
How Speculation Became a Global Pastime: Howard Lindzon and Katie Perry on the Degenerate Economy
From Trends with Friends by Howard Lindzon
August 14, 2025 · 28 min
About this episode
Howard Lindzon and Katie Perry discuss the rise of the Degenerate Economy and its implications on speculation and culture.
Howard is joined by Katie Perry to dive headfirst into the "Degenerate Economy", a term he coined to describe the collision of speculation, vice, free time, and mobile tech. From the sin stocks of the 1980s to Robinhood, crypto, and Zyn pouches, this conversation unpacks how financial speculation has morphed into mainstream entertainment. They explore why the post-COVID world unleashed a wave of retail trading, how platforms like Twitter and Discord are the new Wild West saloons, and what it means when money becomes religion. Plus, Howard shares his own investment thesis behind the Degenerate Economy Index, including why CME, Philip Morris, and even Bitcoin make the cut. A must-watch for anyone wondering how speculation, technology, and culture are reshaping capitalism.Join Our Community! https://stocktwits.com/Sign up for our daily FREE newsletter to keep in touch with the market: https://thedailyrip.stocktwits.com/Chapters00:00 What Is the Degenerate Economy?02:45 From Booze to Zyn: Vice Meets Technology05:00 Speculation as Entertainment08:15 Why Everyone’s a Gambler Now10:00 The Missing “Risk Score” for Investors12:00 Peak Grift and the Summer of Scammers15:00 How Speculation…
People in this episode
Host: Howard Lindzon
Guest: Katie Perry
Topics covered
- speculation
- Degenerate Economy
- retail trading
- technology and culture
- financial entertainment
- investment thesis
Keywords
- speculation
- Degenerate Economy
- retail trading
- Robinhood
- Bitcoin
- Zyn
- Philip Morris
- CME
- post-COVID
- financial entertainment
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Robinhood, CME, Philip Morris
Products: Bitcoin, Zyn
Places: COVID
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