The Bid

Defense investing is rapidly moving from the margins to the center of capital markets as geopolitical fragmentation, rising global tensions, and technological innovation reshape how nations allocate resources. What was once viewed as a niche or even overlooked sector is now emerging as a critical pillar of global infrastructure and security.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido sits down with Rolf Heitmeyer, Head of Industrials in BlackRock’s Fundamental Equities Group, to explore the forces driving this shift in defense investing. They discuss the surge in global defense spending, the changing competitive landscape between in...

Artificial intelligence continues to reshape economies and markets, but its rapid expansion is also exposing new constraints across energy, infrastructure, labor, and capital. As investors navigate an increasingly complex landscape, the debate has shifted from AI's potential to the practical realities of building the systems that support it.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Jean Boivin, Head of the BlackRock Investment Institute, about BlackRock's 2026 Midyear Outlook. Together they examine the report's central theme - scarcity versus abundance - and discuss how AI, higher capital requirements, geopolitics, and structural economic changes are influencing...

Inflation and investing are once again front and center as markets assess a new mix of price pressures. In this Ask Me Anything episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Helen Jewell, BlackRock’s International Chief Investment Officer for Fundamental Equities, and Tom Becker, senior portfolio manager on BlackRock’s Global Tactical Asset Allocation team.

Together, they explore what is driving inflation today, from AI infrastructure demand and energy bottlenecks to fiscal spending, supply constraints, and regional differences. The conversation examines how inflation is affecting capital markets, equities, fixed income, stock market trends, and port...

Financial market infrastructure is often invisible to investors, yet it powers every trade, settlement, and ownership record across capital markets. As technology evolves, tokenization is emerging as a new way to represent and transfer financial assets, raising questions about how markets may operate in the future.

In this episode of The Bid, Oscar Pulido speaks with Rob Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer at BlackRock. They discuss what tokenization means in practice, how it differs from cryptocurrencies, and why digital assets are drawing increased attention from investors, institutions, and policymakers.

The conversation explores how tokenization could improve...

Asia infrastructure investing is becoming central to the global energy transition as rising demand, energy security concerns, and the need for more resilient systems accelerate capital deployment across the region. In Southeast Asia, the opportunity is not only about replacing old systems, but building new infrastructure at scale for a growing economy.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks live from Ecosperity in Singapore with Salim Samaha, Global Head of Energy at Global Infrastructure Partners, a part of BlackRock, and Heidi Yip, Head of Sustainable and Transition Solutions for Asia Pacific at BlackRock. Together...

Asia infrastructure investing is becoming central to the global energy transition as rising demand, energy security concerns, and the need for more resilient systems accelerate capital deployment across the region. In Southeast Asia, the opportunity is not only about replacing old systems, but building new infrastructure at scale for a growing economy.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks live from Ecosperity in Singapore with Salim Samaha, Global Head of Energy at Global Infrastructure Partners, a part of BlackRock, and Heidi Yip, Head of Sustainable and Transition Solutions for Asia Pacific at BlackRock. Together...

ETFs in Asia have grown significantly since the global financial crisis, but their role is changing. What began as a way to access markets is now expanding into broader portfolio applications as investors face more complex market conditions.

In this episode of The Bid, Oscar Pulido speaks with Christian Obrist, Head of iShares Distribution in Asia, and Nick Peach, Head of iShares Asia Pacific at BlackRock. They discuss how ETF usage in the region has developed and how investors are applying them across different strategies.

The conversation explores how education has shifted from fundamentals to...

Asia has often been viewed as a long-term growth story, but its role in global markets is becoming more immediate. The region now represents a significant share of global GDP and listed companies, while operating across distinct economic and policy cycles.

In this episode of The Bid, Oscar Pulido speaks with Aarti Angara, Head of Global Product Solutions in Asia Pacific at BlackRock. They examine why Asia is gaining more attention from investors and how opportunities are developing across equities and fixed income.

The conversation highlights the region’s diversity across countries, sectors, and growth dr...

Retirement systems are undergoing a structural shift as traditional pensions decline and individuals take on greater responsibility for financial outcomes. Longer lifespans and evolving capital markets are making retirement planning more complex and consequential.

Oscar Pulido speaks with Nick Nefouse, Global Head of Retirement Solutions at BlackRock. They discuss how defined contribution plans, target date funds, and regulatory changes are reshaping how individuals save, invest, and prepare for retirement.

The conversation explores how retirement is moving from a focus on accumulation to income generation, particularly during the “retirement window.” It also highlights how global systems are...

Crypto investing is at a crossroads as digital assets move from speculative beginnings toward broader institutional adoption and integration into capital markets. As volatility persists and infrastructure evolves, investors are increasingly asking not what crypto is—but what role it plays in portfolios.

Host Oscar Pulido is joined by Robbie Mitchnick, Head of Digital Assets at BlackRock, and Dan Morehead, CEO of Pantera Capital, live from Miami at BlackRock’s Latin America Investment Forum. Together, they explore how crypto investing has evolved, why institutional participation is accelerating, and how investors are reassessing digital assets within diversified portfolios. The...

Portfolio construction is being redefined as investors face a fundamentally different market regime. Higher inflation, shifting interest rate dynamics, and accelerating megaforces like AI and geopolitics are challenging long-held assumptions about diversification and asset allocation across capital markets.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido sits down with Vivek Paul, Head of Portfolio Research and UK Chief Investment Strategist at the BlackRock Investment Institute. Together, they explore why traditional portfolio construction frameworks may no longer be sufficient and how investors are adapting to a world of greater uncertainty, dispersion, and structural change. Vivek explains how...

The S&P 493 is gaining attention as investors look beyond the Magnificent Seven and reassess where growth and diversification may come from in today’s equity markets. With market concentration at historic highs, a handful of mega cap companies have driven much of the S&P 500’s returns, raising questions about what lies beneath the surface.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Ibrahim Kanan, Head of the U.S. Core Equity Team within BlackRock’s Fundamental Equities Group, about the growing relevance of the S&P 493 — the broader set of companies outside the larg...

AI and bond markets are becoming increasingly interconnected as artificial intelligence reshapes capital demand, market structure, and investing approaches across fixed income. As inflation regimes shift and traditional diversification dynamics evolve, investors are rethinking the role bonds play in portfolios.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Jeff Rosenberg, Senior Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at BlackRock Systematic, about how AI and bond markets are evolving together. They explore how the rise of artificial intelligence is driving a new wave of capital investment, influencing real interest rates, and increasing debt issuance as companies finance...

Private markets are moving from the sidelines of institutional portfolios into the mainstream of wealth management. As companies stay private longer and financing increasingly happens outside public exchanges, investors are beginning to rethink how broad the traditional investment universe really is. The shift is raising a new question for portfolios: should investors be looking beyond public markets to access the full range of opportunities across capital markets?

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Jon Diorio, Head of Product and Alternatives for BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Business, live from the Future Proof Ci...

Alternative investing is moving from a niche allocation to a core portfolio conversation. As volatility returns, interest rates reset higher, AI accelerates capital spending, and fiscal deficits expand, investors are reassessing what diversification really means. In a world where stocks and bonds can move together and macro forces dominate markets, traditional portfolio frameworks are under pressure.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido revisits conversations with investors and strategists across BlackRock to explore why alternative investing is gaining renewed attention. From private equity, private credit, and infrastructure to hedge fund strategies, gold, and digital assets...

Emerging markets are back in focus in 2026 — not just as a cyclical trade, but as investors reassess performance leadership, diversification, and where growth is showing up in a shifting global paradigm. After a long stretch of disappointing returns, emerging markets have started the year strongly, alongside record interest from global investors. But the case for EM today is less about a single story — and more about dispersion across countries, sectors, and themes.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Alex Brazier, Global Head of Investment and Portfolio Solutions, and Sam Vecht, Portfolio Mana...

The K-shaped consumer is redefining the outlook for the U.S. economy. While overall spending remains resilient, growth is increasingly concentrated among higher-income households, creating widening gaps across income levels. As policy shifts, AI adoption, and healthcare innovations reshape behavior, the consumer landscape is becoming more uneven.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Lisa Yang, Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the Consumer Industry Group within BlackRock Fundamental Equities, to assess the state of the U.S. consumer heading into 2026. From wage growth and labor market dynamics to fiscal policy, tariffs, and...

Skilled trades are becoming one of the most important — and overlooked — drivers of the global infrastructure boom. As trillions of dollars flow into energy systems, transportation networks, telecoms, and AI data centers, the constraint is no longer just capital — it’s labor. The scale of the infrastructure buildout is historic, but delivering it depends on the availability of trained workers.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Claire Chamberlain, Global Head of Social Impact and President of the BlackRock Foundation, and Sandra Lawson, Managing Director in Global Corporate Affairs, to explore why skilled...

Powering AI is no longer just a technology story — it’s an energy and infrastructure story reshaping capital markets and the global economy. As artificial intelligence scales from training to real-world inference, electricity demand is accelerating at a pace few anticipated.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Will Su from BlackRock’s Fundamental Equities Group to examine how powering AI is transforming utilities, natural gas markets, renewables, and nuclear power. With data centers expanding rapidly and gigawatt-scale facilities coming online, the AI build-out is driving a structural shift in U.S. electr...

Thematic investing is increasingly shaping how investors interpret markets heading into 2026, as artificial intelligence, geopolitical fragmentation, and infrastructure constraints intersect across the global economy.

Jay Jacobs, Head of U.S. Equity ETFs at BlackRock, joins Oscar to discuss why mega forces are becoming harder to ignore—and harder to diversify away from—than in past market cycles. Their conversation explores how AI investing is evolving from a growth narrative into one focused on usage intensity, how national security considerations are reshaping the definition of defense, and why physical infrastructure is emerging as a critical market constraint.

Ke...

Retirement planning is becoming more complex as careers grow less linear, lifespans extend, and financial decisions start earlier in life. From early-career savers to small business owners and those approaching retirement, people are asking how to build financial security while staying flexible in an unpredictable world.

In this Ask Me Anything episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Jaime Magyera, Head of BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory and Retirement Businesses, to answer listener-submitted questions on retirement realities. Jaime shares perspectives drawn from her work with individual savers, financial advisors, and small business owners ac...

Hedge fund strategies are gaining renewed attention as market volatility rises and traditional stock and bond diversification becomes less reliable. With inflation uncertainty, shifting monetary policy, and growing macro instability, investors are reassessing how different sources of return and risk management show up across capital markets.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Mike Pyle, Deputy Head of BlackRock’s Portfolio Management Group, about how hedge fund strategies work and why they are being re-examined in today’s environment. Mike explains what defines hedge fund strategies, how their flexibility seeks to allow managers to e...

Global markets are entering 2026 amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty, structural shifts in the global order, and rapid technological change. Recorded live from the World Economic Forum in Davos, this episode of The Bid examines the macroeconomic and geopolitical forces shaping the year ahead.

Host Oscar Pulido is joined by Philipp Hildebrand, Vice Chairman of BlackRock, and Tom Donilon, Vice Chairman of BlackRock and Chairman of the BlackRock Investment Institute. Drawing on conversations with political leaders, policymakers, and business executives in Davos, they reflect on an evolving geopolitical landscape and its implications for markets, governments, and global cooperation.

AI investment, evolving earnings leadership, and shifting global dynamics are redefining stock market trends as investors enter 2026. Companies are deploying unprecedented capital toward data centers, compute, and productivity-enhancing technologies, while rate cuts and supply-chain realignment reshape the macro backdrop. These forces are changing how fundamentals, valuations, and sector growth patterns show up in equity markets.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Carrie King, Global CIO of BlackRock’s Fundamental Equities group, about the major drivers influencing the 2026 equity outlook. Carrie breaks down why high-level valuations may mask improved corporate quality, how AI-related in...

This week, the focus is on diversification—and why it’s getting harder to achieve. Portfolio Strategist Natalie Gill explains how the “diversification mirage,” a key theme in BII’s 2026 outlook, is now showing up in real time. A small set of megaforces is increasingly dictating equity performance, meaning traditional attempts to diversify—whether toward equal-weighted indices or new regions—can amount to larger active positions than many investors realize.

Natalie also breaks down how rising developed-market bond yields challenge the long-held assumption that long-term bonds reliably balance portfolios. Fiscal strains, shifting central bank stances, and policy divergence bet...

As The Bid takes a short break for the holidays, we’re introducing listeners to Market Take, the weekly macro podcast from the BlackRock Investment Institute. Market Take offers fast, digestible insights on what’s moving markets - and this week, the focus is squarely on the labor market.

Senior Economist Nicholas Fawcett breaks down why softer U.S. labor data is reinforcing expectations for another potential Federal Reserve rate cut. With hiring and labor supply both cooling, policymakers are watching these trends closely as they navigate the balance between inflation control and economic resilience. Nicholas also expl...

AI-driven investment, rising leverage and shifting market dynamics are reshaping the 2026 stock market outlook. As companies accelerate spending on data centers, chips and digital infrastructure, micro-level decisions are increasingly influencing the capital markets and broader economy.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Jean Boivin, Head of the BlackRock Investment Institute, about the major forces shaping the 2026 markets and investing landscape. Jean breaks down how AI-related capital expenditure is transforming growth patterns, why governments and companies may need to leverage up to finance large-scale projects, and how these trends interact with today’s po...

Europe’s macro outlook is shifting. After years of fiscal restraint and fragmented policy, the region is entering a new chapter one centered on pro-growth fiscal policy, energy security, and capital-market reform. For investors, this transformation signals the potential for renewed momentum in European equities and fixed income.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Helen Jewell, Chief Investment Officer for EMEA Fundamental Equities, and Roelof Salomons, Chief Investment Strategist for Northern Europe at the BlackRock Investment Institute, about how Europe’s evolving macro and investing environment is creating new opportunities across sectors.

Stock market trends are in sharp focus as central banks pivot, earnings broaden beyond mega-cap leaders, and AI-driven CapEx reshapes corporate priorities. In this AMA edition of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido sits down with BlackRock’s Gargi Pal Chaudhuri, Chief Investment and Portfolio Strategist for the Americas in the Investment Portfolios Solutions team. Together they field listener questions on rate cuts, market breadth, ETF flows, and how AI adoption could influence equity leadership over time.

Gargi brings a cross-asset lens to what’s driving global growth and volatility. Fresh off a busy earnings season and recent poli...

Private markets are transforming the investment landscape — reshaping portfolios, expanding access, and driving growth across asset classes from private equity to infrastructure and private credit. Once the domain of institutions, private markets are increasingly accessible to individual investors, offering new ways to pursue diversification and long-term opportunity.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Cameron Joyce, Head of Research Insights at Preqin, a part of BlackRock, to explore how private markets could reshape portfolios and investment opportunities by 2030. Cameron shares why the asset class has surged from $11 trillion pre-pandemic to an expected $32 tr...

Investing in any market can feel daunting — but it doesn’t have to. In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido sits down with Jim Cramer, investor, author, and host of Mad Money, to explore what it really takes to build wealth and confidence over time.

Cramer’s latest book, How to Make Money in Any Market, continues his mission of empowering everyday investors to take control of their financial futures. From lessons learned running a hedge fund to insights from decades in media, Cramer’s message is clear: you don’t need to be a profession...

Global investors are rethinking diversification as APAC markets investing takes center stage. As monetary policies diverge and growth paths split across regions, Asia Pacific is emerging as a key source of resilience — and opportunity — in global portfolios.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Alex Brazier, Global Head of Investment & Portfolio Solutions, and Navin Saigal, Head of Global Fixed Income for Asia Pacific. Joining from Singapore, they share on-the-ground insights into how investor sentiment, policy divergence, and portfolio positioning are evolving across the region.

Alex explains how investors’ appetite for risk has re...

Artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful forces reshaping the global economy, technology, and investing. But understanding AI requires looking at the full story — where it began, how it is unfolding, and where it is headed next.

With recent headlines in OpenAI from its $100bn Nvidia investment to its release of Sora, this special in-depth episode of The Bid brings together highlights from across our conversations with BlackRock experts to trace the arc of AI’s evolution: its origins, today’s massive infrastructure build-out, the unprecedented power demand it creates, its adoption across industries, its geopolitical stakes, an...

Gold and bitcoin are in the spotlight again - and for good reason. In this special narrative format episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido weaves together expert insights from previous Bid episodes to explain why interest in gold and bitcoin is rising now and what investors should consider before treating them as portfolio diversifiers.

You’ll hear from BlackRock experts about gold’s enduring role and how growth fears, geopolitics, the U.S. dollar and real interest rates shape demand; and about bitcoin’s design - digital assets, blockchain, cross-border payments - and engineered scarcity, plus the reality of...

Retirement confidence is under pressure. While younger generations are entering the workforce with optimism, the latest Read on Retirement report reveals troubling gaps between savers, plan sponsors, and retirees. Only 38% of employers believe their employees are on track, and confidence among retirees has dropped to historic lows.

In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido speaks with Jamie Magyera, Head of BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory and Retirement Business, about the findings from a decade of retirement data. Together, they explore what’s driving the confidence gap and the bold actions needed to close it.

Jamie...

ETFs are at the center of how investors are navigating today’s rapidly changing markets. From active ETFs to thematic strategies around megaforces like artificial intelligence and infrastructure, innovation in exchange-traded funds is reshaping how portfolios are built.

In this special Ask Me Anything edition of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido sits down with Jay Jacobs, U.S. Head of Equity ETFs at BlackRock, to answer questions submitted by listeners. Together, they explore the evolving ETF landscape and how investors can better position themselves in a volatile world. Jay also highlights the link between AI and infrastructure - noting t...

Infrastructure investing is no longer a niche play — it’s at the center of today’s global economy and portfolios. In this episode of The Bid, we dive into why infrastructure investing is having a moment, how it connects to AI, and what megaforces are shaping the next decade of growth.

Host Oscar Pulido sits down with Balfe Morrison, Head of Listed Infrastructure Strategies, to explore the golden age of infrastructure investing. From data centers powering artificial intelligence to pipelines driving energy security and railroads transforming transportation, infrastructure is proving to be one of the most durable and exciti...

Fixed income investing is experiencing a powerful resurgence. With yields at multi-decade highs, income opportunities are abundant, yet investors must navigate uncertainty in capital markets and shifting macroeconomic dynamics. In this episode of The Bid, we explore why fixed income is once again a compelling anchor for portfolios.

Host Oscar Pulido sits down with Rick Rieder, Chief Investment Officer of Global Fixed Income at BlackRock, live from the Future Proof Festival in Huntington Beach. Together, they discuss why prioritizing income over duration is the key theme in today’s bond markets, and how investors can uncover opportunities across g...

The world of artificial intelligence continues to profoundly impact the stock markets and create investment opportunities. Despite a brief setback earlier this year, AI continues to push the boundaries of human ingenuity and drive market dynamics.

Oscar Pulido welcomes Tony Kim, head of the BlackRock Fundamental Equities Global Technology Team, and Michael Gates, lead portfolio manager of BlackRock's target allocation models. Fresh from their interactions with technology leaders in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Tony and Michael share their insights on the rapid advancements in AI, the efficiencies it brings to the economy, and the promising investment...

Continuing the summer series, The Bid brings back some of the best episodes from the last year. Oscar’s final pick is unpacking the meaning and the power of capital markets.

Capital markets are a powerful force in the global financial landscape. These markets connect long-term savings with productive uses of capital. Driving innovation, growth and job creation. But what are capital markets and how will they contribute to long-term global economic development?

Samara Cohen, chief Investment Officer of ETF and Index Investments at BlackRock joins host Oscar Pulido to explore the key differences in ca...