Transcript
Justin Wolfers (0:00)
Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to don't know the difference between matte, paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download Today AI had the time of my life. Hey, I never felt this way before.
Liz Hoffman (0:35)
From building timelines to assigning the right.
YourRichBFF (0:37)
People, and even spotting risks across dozens.
Liz Hoffman (0:39)
Of projects, Monday Sidekick knows your business.
YourRichBFF (0:42)
Thinks ahead and takes action.
Liz Hoffman (0:44)
One click on the star and consider it done.
Justin Wolfers (0:46)
And I owe it all to you.
Liz Hoffman (0:50)
Try Monday Sidekick AI you'll love to use on Monday.com.
Nilay Patel (0:58)
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world flock to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics show, and they spend a week trying to sell each other on the weirdest gadgets you've ever seen in your entire life. This week on the Vergecast, we're talking all about everything happening at CES, from the TVs to the AI gadgets to the humanoid robots that everybody is hoping might someday do your laundry and wash your dishes. All that and much more on the Vergecast.
Ed Elson (1:24)
Wherever you get podcasts today's number 100. That's how many McDonald's chicken nuggets Usain Bolt ate every single day during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Today's other number is zero. That's how many dietitians deserve employment.
Justin Wolfers (1:45)
Money Market matter. If money is evil, then that building is hell.
Liz Hoffman (1:49)
The show goes on. Sell.
Justin Wolfers (1:53)
Sell.
Ed Elson (1:55)
Welcome to Prof. Markets. I'm Ed elson. It is January 13th. Let's check in on yesterday's market vitals. The major indices opened the day down after the Justice Department announced it is investigating Jerome Powell. More on that in just a moment. However, they quickly erased their losses with the Dow and the S and P closing at all time highs. Meanwhile, the yield on 10 year treasuries spiked before moderating. Capital One shares fell more than 6% after Trump said credit card companies should cap interest rates at 10%. Google hit a 4 trillion dol market cap after Apple said it will use Gemini to power Siri. And finally, President Trump said he is levying a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran, effective immediately. He said, quote, this order is final and conclusive. Okay, what else is happening? The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The Probe, which was launched on Friday, is examining whether Powell lied to Congress in his testimony about the building renovations. But Powell says that the testimony, which took place last June, is merely, quote, pretext for the Trump administration's threats to lower interest rates. In a rare video statement that was released on Sunday, Powell called the investigation, quote, unprecedented. And he argued that it is part of the administration's ongoing pressure campaign. Let's listen to what he said. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates and based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president. The chain of events initially rattled markets. The S and P opened Monday in the red, but then it rallied into positive territory by the end of the day. Meanwhile, the dollar slid and investors rushed into hard assets like gold and silver, which hit record highs. So this is a pretty incredible story that we are witnessing. And in keeping with that, we're going to do something a little bit different today. We're my two favorites of the Profge podcast. That is Liz Hoffman, Semaphore's business and finance editor, and also Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan. Liz, Justin, thank you very much for being here today. Excited to get into this.
