Wgn - The Opening Bell Podcast

On November 25th, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: The National Association of Home Builders releases the Home Builder Index The Cleveland Federal Reserve President, Loretta Mester, is out speaking today We’ll see earnings today from Ambarella Inc, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc and many others

The business of pets is a multi-billion dollar industry these days, but it all comes back to the animals themselves. (At 4:53) Paul Lisnek looked at the nonprofit section of the business world, where the Anti-Cruelty Society has been operating in both these worlds for nearly 125 years with Tracy Elliott (President of Anti-Cruelty Society). (At 19:48) Paul then shifted to the world of the arts where Michael and Angela Ingersoll (Creators of Artists Lounge Live Concert Series) have brought […]

Paul Nolte (SVP at Kingsview Asset Management) and Steve Grzanich wrap up the week recapping the latest in the economy and the story that has been repeating itself over the last few years – progress on trade talks. (At 5:10) The two also touched on how market corrections can benefit a portfolio with the right strategy, what will help with the bond market and answered some listener questions. Steve also expressed his appreciation to listeners as he signed off from […]

On November 22nd, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: The Consumer Sentiment Index is due out later today (analysts are expecting an uptick from October) Foot Locker and J.M. Smuckers report earnings by the end of the day today  

The year is winding down and the market has exceeded expectations. (At 5:55) Steve Grzanich checked in with the weekly Associated Bank Thought Leader, Doug Myers (SVP & Private Banking Regional Manager at Associated Bank) to explain the areas that surprised him the most along with how the positive outlook is continuing into 2020. The two also touched on the progression of technology in the industry, yet the 1:1 relationships are still incredibly valued for customer satisfaction.  

On November 21st, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: The report on first time jobless claims are out today (analyst expect a slight decline) Data on Existing Home Sales for October are released today Macy’s, GAP, Nordstrom, ROSS Store, and many more report earnings

Heading into 2019, expectations for the economy were low and the r-word (recession) was being thrown around a lot. (At 5:31) Steve Grzanich and the weekly Associated Bank Thought Leader, Doug Myers (SVP & Private Banking Regional Manager at Associated Bank) looked back to see which factors lead to the surprising performance. (At 21:44) Madhu Unnikrishnan (Editor at Skift Airline Weekly) touched on the Boeing deals that are slowing starting to roll in for the manufacturer and this could be the corner […]

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season and the National Retail Federation expect a record number of consumers to start that shopping next week. (At 6:23) Katherine Cullen (Sr. Director of Industry and Consumer Insights at the National Retail Federation) explained to Steve Grzanich the results of this year’s outlook and how the holiday has grown into more than just Black Friday deals. (At 20:40) Frank Steemers (Associate Economist at The Conference Board) then shared the results of […]

Many economists look at the country and feel confident about the current state of the U.S., but many every day American’s focus on their wages and think there could be improvements. Steve Grzanich and Frank Steemers (Associate Economist at The Conference Board) talked about the why wage growth has been staggering behind the rest of the economy and how businesses/employees are looking at the short term runway.  

On November 20th, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: Mortgage applications from the Mortgage Bankers Association are out today The EIA Petroleum Status Report and the FOMC meeting minutes are both out today Lowe’s, Target and L Brands all report earnings today

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is locked in a battle with ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to tax them for adding to the congestion in the city while trying to promote public transportation. (At 5:04) Steve Grzanich and Audrey Wennink (Director of Transportation at the Metropolitan Planning Council) discussed how much this fee would cost riders, how it would impact public transportation, and what we can learn from other cities who have created a congestion tax. (At 18:10) John Leer […]

The year is closing out and a number of industries are winding down and gearing up for 2020, but there’s still plenty to do for restaurants. (At 5:44) Steve Grzanich and Doug Roth (Founder and CEO of Playground Hospitality) checked in before the holidays role around to look back at the predictions from earlier in the year, what he is preparing for next year and how the food delivery business will evolve and restaurants push back against the services. (At […]

Since early on in her career, Dr. Ashley Elaine Mitek (Teaching Assistant Professor of Veterinary Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois) noticed the number of opioids being prescribed to dogs and other patients, but they weren’t very effective. Steve Grzanich learned that Dr. Mitek and her team are working to change industry practices, and informing pet owners of alternatives.  

On November 18th, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: The Home Builder Housing Market Index is out today Home Depot and Kohl’s both report earnings today among a number of other earnings this week

The market is close to finishing out the month and Steve Grzanich is hoping for a steady finish going into December. (At: 4:56) Paul Nolte (SVP at Kingsview Asset Management) joined the program to ease some of the economic concerns, especially as the Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, continues his testimony’s on Capitol Hill. Paul also took some time to chat about personal finance tips  including the best way to keep the wallet fat during the holiday season.  

On November 15th, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: The Retail Sales Report is out today along with data on Import/Export prices Data will be share on industrial production and business inventories are out today San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly is out speaking on monetary policy today

Banks are massive institutions, so sweeping changes can be difficult to accomplish, but Chuck Garcia (EVP and Director of Commercial Deposits and Treasury Management at Associated Bank) explained to Steve Grzanich that digital footprints and online deposits are where they are focusing most of their energy. Steve and Chuck also touched on how the U.S. Postal Office might be able to help the banking industry to reach more customers.  

On November 14th, 2019 Steve Grzanich  shares today’s potential market drivers: The August Producer Price Index is out today along with weekly jobless claims The EIA Natural Gas and Petroleum Status reports are out today Viacom, Brookfield Asset Management, Williams-Sonoma, Walmart and other report earnings today

Banking has steadying shifted towards the digital demands of customers and (at 5:11) Chuck Garcia (EVP and Director of Commercial Deposits and Treasury Management at Associated Bank) explained to Steve Grzanich that’s one of the avenues that the industry is looking at to keep up with the changing times as well as how the U.S. Postal System could help supplement rural parts of the country. (At 20:38) Madhu Unnikrishnan (Editor of Skift Airline Weekly) then shared a few updates from the airline world Like JetBlue […]

For nearly 15 years, GNP Realty Partners has been evolving with the fluctuating real estate times. Dean Kutrumanes (Principal and CEO of GNP Realty Partners) shared the story of the full-service real estate firm with Bennett Wakenight on this month’s Building Business Around Town conversation (presented by Associated Bank). The two discussed the undertaking of upgrading the Realtor Building on Michigan Avenue, the future of commercial real estate’s environmental impact, and the importance of conducting business with family values.   […]