There are over 120 U.S. ETF issuers, but only one has more than $1 trillion in assets, over 300 products and knows what it is like to beat Vanguard: BlackRock. The asset manager made the equivalent of the Louisiana Purchase when it acquired iShares from Barclays in 2009, a move that has made them the most dominant player in the industry. Joel and Eric interview Martin Small, head of U.S. iShares, about ETFs, investing and his insatiable appetite for guitars. 

There are over 120 U.S. ETF issuers, but only one has more than $1 trillion in assets, over 300 products and knows what it is like to beat Vanguard: BlackRock. The asset manager made the equivalent of the Louisiana Purchase when it acquired iShares from Barclays in 2009, a move that has made them the most dominant player in the industry. Joel and Eric interview Martin Small, head of U.S. iShares, about ETFs, investing and his insatiable appetite for guitars.

Money goes where it’s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that’s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them—and hopefully delight you in the process.

Money goes where it&rsquo;s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that&rsquo;s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them&mdash;and hopefully delight you in the process.

Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas demystify the world of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.

Trillions

Looking Into BlackRock's Crystal Ball

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/01474117-9259-42d6-9505-ae3c00329f49/transcript

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. 

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 &mdash; and raising concerns they're beginning to influence the very stocks they're meant to track. In some markets &mdash; we're looking at you, South Korea &mdash; 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 &mdash; or overblown.&nbsp;

How Leveraged ETFs Became Wall Street's New Obsession

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7fb838c5-9ff5-4937-9c5a-b48f00e0fd4a/transcript

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.

Tokenization has been a Wall Street buzzword, only now it's becoming real. Beginning this summer, the Depository Trust &amp; Clearing Corporation &mdash; a little-known utility at the center of the US financial system that processed securities quadrillion in transactions&nbsp;&mdash; 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 &mdash; or the biggest opportunity &mdash; the ETF industry has faced since its inception.

Tokenization, Digital Twins and the Future of ETFs

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/73bf89a6-f96c-4e4d-8de6-b48800dc5cb3/transcript

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."

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&amp;P 500 ETF (SPYM). Thanks to its rock-bottom 0.02% fee, the fund has become the default investment for the new accounts &mdash; a designation that could funnel tens of billions of dollars its way and even reshape the competitive landscape for S&amp;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."

Which ETF Won Big With Trump Accounts?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d2e9182c-6c98-4204-8124-b48101355872/transcript

Looking Into BlackRock's Crystal Ball

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