Personable Markets: Gold & Bitcoin Surge, Japan PM resigns, USA tariff reversal, UK fiscal shortfall

This is the 2nd episode of Personable markets in which I aim to speak to a hedgefund manager, VC or Investment Banker every week on real world market events. Unfortunately, this week the hedge fund manager I was supposed to speak to dropped out at the last minute. Fortunately, a good friend of mine was able to fill the gap to join me on this week’s Personable markets episode...

Luke Sloman who is a third-year Business and Management student at the University of Exeter, currently spending his year abroad at the University of Sydney. Luke grew up in Tokyo until the age of 13 before moving to the UK for boarding school. His academic interests focus on finance-related modules, which complement his broader studies in Business and Management.

In this episode, Luke Sloman reveals:
◽️ Why Japanese PMs frequently resign
◽️ US tariffs’ impact on global markets
◽️ UK’s looming fiscal shortfall crisis
◽️ Gold and Bitcoin as economic hedges
◽️ Retail investors’ growing market influence

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⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:33 Japan’s political instability
01:34 UK Deputy PM resignation
01:35 Autumn budget concerns
02:19 US Fed rate cut expectations
02:49 Japanese PM resignation trends
03:10 Liberal Democratic Party dominance
05:42 Ishiba’s resignation reasons
06:03 Nikkei 225 and S&P correlation
07:08 US tariffs hit Japanese economy
08:35 Japan’s trade diversification strategy
09:07 Global stock market performance
12:27 UK’s Labour approval drop
13:00 Post-COVID economic struggles
15:57 Migration as UK voter priority
16:25 Labour’s tax hike challenges
18:02 UK’s £50B fiscal shortfall
20:55 UK’s entrepreneurial mindset gap
23:24 Simon Squibb’s startup inspiration
24:30 Harry Stebbings’ VC influence
25:30 UK’s AI potential untapped
27:27 US vs. UK entrepreneurial culture
30:20 Trump’s tariff unconstitutionality ruling
34:09 Silicon Valley Bank collapse
37:22 US $40T debt concerns
38:46 Potential financial crisis looming
42:57 Retail investors’ limited participation
46:55 GameStop retail investor phenomenon
51:37 Citadel’s trading data advantage
53:43 Gold prices hit record highs
54:14 Bitcoin’s 10x growth explained
57:20 Gold as inflation hedge
1:00:12 Bitcoin’s government-backed irony
1:03:12 Department of Defense renamed War
1:05:03 War’s economic implications
1:07:29 Strong US market performance
1:08:00 Final thoughts and outlook
1:08:48 Outro

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📌 Resources
Luke Sloman:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-sloman-87a6742a9 

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past perf