Wall Street has just posted one of its strongest quarters in history.

The world's biggest banks delivered record profits as trading desks, investment banking and wealth management all fired at the same time. But with Jamie Dimon warning that conditions are "nearly as good as it gets", is this a peak or just the beginning of an even bigger cycle?

In this episode, Anthony Cheung and Piers Curran break down what drove the blockbuster earnings from Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Citi, why AI has become the biggest force behind investment banking, trading and capital markets, and whether today's record profits could be borrowing growth from tomorrow.

They also analyse June's US inflation report, why the biggest monthly decline in CPI since 2020 isn't quite as straightforward as the headlines suggest, and what it means for Federal Reserve interest rate expectations.

Finally, they revisit the biggest IPO of the year. After surging in its first few days of trading, why has SpaceX fallen back to its IPO price? From index fund buying and green shoe options to lock-up periods and insider selling, they explain the market mechanics that most investors never hear about.

If you want to better understand what's driving global markets and how professionals think about the biggest financial stories each week, this episode is for you.

(00:00) Wall Street's Record Quarter

(02:55) Why Banks Made So Much Money

(10:15) Morgan Stanley's Hidden Winner

(15:24) Is This As Good As It Gets?

(19:00) AI's $1 Trillion Spending Boom

(25:14) US Inflation Cools

(31:14) Why SpaceX Is Falling

(35:10) Green Shoe Options Explained

(38:36) SpaceX Lock-Up Risks

(42:16) One IPO, Every Bank Wins

The AI Bubble Is Powering EVERYTHING (Bank Earnings, US CPI, SpaceX)

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The AI Bubble Is Powering EVERYTHING (Bank Earnings, US CPI, SpaceX)