Odd Lots Newsletter: It’s the Night After Christmas

Welcome to the subscriber-only Odd Lots newsletter. Every week, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway bring you their thoughts on the most interesting developments in markets, finance and economics. Joe is away.

Please note, we won’t be publishing the newsletter on Jan. 31.

‘Twas the day after Christmas and here on the pod,
We had wrapped up our convos on things that are odd,
Supply chains and shipping had got us so hooked,
We wish we’d more time with the guests that we booked.

So let’s recap a year that began with a pop,
We hosted a series all about GameStop stock,
Too much trading emitting from a certain subreddit,
Had pushed up the price to levels stratospheric.

When out in the ports there were signs of congestion,
We knew that we had to start asking the question,
Why were prices for shipping suddenly soaring?
Logistical snarls were well worth exploring.

We even attempted to send a stuffed teddy,
In a 20-foot container that was otherwise empty,
Sadly it was too tough by more than a smidge,
But at least we all learned ‘bout the law of averages.

From lumber to pallets, chips, sinks and bath tubs,
There were plenty of things in the ‘shortages’ club,
Truck drivers and service staff had said their goodbyes,
So labor was also in limited supply.

When what on our terminal screens should appear?
But Bitcoin at its highest on record this year,
We spent hours on DeFi, I’m not going to lie,
And still cryptotwitter said we’re ngmi.

Now Bored Apes, now Hashmasks, now Jack Dorsey’s tweet
On Doodles and Grimes pics, the artists must eat,
They whipped up a frenzy, and soared to the moon,
(Just make sure not to right-click that GIF of a toon)

And then there was Gabor taking down ESG,
Meanwhile, Zoltan dug deep into the Fed’s RRPs,
Furman suggested one way for central banking,
To cool down inflation without the economy tanking.

We had Dan Wang on China and Pettis on Trade,
Jeff Currie, Gulati, Kashkari and Sam Bankman-Fried,
Hempton and Kelton, Dinwiddie and King,
We wonder what new guests next year will bring.

We hope that you’ve all been enjoying the show,
These newsletters and blogposts by me and Joe,
For now we both have to head out of sight,
Happy Christmas to all, let’s leave it there, good night!