join the fastest growing trading and investing network for free today app.twoblokestrading.com

In this podcast Jonathan and Rory talk about how to build a trading strategy and what to focus on when it comes to technical, fundamentals and sentiment analysis.

Jonathan discusses at the beginning of the podcast that too many new traders focus on technical analysis to generate trade ideas and solely rely on the charts for entries and exits. In this episode , he talks us through his reasoning of using technical analysis and how he combines fundamentals with sentiment to find trade ideas.

Rory also shares his thoughts on how to use statistical analysis as well as fundamentals to generate ideas whether it be in equities or forex. He explains the process of understanding economics as well as the value chain to identify ideas. When it comes to stop losses and profit levels, Rory is keen on using a more quantitative approach and encourages anyone to ask him more about it especially if they are interested in quantitative trading.

In the podcast Jonathan also mentions some resources that new traders can use to help gain an edge such as books in technical analysis which Include “technical analysis of the financial markets” written by John J Murphy. This is a great resource which shows the concepts and application of technical analysis within the markets.

As always, the best way to learn is to ask questions and challenge everything, no matter how stupid it may seem. This is Rory’s best advice to anyone who wants to construct a better approach to their strategy when trading and everyone is encouraged to ask questions through the app, after all that’s why it’s there. It’s free so join using the link below

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Jonathan and Rory discuss their thoughts on current Dollar Strength ahead of Jackson hole. Plus Fed chair, Jerome Powell due to speak on Thursday.

The economic calendar is due to be light until then but with some shockwaves from recent events, there could still be some volatility left in markets.

Rory discusses his thoughts on the dollar and how he sees 104.50 being the upper bound for now until more supportive data allows for price to continue. This is while EURUSD continues in the downtrend.

Jonathan shares his ideas with GBPUSD and the sideways action that’s been happening. For very short term intra day traders there has been strong support and resistance trading zone he says but for longer term directional traders, the volatility is non existent.

Jonathan and Rory both agree that while on Monday morning, European equities were driven higher by German PPI data, the strong sentiment in markets is what will continue to drive European risk assets lower for the time being.

For more analysis, join the fastest growing trading community for free today….

Too many traders are told “it’s about psychology” but what they aren’t told is the truth behind psychology. In this episode, Jonathan and Rory breakdown the truth behind trading psychology, as well as sharing some of their best tips when trading and investing.

The word psychology in trading is thrown around too loosely, understanding how to adopt an objective approach while trading will immediately give you an edge. If you have good risk management, then psychology around trading reduces significantly.

During the episode, Rory mentions that too many traders don’t focus on risk adjusted returns I.e. how much risk you take to profit. Too many traders focus on absolute numbers rather than the statistics themselves and while it may seem rational and reasonable, often it’s not favourable. Make sure to ask Rory any questions around probability, statistics, or portfolio performance in the app!

Jonathan also lets us in on how he remains in focus throughout his trading career.  He highlights that you are not always going to get it right, so accepting a loss is part of trading you have to accept. Once you accept this, you can control & minimise your losses, allowing you to focus on your winning trades. Too many traders hold on to losses in the hope the market will swing in their favour. Always refer to this quote “the market will remain illogical longer than you can remain solvent”. Jonathan explains his systematic process that traders should follow in order to achieve consistency and not deviate off course. Listen in to hear his techniques.

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In this episode the Blokes discuss the current risk off sentiment in the markets & look at recent events impacting price action. This includes the latest US PPI and US CPI reports which both came out higher than previous. The complications that higher inflation can have on the economy is something Rory has discussed throughout the podcast and explains in this episode.

Jonathan also talks us through his thoughts on the US Dollar. Today with little data to move the markets we saw the Dollar strengthen as the risk-off mood continues in the market. Jonathan recaps todays moves in FX pairs with Key levels to watch out for.  Jonathan looks at levels we may reach in the DXY & how this could effect other USD pairs, talking us through his reasoning along with his view on the current horizon.

Rory offers his view on Crude Oil with all factors looking like a continued rally to the upside. He then goes on to describe the correlation between Oil & the Canadian Dollar explaining how one effects the other.

Rory then offers his opinion on Gold after closing a profitable trade today with major support levels coming into play. Rory also talks about the events upcoming in markets this week. As earnings season is drawing to a close a lack of economic data on Monday led to a muted session and the calendar is limited for the remainder of the week with UK inflation and US Building permits on Wednesday. The FTSE100 has been struggling the last few weeks so all UK investors will be watching the data closely for any clues on what the BOE may be doing next.

Jonathan and Rory go into a lot more detail on the podcast and within the app so make sure you join one of the fastest growing investing and trading communities today for free!

In this episode, Jonathan and Rory talk about the future of money. The Blokes share their thoughts on a digital currency being introduced. Rory openly admits that it’s not something he favours and towards the end of the podcast gives his reason for this with a relevant example to how current FX markets work and why they work so well.

If governments do try to introduce a digital currency what will the narrative be? Will the public accept this change & is there anything we can do to stop it? Or could this be for the greater good, would a digital currency reduce crime & have further benefits? Either way it seems that we are becoming more restricted by the powers in control.  

Jonathan talks us through his concerns to what will support a digital currency. Will it be pegged to a commodity, a currency or exactly how it would work. In a time where technology is advancing, governments want to see an introduction to digital currencies however, what would that mean to the general public & how could this effect the future of transactions.

Will we move to a new way of exchange? Rory believes we could go back to bartering with commodities such as gold or silver. However, Jonathan believes this will accelerate the use of Crypto currencies.

Be sure to listen and find out what both Jonathan and Rory have to say…

In this episode Jonathan and Rory talk about recent events in the markets and what their opinions are going forward. The Blokes take a look over FX, commodities, indices & Stocks. The hot topic was APPLE loosing $200 billion in market cap in less than a week, the blokes offer their opinion in the future direction of APPLE stocks. 

A highlight from last week was the downgrade of US debt by ratings agency Fitch’s where US debt was downgraded from AAA to AA+. This sparked some initial selling in the market, but Rory reiterated in the podcast that he doesn’t think this single event will cause anymore selling.

On the Tuesday morning news released also stated that another ratings agency, Moody’s had downgraded US small and mid-size lenders which added pressure to financials. This was on top of the Italian government announcing a surprise 40% windfall tax on extra profits.

Looking ahead into the week, Jonathan takes us through his prediction for the US dollar and the CPI report due to be released on Thursday. Forecasts expect inflation to rise to 3.3% on a year over year basis from July 2022. This reacceleration is nothing to worry markets & we should see little impact as a result. Oil and energy markets have been moving higher so the possibility of reacceleration has been priced in. What has not been priced in, is a trend of reacceleration of inflation back to higher levels which would cause the monetary policy committee to continue hiking rates perhaps above 6%. If this was the case, a very strong dollar could be expected.

Rory also talks through recent earnings and the downgrades we have been seeing as well as the outlook for Apple as they have been struggling in the last few sessions and broke a major trendline.

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Rory and Jonathan talk about recent events in markets including the dollar, gold, US

Equities and world indices. The Blokes also talk about recent events such as the

US CPI and this weeks data which includes RBA, ISM Surveys, Non Farm Payrolls

and Unemployment Situation Report.

In the podcast, Rory talks about the stronger than expected data on Monday and how it

was linked to a strong AUD and what he expected from AUDUSD for the short term

as the RBA interest rate decision is in a matter of hours.

Jonathan talks Gold and what his view is on XAUUSD moving forward into the second half

of the year. Considering the strong upwards movement, Jonathan believes price

still has a lot of upside potential. Rory however disagrees and thinks Gold

won’t be able to breach $2000. Will Gold rally in 2023? Listen to find out both opinions.

What Rory and Jonathan both agreed on was the price of Oil and where is will be heading.

Both think that it could be headed towards $90 per barrel as production cuts

seen by Russia and Saudi are set and as global demand doesn’t seem to be

slowing down.

Jonathan and Rory also answer a listeners question on how to stay motivated when

trading. This can often be a very difficult period for traders so make sure to

listen and find out more.

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In this weeks episode, Jonathan and Rory talk about the difference between Trading vs Investing. These terms are often used interchangeably amongst the retail community however, it’s important to distinguish their differences and to be aware that trading and investing often have different processes.

Both Jonathan and Rory have different opinions on whether you should trade before investing or invest before you trade. However, both the blokes agree that learning the fundamentals to finance & economics is a great starting point as well as learning about technical analysis and sentiment.

Jonathan and Rory also talk through their own processes for both trading and investing and highlight their key differences whether it’s in the trade idea generation process or whether it’s about risk management or psychology.

The blokes then go on to talk about how retail traders have impacted the financial markets with the influence of wall street bets & other social platforms, plus the impact influencers can have on the markets. 

Whether you are taking your first steps in trading or investing it’s always great to hear the opinions of other likeminded trades hence why our app is a great place for members to share their thoughts with other members. Join the app for free…

Jonathan and Rory talk about recent developments in the markets including, strong selling in dollar which was later seen with strong buying which managed to see the DXY Index climb above 101.

Rory mentions this thoughts around recent dollar buying stating that if dollar was to continue the downward trend it would need to be sold against another pair but what pair would he buy now that PMI reports are coming out weaker and inflation in the UK is starting to ease, decreasing the chances for higher rates that were initially thought of.

Jonathan talks about the recent developments in equities as we are now in the middle of earnings season with lots of big names reporting this week including Google, Microsoft, Boeing , Meta and Exxon to name some. Earning so far this season have surprised mainly to the upside but can the momentum continue as markets seem to be under some pressure?

Equities aren’t the only market that could be under pressure, Gold markets are also feeling a pinch after a great run from 1900 to 1980, XAUUSD failed to stay above 1980 as the USD continued higher above 101 and Gold could now be set to return to 1940 especially if the FOMC come out with a hawkish statement this week:

Looking ahead, lots of data this week including; FOMC Rate Decision, ECB Rate Decision, PMI Reports and PCE data on Friday. Earnings are also in between all of these so volatility can be expected

Keep up to date by joining the app for free today.

In this weeks episode Jonathan and Rory talk through recent moves in the markets. Rory talks about how recent moves after the lower than expected UK CPI has created a risk on tone in the UK with GBP falling from recent highs and FTSE rallying firm.

Jonathan also discusses his thoughts on some FX pairs and explains how sentiment has started to change particularly as the dollar has been selling hard and other key levels in many major pairs are now approaching. Jonathan then goes on to discuss the uptick in Gold but the lack of demand from China & India seem to be capping gains, as well as discussing how Gold generally underperforms in the summer months.

Rory mentions how some major banks are calling for WTI Crude to reach levels close to $100 p/b by the end of summer and how production cuts from OPEC as well as increasing demand could see this as a probable cause.

The Blokes then go on to discuss how to trade Stocks, they talk through how to generate a macro led trade idea. Rory discusses how he generates his trade idea starting at the very beginning, coming up with a bias through leading indicators and then using a filtering process to then do a quantitative and qualitative analysis on the sector and companies.

Rory also discusses the importance of running a portfolio correctly and how important it is to know how to do it properly. This ranges from knowing how to hedge correctly , calculate statistics and performance reports  as well as being able to effectively manage risk on a single asset and across the entire portfolio.

Rory goes into a lot more detail in the app on trade idea generation as well as portfolio management so to learn more, sign up today!

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Jonathan and Rory talk about how the retail trading industry has changed in the last decade. The introduction of Instagram, TikTok and other popular social media platforms, these have been a haven for many charlatan educators, to showcase their fake results and lifestyle in order to lure retail traders. Rory also shares some recent examples of how he has seen the “influencer” lifestyle take over social media and why seeing isn’t always believing when it comes to Instagram.

Jonathan discusses how before these times, traders found it difficult to find information regarding trading, but now the industry is a full of false information & it's hard for traders to access real education. Jonathan also explains how by learning from the right mentors can take years off your trading journey & fast track your path to successful trading.

A new trend over the last few years has been the development of AI in trading and algorithms. Many large hedge funds and institutions spend billions each year developing quantitative strategies to beat the market. Jonathan and Rory argue the point that if they are spending billions to make 40% per year but Instagram traders will sell you a strategy to make 40% per month for small monthly fees, it’s obviously not going to work.

In the podcast, the blokes also talk about the importance of risk management & trade psychology, two key factors that separates a good trader & a bad trader. The blokes also talk about how some retail traders make the same mistakes as they have never been taught correct risk management principles. 

The blokes then discuss the importance of staying objective when trading, how to stick to your trading strategy & not allow emotions to dictate your decisions. 

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Jonathan and Rory take over as Mike has departed from Two Blokes Trading to become a portfolio analyst at one of the UK’s leading pension funds. We wish Mike all the best in his new role and thank you for your valuable contribution to the podcasts.

Last week seen US labour markets remain tight with unemployment declining to 3.6% from 3.7%, clearing the path for the Federal Reserve to hike a further 25bps in their meeting at the end of the month.

Jonathan asks Rory what his view is on the current economic cycle, including if he thinks the fed have further to go in terms of interest rate hikes and what a stronger labour market means for the Dollar and US risk assets including equities.

Currently US indices are in a strong bull market backed by a divergence of data from recent PMI’s that are suggesting the economy may be contracting, Jonathan asks Rory his opinion and where he sees many assets heading such as GBP/USD , EUR/USD, WTI Crude Oil and Gold.

Jonathan also asks Rory for his opinion on Apple to which Rory thinks they are a great company but may be overvalued due to their “household name “ nature.  What he means by this is how he expressed in the podcast that If any retail trader had £100 to invest in a company, chances are they will choose Apple as they know the name.

Rory also says that Apple’s success is down to their ability to make people repurchase a similar product such as the iPhone where people continually roll from phone contracts or simple just purchase a new phone to have the latest device.

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In this podcast Mike and Rory share the theory behind how the NFP data release should be traded. The podcast investigates the details of what the NFP is and how it is typically announced. Rory mentions how the NFP is a leading indicator, however also explains that there are leading indicators that can be used for the NFP such as the initial jobless claims, PMI employment reports and more.

Mike mentions on the podcast what happens if there is a positive announcement, one that is higher than the expected. Mike tells us that when payrolls are above expectations and participating rates are higher, then we can expect to see growth in risk assets such as equities, Fixed income products and the USD will rally.

Rory shares his opinion on how a negative announcement can be a sign of a weakening economy the would require support that we could see equities and risk assets fall, Fixed income products gather strength and USD to drop.

Both Mike and Rory agree that they think on Friday, for Junes NFP number it will be higher than the consensus of 225k and could be in the region of 240k-260k. This would be a positive announcement and could see growth in risk assets like equities.

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In this podcast, Mike and Rory start by discussing an under the radar under performance from the Brazilian Real on Monday, following the less than expected foreign direct investment into Brazil. The pair talk about how there is still room for growth in their opinion with the emerging market space and the difficulties that can often surround investing into emerging markets.

Rory talks about how last Friday’s PCE number came in lower than expected finally below 4% and what this could mean going forward in terms of monetary policy, as well as how markets will recognise this move lower. He also talks about the implications of stubborn inflation at these levels.

The Blokes also cover the recent market moves that many big tech names and other corporates are up following some out of Calendar earnings and price being pushed by macro tailwinds in general. Carnival cruise lines (CCL) is one company mentioned in the podcast, looking at how their negative earnings were still a positive for investors and how this landed the stock up higher.

Rory talks about the week ahead in the podcast discussing the importance of the ISM Manufacturing and Services that is being released as well as listening out for the FOMC minutes also and not to forget the RBA interest rate decision. However, the highlight of the week and the one to watch will be the employment situation report (ESR) which is released on Friday, with the Non-Farm Payrolls expected to be 225k. The Blokes share their opinion on what they think NFP will be on Friday and to follow this podcast will be their opinion on how NFP can be traded.

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In this episode, Mike and Rory discuss why 90% of traders lose money and how you can avoid being on the wrong side. Rory opens and mentions that too many people believe the BS narrative that comes from brokers who may have a conflict of interest with trading whether that is selling you false information or pushing you to trade products you have absolutely no idea about.

Rory also mentions how most retail traders unfortunately treat trading like a casino, where they expect to deposit £100 and turn it into £100,000 in the most unrealistic timeframe. Mike talks about the importance of risk adjusted returns and how 5x your money every year is a very unrealistic approach, traders must seek out information and understand the distribution of returns for a trader each week, month, or year. This is the type of content we cover more of in our App. Rory follows on from Mike talking about some of the professional returns and what to expect from markets.

The podcast also unveils the truth behind scams who claim to have proprietary software that for just a few quid each month you can have access to their ultra successful algorithm or quantitative strategy, that returns 20% per month versus funds like citadel who returned less than 40% in a year but charged in the region of $18 billion in performance fees and expenses to do so. Rory & Mike asks the listeners to think about this and see whether it makes sense because it doesn’t make sense to them.

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In this weeks episode Mike and Rory talk about the S&P500 and the recent events causing this slight pullback and where they think markets are headed. Most recently, the S&P500 made highs of 4445 with a pull back to current levels of 4300.

This pull back was due to a deteriorating macroeconomic outlook as well as the Fed median projected dot plot for interest rates in 2023 to end at 5.6%. This would mean another 2 hikes is possible before the year end and Fed chair, Jerome Powell reiterated the same message that inflation is still an issue for the US.

Mike and Rory also mention how the S&P500 rally during 2023 has been greatly assisted by a handful of companies such as AI stocks like NVIDIA and mega cap tech names such META who have both more than doubled in price this year.

Rory also mentions how low interest savings accounts have been discouraging savers and instead encouraging spending and discretionary buying. Could this spending and lack of saving be correlated with the recent large returns seen in markets?

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In this episode, Mike and Rory discuss the importance of understanding the correlation between commodities and the respective FX pair. The currencies highlighted in the podcast include Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Euro, Great British Pound, Norwegian Krone, and US Dollar. At the beginning the blokes mention how 2 of the main traded FX pairs (EURUSD & GBPUSD) are not directly pegged to commodities rather the moves are based on macroeconomics such as changes in interest rates, politics, or other economic indications.

Mike and Rory discuss the importance of understanding the country behind the currency. For example, when looking at CAD or NOK, it’s important to understand that their main export is oil therefore demand for their currency has a strong correlation with the demand for oil. Looking at the chart of USDCAD or USDNOK and overlaying the WTI Crude or Brent price you will be able to see a strong correlation between the two. Rory has also shared resources in the App to help you calculate the correlation between two variables such as USDCAD and WTI Crude prices.

Mike also discusses the importance of having a macro picture and not exclusively focusing on technical analysis. He explains if these ideas were presented to serious investors such as those at Investment banks that they would simply laugh you out of the room. Mike explains that you need a solid fundamental picture with trade data of the country and all aspects of the macro covered and only use technical to gauge entry and exit positions.

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Mike and Rory discuss the events of last week which included the US CPI number for May, FOMC’s decision to not hike interest rates higher as well as the ECB’s 25bps increase to monetary policy along with their hawkish comments in the meeting that followed. In the episode, Rory talks about the divergence between interest rates at the ECB and BOE closing in on those from the FED which is starting to support moves higher in both EUR / USD and GBP / USD. Cable has now been able to break above 1.28 for the first time in over a year following the stronger dollar in 2022 and the weakening sterling that was seen under the short-lived Truss era.

Rory discusses the topic of “higher interest rates are here to stay”. He explains  that before the Great Financial Crisis interest rates were not at the crazy lows that many market participants have been used to and perhaps markets are now adjusting for rates to remain higher at 5% for a much longer period into the future.

Mike talks about how gold paints a good picture in terms of sentiment, prices have been stable the previous few weeks and are still sitting close to all time highs and currently rangebound between 1940 and 1980. Mike shares his reasoning for why he doesn’t think gold is going anytime soon even as he discusses the bearish sentiment on the technical indicators but still thinks the macro environment is supportive to retain these higher prices.

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Too many Retail traders think that technical analysis alone will save them from

being in the majority of traders who lose money. Unfortunately this is not the

case, Mike and Rory uncover the importance of understanding how interest rates

impact Forex, equities, indices, fixed income and all other markets.

Understand interest rates, interest rate differentials and carry trades can automatically

by default give a bias to a certain FX fair, at least in the mid to long term.

Mike explains in the podcast how helps build a strong foundation for growing a

trade idea into an actionable idea.

Rory shares his thoughts on how interest rates impact individual equites from

understanding how companies use debt to leverage themselves to more exposure to

understanding how debt to cash ratios which are too high can negatively impact

the business in a high interest rate environment.

The blokes look at both scenarios of the positives and negatives of higher interest

rates for fixed income and the raging market that is currently taking place

across bonds.

To understand more how interest rate changes impact different asset classes, make

sure to join the app for free today and join Mike, Rory and thousands of other

members sharing their opinions on financial markets.

In this weeks market update, Mike and Rory discuss the quiet events of last week

and the low number of economic data releases. The blokes then talk about the

main focus of this week, the US CPI which came out at 4% Vs 4.1% expected.

Mike discusses what this means given the lower than expected unemployment data that

was also released by the UK on Tuesday morning and why he thinks this allows

for great longs on GBP/USD.

Rory shares his thoughts on what this could mean for FOMC meeting on June 14th where

the fed are predicted to not increase interest rates given the favourable data

in the United States. Rory shares his thoughts of why oil prices moved higher

on Tuesday given the positive news from China regarding economic stimulus and

the affect this also has on metals such as copper.

Mike and Rory also discuss what the energy market is doing and the warnings that are

in place from OPEC regarding short selling speculation and how an increase in

energy prices, in particular oil could have a major effect on CPI data around

the world.

On Thursday, 15th June, Mike and Rory are also hosting a few drinks at a central

London location so be sure to join the app to find out more details of the free

event.

Keeping a journal while trading is very important as it will enable you to have a track record and analyse past performance.

In this episode, Mike and Rory discuss how they keep a journal and also demonstrate the importance of having one especially if you are approaching an employer with reference to your trading performance. Many people will not consider your trading experience without a track record or journal.

In the podcast, Mike and Rory talk about some of the most commonly used ratios and explain some of the features they would include in a trading journal. Rory mentions how having a P&L isn’t the only way to keep score. There are lots of other metrics needed in order to show where capital is correctly and incorrectly being allocated.

Mike also shares his thoughts around monitoring the assets you trade. Simply having a strong or weak Profit & Loss will not help if you can’t determine where you make your money.  Mike and Rory both agree if you have lots of losing trades you need to know what asset the losses come from and not to waste time “working on that asset” instead, focus on your strength and trade what you know.

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In this week’s Market podcast Mike and Rory discuss Fridays NFP number beating expectations by nearly double. The implications this has on the market short term and how they both predicted a higher number themselves, going into some detail around their process of why they came to this conclusion.

The pair also talk about how the higher-than-expected unemployment rate at 3.7% is a good thing for markets but also with the issues that it can have to the wider economy.

In the podcast, Rory mentions about the recent ISM PMI number lower than expected and the impact this has had. He also talks about the contradicting data being released versus what the market is doing. Rory reiterates his comments from last week about how this is a market of stocks and not a stock market. The importance of stock picking in a market like this is very important as Rory mentions how only a few large cap stocks have been holding up the entire market in comparison to the Russell 2000.

The blokes then look ahead of the data being released over the next 10 days which includes the federal reserve black out period, ISM services and the US Inflation figure to be released a day before the FOMC interest rate decision on June 14th.

For more analysis and to share your own ideas with one of the fastest growing trading communities, join our free app today app.twoblokestrading.com