
We Asked Liz Ann Sonders, Jim Grant, and Brent Donnelly What Investors Miss About This Market
From Two Quants and a Financial Planner by Excess Returns
April 19, 2026 · 1h 6m · Season 1 · Episode 133
About this episode
The episode features insights from Jim Grant, Liz Ann Sonders, and Brent Donnelly on the key forces driving current market behavior.
This week’s Excess Returns Weekly Wrap brings together insights from Jim Grant, Liz Ann Sonders, and Brent Donnelly to break down the biggest forces driving markets right now, including war-driven inflation, oil shocks, market resilience, and the evolving role of sentiment and policy reactions. The conversation connects macro history with real-time market behavior to help investors understand what actually matters beneath the headlines. Topics Covered: Why war has historically been one of the most consistent drivers of inflation How oil shocks impact both inflation and economic growth simultaneously The nuance behind the “US as a net energy exporter” narrative Why markets require a steady stream of bad news to sustain a decline How policy reaction functions (Fed, government) shape market outcomes The difference between structural trends and short-term shocks in trading Why “buy the dip” has worked—and the risks if it stops working The role of retail traders and short-term flows in modern market dynamics Contribution vs. price performance in the Mag 7 and S&P 500 How sentiment has evolved across different investor cohorts and timeframes Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and overview of…
People in this episode
Host: Excess Returns
Guests: Jim Grant, Liz Ann Sonders, Brent Donnelly
Topics covered
- market dynamics
- inflation
- oil shocks
- sentiment
- policy reactions
- trading strategies
Keywords
- war-driven inflation
- market resilience
- economic growth
- buy the dip
- retail traders
- Mag 7
- S&P 500
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