Wall St. Shook By ‘Sell America’ & BlackRock’s CEO Says Capitalism is Not Working

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Morning Brew Daily 27 min 3 speakers 4 chapters transcribed
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Neal Freiman 0:02
Good morning, Brew Daily Show. I'm Neil Freiman. And I'm Toby Howell. Today is the Sell America trade back on.
Toby Howell 0:08
Then BlackRock CEO Larry Fink roasted capitalism during a speech at Davos. It's Wednesday, January 21st.

What does 'Sell America' mean in today's economic climate?

Toby Howell 0:16
Let's ride.
Neal Freiman 0:23
Toby, what's the date today?

How did BlackRock's CEO critique capitalism at Davos?

Toby Howell 0:25
I literally just said it. It is January 21st.
Neal Freiman 0:27
Oh, my B. I don't have my Morning Brew daily desk calendar with me here in Switzerland. It's basically the only way I know what day it is.
Toby Howell 0:35
Desk calendar? Say more.
Neal Freiman 0:37
Yeah, so Morning Brew has this games-focused desk calendar for 2026. Each day of the year, you'll get a new game, trivia, crosswords, puzzles, and they're all really great because guess what? I helped put it together.
Toby Howell 0:48
Self promo, Neil. No, this calendar really is great. Put it on your desk, put it on your nightstand. If you have a kitchen island, I'm jealous, but you can also put it there. If you want to give yourself or someone else the gift of a productive way to procrastinate, head to shop.morningbrew.com to see Neil's handiwork. Check it out. It's really fun. And now a word from our sponsor, Indeed. Neil, has AI changed the way you work?
Neal Freiman 1:13
Well, now instead of asking you questions directly, I ask my AI-powered Toby bot questions like, why are you like this? Why do you ask?
Toby Howell 1:21
Well, we're here at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, along with Indeed, who are diving into things like how AI impacts jobs, transforms skills, and employer adoptions.
Neal Freiman 1:30
Indeed will be sharing real-time insights like that into the global labor market and how leaders can navigate the workforce challenges and opportunities ahead.
Toby Howell 1:38
They're also helping business leaders and hiring professionals dive into these perspectives through Indeed's Global Labor Market and Workforce Trends Report.
Neal Freiman 1:46
This report includes also where job opportunities are growing, where skills shortages and mismatches could impact business performance, and how immigration patterns are shaping workforce capacity.
Toby Howell 1:55
Together, these insights help leaders prepare for what's next and make better workforce decisions grounded in real-time data. Learn more at Indeed.com slash Davos. That's Indeed.com slash Davos.
Neal Freiman 2:07
Yesterday really put the red in the red, white, and blue. American assets had their worst day since last April as President Trump's insistence on acquiring Greenland unnerves investors over the safety of USA Inc. The S&P 500 had its worst day in four months, dropping more than 2% and erasing its entire gain for 2026. Tech dragged the index lower with each member of the Magnificent Seven falling at least 1%. The dollar fell against a basket of other currencies. Gold, sorry for being a broken record, surged to a new record. And treasury bonds tumbled, sending yields higher. The sell-off broke a long spell of calm in the stock market, which had largely brushed off major geopolitical upheaval in recent weeks.
Neal Freiman 2:49
It shrugged when the U.S. captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise raid and also ignored when Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he was under criminal investigation. But the events of the past few days seem to have caught the attention of investors. President Trump threatened eight European allies with tariffs come February 1st, unless Denmark sells Greenland to the U.S., and the EU has vowed to respond with an economic barrage of its own. Toby, it's important to emphasize just how big of a shift is occurring right now. Historically, when things get hairy, investors flock to the safety of American assets, a lighthouse in the tempest. In these uncertain days, they're yanking their American investments.
Neal Freiman 3:26
Some say it marks a profound shift in the world economic order.
Toby Howell 3:29
Yeah, maybe the best emblematic emblem of that shift is the fact that a large Danish pension fund is literally selling U.S. Treasuries right now. They sold $100 million because of finance concerns. The investing chief says the decision was driven by what it sees as poor U.S. government finances in America's debt crisis. And this is something that could spread beyond just this one Danish pension fund because $100 million in the grand scheme of things isn't a lot of money, which feels weird to say, but it's true in terms of U.S.

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