The Wall Street Skinny

by Kristen and Jen

This podcast is a smart and entertaining peek into the world of investment banking, sales & trading, private equity, hedge funds and more. Hosted by two lifelong friends with a passion for teaching, and over two decades of experience on Wall Street. Discover the basics, ranging from “what is investment banking?” to “what moves markets?". Learn about different roles and exit opportunities, and get tips on how to land the job. Our mission is to make the world of Wall Street accessible to everyone, while keeping things relatable and fun.

Whether your goal is to work on Wall Street, or if you have NO idea what any of those things are and just want to learn some basics, this podcast is for you.

Episodes

29. Q&A! The WACC, Interview Tips, Circularity in Models, and Essential Skills for Traders

51m · Published 07 Oct 12:00

Another listener favorite Q&A episode, where Kristen and Jen tackle real questions submitted by our listeners. We use these questions as teaching tools to explain concepts far beyond the scope of any individual question, so be sure to stay tuned to learn valuable insight about the world of Wall Street. Our questions in today's episode include:

1. How does changing the WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital) impact valuation when running a DCF (Discounted Cash Flow) analysis? What are the different theories of optimal capital structure and how does this all fit into the real world when companies are choosing whether to issue debt or equity?

2. How do I ace my interview in a markets-based job, like the sales and trading division of an investment bank?

3. Why do we need circularity in investment banking models?

4. How do I know when to stop "buying the dip" when trading the markets?

If you have any questions you'd like answered in a Q&A episode of our podcast, please write to us at [email protected]

28. NYC Survival Guide: The Economics of Working on Wall Street

1h 3m · Published 30 Sep 02:00

So you've finally landed your first job on Wall Street at an investment bank, consulting firm, hedge fund, private equity fund, asset manager, or venture capital fund....NOW WHAT?

Navigating the ins and outs of housing, transportation, clothes, food, and entertainment your first year on the job --- especially in New York City, the world's most expensive place to live --- can be incredibly daunting. We share what to expect, lessons learned, and helpful tips to set you up for success from day one.

(Disclaimer: nothing in this episode is intended as financial or tax advice, please consult a qualified tax professional)

27. Venture Capital 101

1h 3m · Published 23 Sep 11:00

In today's episode we sit down with Camilo Acosta, founder & general partner of Perceptive Ventures, an early stage venture firm, and walk through everything you want to know about Venture Capital (“VC”). We cover differences between Angel Investing vs. VC, what a company needs for different series rounds (pre-seed, seed, series A, series B and beyond), how venture capital differs from Growth Equity, what it takes to get into the Venture Capital world, and much much more.

Camilo Acosta is the founder & general partner of Perceptive Ventures, an early stage venture firm focused on AI-first investments across the U.S. and Latin America. Prior to founding Perceptive, he built generative AI products at Meta used by millions of people. Before Meta, he built a machine learning based payments company that partnered with businesses worldwide before it was acquired in 2020. He holds a BA from Princeton University, and is based in San Francisco, California. You can follow him on Twitter @camilobacosta

26. Valuation 101: How Do You Value a Company?

49m · Published 16 Sep 11:00

What is a company "worth"? We are tackling this question in a multi-part series, starting with valuation 101. We walk through the three primary methods of valuation: the discounted cash flow model ("DCF"), public comparables, and precedent transaction/acquisition comparables analysis....and explore how they fit together on what's called a Football Field. Also, we explore the meaning behind the jargon you hear about all the time ---Iike EPS and P/E ratios --- but might not fully understand!

25. Fixed Income Investing 101 feat. Brian Weinstein

1h 12m · Published 11 Sep 21:00

What is fixed income investing, how does it work, and what is the landscape like on the buy-side? We are proud to present one of our most exciting and high profile interviews EVER with Brian Weinstein, head of Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM). We discuss the current market environment, credit products, economic policy & inflation, and we ask the tough question: can the yield curve really predict the future? For anyone interested in exploring a job on the buy side, we talk about the path to a career, some of the key skills required, and what the relationship of portfolio managers and researchers looks like at one of the world’s biggest asset managers.

Brian Weinstein is the Head of Fixed Income and a member of the Operating Committee of Investment Management at MSIM. He joined the firm in 2018 from Blue Elephant Capital Management, a fintech focused private credit asset manager, where he was co-founder and CIO. Prior to that role, Brian spent 16 years at BlackRock, where he was the Head of Fundamental Institutional Fixed Income, overseeing $300 billion across multiple fixed income-based strategies. Brian earned a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania.

24. Q&A: Treasury Stock Method, Relative Value Trading, The Yield Curve & More!

57m · Published 02 Sep 11:00

Welcome back to the Wall Street Skinny with Kristen and Jen! To kick off today's episode, we answer listener questions about:

Ownership and EPS (earnings per share) dilution when analyzing companies using the Treasury Stock Method in corporate finance. We unpack the concept of a relative value trade, specifically a high yield vs. investment grade trade in the credit derivatives market of CDS and CDX. Then we switch gears to discuss a single name credit analysis in the context of a rumored leveraged buyout by a private equity firm and the potential impact on a company's existing bond holders. And finally we dive into the concept of the yield curve, explaining how the term structure of interest rates not only reflects current monetary policy, growth & inflation expectations, and risk appetites...but also impacts nearly everything financial decision you make in your daily life!

23. Quant Trading, AI, and More feat. Dr. Harry Mamaysky

1h 4m · Published 26 Aug 11:00

Wall Street's analytics and technology are evolving at a record pace. What are the roles of quantitative models, and AI in the financial services industry today? What does it mean to be a "quant", what is a "quant fund", and what quantitative skills are required for someone starting their career on Wall Street today? Will AI and algorithms help us become smarter, or send the best and brightest to the sidelines? We explore these questions and more with Professor Harry Mamaysky of Columbia University who is the co-founder of Quant Street.

Dr. Harry Mamaysky is a partner at QuantStreet Capital, which offers investing and portfolio management services to individuals, family offices, and businesses. Harry is also a Professor at Columbia Business School, where he is the Director of the Program for Financial Studies. Harry’s research focuses on the application of natural language processing and machine learning techniques to investing. Harry is a frequent industry and academic speaker. Prior to his time at Columbia, Harry spent many years in finance practice, rising to the position of senior portfolio manager at Citigroup, where he also served on the firm’s Risk Executive Committee. Harry was a professor at the Yale School of Management, which he joined after earning his PhD in Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds BS and MS degrees in computer science and a BA in economics from Brown University.

If you have been inspired by this episode and want to follow Harry or learn more, you can find him at the links below.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-mamaysky/ (LinkedIn)
www.quantstreetcapital.com (the firm website)
https://quantstreet.substack.com/ (Substack finance blog)
business.columbia.edu/faculty/people/harry-mamaysky ( Columbia page)
https://twitter.com/HMamaysky (Twitter or X)

22. How to Become a Markets Guru: Understanding the Investment Banking Clients

1h 2m · Published 19 Aug 11:00

What is best kept secret for understanding market dynamics and being good in investment banking? You must understand: WHO are the firm’s clients and WHY they need you? We arm you with the intel to ace any banking interview — either on the IBD corporate advisory side, or on the Sales, Trading, and Research side of the bank — by explaining a select few clients’ motivating factors. We talk about hedgers vs. speculators in the markets, and strategic vs. financial buyers in the world of acquisitions. In this episode, we also explain duration and convexity hedging through the lens of GSEs, bank portfolios, mortgage servicers, pension funds, and insurance companies. By the end of the hour, you’ll understand giant forces moving global markets in new ways. Plus, you’ll now be able to tell all your friends that you learned how convexity works by watching Barbie.

21. Q&A! Prop Trading, DCF vs. LBO, Beta, Consulting vs. Banking and More!

58m · Published 12 Aug 11:00

We tackle these listener questions and more in our latest Q&A episode!

1. What is the difference is between prop trading and the trading you hear about in the sales & trading division of an investment bank? And how does a prop shop differ from a hedge fund?

2. When running a DCF and choosing your beta for CAPM, when do you use the industry average beta vs. when do you use the company beta? We also get into predicted betas vs. historicals, levering and unlevering betas, if R squared is useful in making decisions about your beta, why banks purposefully don't use what the academics say to use and more.

3. What are these mysterious Greek letters that people in finance toss around like delta, beta, and gamma?

4. Why would some industries like natural resources not use LBOs and instead only use a DCF, like for example when constructing a toll road.

5. How do you choose between a career in banking or consulting?

If you want us to answer YOUR questions in our next Q&A, please write to [email protected].

20. Interview Horror Story, FIG Banking, Meme Stocks and More! Feat. Anish Mitra

1h 2m · Published 05 Aug 11:00

When you hear talking heads yelling at you or see a crazy meme on the internet telling to buy or sell a stock, how do you know if they are right or wrong? Today we sit down with Anish Mitra, host of the hilarious podcast Laughing Stocks to discuss his journey through FIG Banking, investing in Goldman Sachs' reinsurance group (now Global Atlantic, part of KKR), and talent development at Goldman Sachs before venturing into the world of comedy and content creation. Anish explains how FIG banking differs from traditional banking (hint it doesn't really), how the foundational training on Wall Street gives you a toolkit with which to analyze companies and form investment theses, and we hear some crazy stories from back in the day when Kristen actually interviewed Anish for a job at Morgan Stanley Sales and Trading. Spoiler alert: it didn't go well.

Anish graduated from Brown in 2010, worked in FIG banking at Barclays then moved to a buyside role at Goldman Sachs (now Global Atlantic, part of KKR), then to talent management at Goldman Sachs when he finally left the finance world to pursue a career in comedy. He now combines all his interests: finance, education and comedy as a content creator. You can find him on Instagram and TikTok at anishkmitra and on LinkedIn, and his podcast Laughing Stocks on your favorite podcasting platform.

The Wall Street Skinny has 69 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 62:45:06. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on December 24th 2023. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 18th, 2024 14:10.