Narrative vs. Positioning: Where Data Drives Alpha

Bob Sloan and Charlie Gasparino on Iran's economic collapse, Powell's basement-office off-ramp, the college sports money grab, how positioning data cuts through narratives like the SaaS apocalypse, how short positioning called the Big Tech print, the real story behind the Avis squeeze, KOSPI overheating, and the $950M mystery trade fueling corruption claims.00:00 Opening01:16 Iran on the brink: the Strait of Hormuz, the rial at 1% of value, and why markets aren't panicking06:08 Powell's off-ramp: the DOJ investigation, Thom Tillis, and the Office Space basement plan09:39 College sports and NIL: booster clubs, seven-year quarterbacks, and Utah's $500M private equity deal21:23 Big Tech earnings: short positioning called AMZN, META, and MSFT23:44 This week's picks: long AIG, long Linde, short Colgate-Palmolive25:42 Narrative vs. positioning: trades clear instantly, narrative lags 90 days26:50 The SaaS apocalypse is wrong: S&P 1500 software flows tell a different story29:13 Avis (CAR): two funds, 70% of the float, and why this was never a meme squeeze32:14 KOSPI overheating: 4.8% short interest, Z-scores at 5–7x, S3's direct KRX feed36:25 The $950M mystery short: insider trading, mosaic theory, and the Polymarket Army Ranger42:27 Milken preview, Mamdani vs. Ken Griffin, and why NYC's budget is bigger than Florida'sLearn more about the data featured in the episode at: www.S3Partners.com