The Wall Street Skinny

Send us a textA public inquiry into Lumi’s £2bn government bailout exposes Pierpoint’s role in the disastrous IPO, where Robert is sent to testify in front of a UK select committee. The episode lays bare how firms protect themselves in crises: lawyers serve the institution, not employees, and blame is carefully redirected toward anyone expendable enough to absorb the fallout.The real financial bombshell, however, happens quietly back on the trading floor. Sweetpea's risk model shows that Pierpoint’s entire IPO pipeline is collapsing amid an ESG downturn is actually far worse than anticipated due to prop bets the company took to invest in ESG companies using large tranches of debt that are now coming due. We get into whether this is allowed post–financial crisis (short answer no) BUT the show isn't wrong that this is what people have been worried about in "private credit" now that banks can no longer make these prop bets.The episode positions Pierpoint as something far more fragile than it appears — an institution facing a potential Lehman-style reckoning not from reckless traders (see the prior episode), but from bad investments made by Pierpoint iteself. “Company Man” may be light on deal mechanics, but it sets the stage for the next episode which is arguably one of our favroites. Learn more about 9fin HERE Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Wealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE.

Send us a textIn this episode we discuss Season 3, Episode 4: "White Mischief", one of the strongest (and darkest) episodes of the series thus far.  What starts as a Christmas episode turns into a brutal examination of luck, power, and the lies we tell ourselves and others. At the end of the day, this episode forces the question: is all trading gambling? If not, what's the difference? At the center is Rishi, running rogue risk around a fictionalized portrayal of Liz Truss' brief (yet calamitous) stint as PM. Rishi is facing both a Sterling crisis and a private gambling addiction that has him massively indebted to loan sharks. As the markets spin out, the episode draws sharp parallels between trading and gambling, confidence and recklessness, and asks an uncomfortable question about whether the system can tell the difference between skill and luck...and if it even cares to.We also dig into the real-world economic backdrop that inspired the episode, the meaning behind the title “White Mischief,” and why this hour says far more about modern Britain, masculinity, and institutional power than it does about markets alone.It’s an episode about winning without learning, consequences that vanish when money is made, and a cycle that feels impossible to break.Learn more about 9fin HERE Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Wealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE.

Send us a textIn this episode we sit down with Liz Myers, Global Chair of Investment Banking and Capital Markets at J.P. Morgan for an Equity Capital Markets deep dive. We get into IPOs vs follow-ons, primary vs secondary proceeds (and why sponsor-backed IPOs often use proceeds differently), convertibles and the reality of price discovery. Liz breaks down the modern IPO process — from test-the-waters investor education to the order book build — and explains the newer concepts that didn’t exist until recently like cornerstone investors, why they matter, and how banks think about allocating “precious” shares to create the right long-term shareholder base. We also get into market timing (their internal “IPO dashboard”), what makes the window feel open vs shut, and why the market loves certainty more than anything.Liz Myers, Global Chair of Investment Banking and Capital Markets, J.P. MorganLiz Myers is Global Chair of Investment Banking and Capital Markets at J.P. Morgan, where she has worked for over 30 years. Prior to her current role, she served as Global Head of Equity Capital Markets where she led the team responsible for advising J.P. Morgan’s corporate clients on equity capital raising (IPOs, follow-ons and convertible issuance) in the Americas, Europe and Asia. She has been named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance by American Banker magazine and one of Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance.Myers serves on the Executive Committee of Women on the Move at J.P. Morgan, which supports women employees and women-run businesses. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Princeton University and the Advisory Boards of the Bendheim Center for Finance at Princeton University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Myers is a National Board Member of the Posse Foundation, which expands the pool from which top universities can recruit young leaders. She is also a Board Member of New Yorkers for Children, a nonprofit with a focus on youth in foster care.Myers graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1992, with a major in Economics. She received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1997.Learn more about 9fin HERE Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Wealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE.

Send us a text0-21:30: PSKY / WBD Deal breakdown21:30-51:08 The Fed Breakdown51:08-56:27: Donor Approved Funds for CharityIn this episode, Kristen and Jen continue to unpack Warner Brothers Discover bidding war from what the media is constantly getting wrong including missing the non apples to apples bids from PSKY and NFLX as well as why Paramount’s bid looks nothign like traditional M&A and is basically a straight-up leveraged buyout. They also break down the question everyone’s up in arms about: who is in control when this deal goes through.Then Jen shifts gears into the Fed…and why the headlines are missing what actually matters. Yes, there was a 25bp rate cut — but the bigger story is the Fed’s new plan to support funding markets through reserve management purchases (RMPs) and short-dated Treasury buying. Jen translates the Fed’s most painfully dry policy language into plain English, explains what “ample reserves” really means, and walks through why the Fed is stepping in now — with historical parallels to 2019’s repo market stress and the post-2008 era of balance-sheet whiplash. The takeaway: this isn’t a red-alert crisis moment, but it is a meaningful shift in liquidity support… and it sets up some very interesting asymmetry heading into 2026.Finally, they end with a practical PSA that could save high earners real money: a tax change coming in 2026 (and why there’s urgency before year-end) makes donor-advised funds newly relevant if you give to charity consistently. They explain how “bunching” donations can potentially maximize deductibility — and how donating appreciated stock can help you avoid capital gains taxes while still supporting the causes you care about. Not tax advice (seriously: ask your CPA), but if you’re philanthropic and market-savvy, this is one of those “tiny line in a bill, huge impact” moments you don’t want to miss.Want to get an intense education in the world of corporate finance typically reserved for investment bankers and private equity professionals? Learn more about our 25 hour self paced course here! https://thewallstreetskinny.com/investment-banking-private-equity-fundamentals/#investment-bankingLearn more about 9fin HERE Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Wealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE.

Send us a textJoin Morgan Stanley alums Jen and Kristen as we decode the finance behind Industry Season 3, Episode 3, "It" which takes place at the COP conference in Switzerland. We break down the aftermath of the IPO and why pressuring a research analyst for a buy rating isn't just frowned upon—it’s illegal. We also analyze the mechanics of Petra and Harper’s attempt to launch their non new ESG fund at a climate conference, and why Harper’s calling herself a former "trader" rather than a salesperson is was so interesting.This episode is also a hedge fund goldmine. We geek out on the famous "golden handcuffs" war between Chris Rocos and Alan Howard (Brevin Howard), explaining how non-competes actually work on the buy-side and what it takes to spin out and launch a rival fund. We also dissect the brilliant, layered writing around the COP climate conference, analyzing the show’s sharp critique of ESG hypocrisy and the difference between greenwashing vs. savvy investors actually making real moneyBeyond the finance, we dig into the psychological horror of the episode—from Eric’s glitter-covered spiral into a midlife crisis to the trauma-bonding between Yasmin and Henry Muck (Game of Thrones' Jon Snow). We discuss the reality of IPO lockup periods, the dynamics between banking / sales and trading and research. Jen also gets to put that Princeton English degree to work helping us explore the literary references to King Lear and Leviathan that foreshadow the power struggle between Harper, Petra, and Otto Mostyn.Finally, we debate the double meaning of the episode title "It"—is it a reference to Stephen King horror, or simply who has the "It factor" to survive on Wall Street?Learn more about 9fin HERE Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Wealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE.