Oil And AI Are Breaking The Middle Class | Weekly Roundup

Oil And AI Are Breaking The Middle Class | Weekly Roundup

From Forward Guidance by Blockworks

May 9, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the disconnect between asset prices and economic realities, focusing on oil, AI, inflation, and class tensions.

Markets are ripping while geopolitical risk, inflation, and class tensions boil under the surface, creating a growing disconnect between booming asset prices and the economic reality facing most people. This week, we break down the oil market, AI-driven growth, and the inflation dynamics shaping the global economy. We debate whether policymakers are intentionally running the economy hot to preserve growth and geopolitical leverage. We also dive into gold, housing, AI job disruption, consumer weakness, inequality, and why the next political and economic cycle could look even more unstable than markets expect. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:38 Oil Inventories Near Stress Levels 07:38 Trading Oil Volatility 13:45 Oil, China, And AI 17:13 Energy Exports Versus AI Imports 20:22 Can Statecraft Survive Inflation? 24:35 Earnings Keep Ripping 26:25 Run-It-Hot Inflation Regime 30:07 Gold Returns To The Spotlight 33:01 Run It Hot, Leverage, & Centralization 40:47 AI Hits The Labor Market 44:53 Housing And Replacement Costs 47:50 Inflation Hits Everyday Life FOLLOW THE SHOW › Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance › Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc › Quinn – https://x.com/qthomp…

People in this episode

Hosts: Felix, Quinn, Tyler

Topics covered

  • oil market
  • AI-driven growth
  • inflation dynamics
  • geopolitical risk
  • economic inequality
  • housing market
  • labor market disruption

Keywords

  • oil
  • AI
  • inflation
  • economic growth
  • geopolitical risk
  • housing
  • inequality
  • labor market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blockworks

Products: gold

Places: China

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