No ROI Yet. Fewer Recessions. Are You Making More Money? | 4 Things We Learned This Week

This week's Excess Returns Weekly Wrap examines when AI spending will translate into measurable end-user ROI, why the U.S. business cycle may now produce fewer recessions, and how Federal Reserve policy could combine lower short-term rates with a smaller balance sheet. Jack Forehand and Matt Zeigler break down insights from Andy Constan, Azeem Azhar and Aahan Menon on AI productivity, business-cycle shifts, asset prices and the tradeoffs between Wall Street and Main Street.Topics coveredWhy subsidized AI tokens may be masking the true economics of end-user ROIThe difference between personal productivity gains, cost savings and measurable business profitsHow the transition from electric light bulbs to assembly lines explains AI process redesignWhy adding more copilots cannot turn a legacy company into an AI-native enterpriseThe productivity J-curve and why promising AI investments may initially look unprofitableHow the shift from manufacturing toward services and technology changed the business cycleWhy housing and industrial indicators may be less reliable signals for the broader economyHow consumer conditions, equity wealth and technology investment increasingly drive growthWhy stronger balance sheets and policy intervention may be reducing recession frequencyHow lower short-term rates and a smaller Fed balance sheet could affect asset prices and inequalityTimestamps00:00 Intro and this week's triple-A lineup04:00 AI's long-term promise and medium-term transition risk08:18 Azeem Azhar on electricity as a model for AI adoption12:28 Why more copilots cannot create an AI-native company16:39 How services and technology changed the business cycle21:20 Why policy intervention may be smoothing recessions26:00 How Fed policy could rebalance Wall Street and Main Street30:05 Closing thoughts and where to follow Excess ReturnsLearn more about the Excess Returns podcast network:https://excessreturns.coNo information discussed in this podcast should be construed as investment advice. Securities discussed may be held by the hosts and guests, their firms or their clients.