Brian Sozzi

    Executive Editor

    Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance’s Executive Editor. He also hosts executive interviews for Yahoo Finance's 'All Markets Summit' conference and 'Yahoo Finance Presents' digital series. Sozzi was previously the Executive Editor of publicly traded financial media company TheStreet. He led editorial direction for multimedia publications TheStreet, The Deal, several subscription news and data services, video and the company's conference business. He was a member of TheStreet's executive management team and reported directly to the founder, CEO and chairman. Sozzi began his career on Wall Street as a sell-side stock analyst covering retailers, banks and numerous other sectors. He won the 2011 FT | StarMine Analyst Award for No. 3 Earnings Estimator in the Textiles Apparel and Luxury Goods Industry.

  • How to spot the tech unicorn to invest in: Opening Bid

    Finding the right investment can sometimes be difficult, while finding a sleeper hit investment that grows into something like Ring can seem impossible. M13 is known for investing in early-stage, disruptive tech companies that revolutionize consumers everyday life. But how can investors at any stage learn how to spot a tech unicorn like Ring? How can investors tell the difference between what's good and what's too good to be true? Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi is joined by M13 Co-Founder Carter Reum to give insight into finding success in calculated investments, spotting liars in business, AI in the labor force, and much more. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Buy now, pay later isn't creating 'phantom debt': Affirm CEO

    Affirm (AFRM) topped fiscal revenue estimates and narrowed expected losses per share in its third quarter earnings report. Affirm Founder and CEO Max Levchin joins Market Domination to break down the company's future as it navigates the Fed's high interest rates. "There is an oft-repeated narrative that it's a huge problem for Affirm that the rates are not coming down. And that's just plain inaccurate," Levchin tells Brian Sozzi. "So long as we are keeping job losses in check, people are able to spend, people are able to transact, people are also able to pay their bills, and that's really good for Affirm," he explains, attributing the company's strong quarter to the Fed's consistent rates. Levchin adds, "The economy is in a better shape than popular opinion will have you believe...From where we sit, people are spending," he explains, saying that Affirm's users are still able to pay their bills. While Affirm reported a strong quarter, not everyone is sold on the buy now, pay later scheme. Critics often point to the program as potentially creating a phantom debt issue, which Levchin aims to debunk. Monthly installments are reported to credit bureaus, he explains, adding that the weighted average life of 6-week loans is 3 weeks. "That is just a headline that is made up to get people riled up and click," he says. The CEO says that Affirm users are paying their bills "in a very predictable fashion." While describing credit cards as "buy now, pay forever," he says that Affirm has a rigid system that gives users control over their finances and allows them to adjust their payment timelines if needed, with no incremental fees. Having spent many years in the tech industry before Affirm, Levchin dubs himself as "an extreme techno-optimist." He says that people should be excited about artificial intelligence and points to Affirm's recent initiatives to use AI as a customer service agent. "We still guarantee that any human who wants to talk to a human will be able to do so," he explains, but overall, the company found that around 60% of the time, its AI chatbot satisfies user inquiries. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Melanie Riehl

  • SEC is taking a 'hostile' approach to crypto: Robinhood CEO

    Robinhood Markets (HOOD) recently received a Wells Notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about an alleged violation of registrations as a securities broker and transfer agent. The trading platform disclosed it was sent investigative subpoenas concerning cryptocurrency listings and custody. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev joins Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi to discuss the SEC's concerns with Robinhood's cryptocurrency arm and the state of regulation toward digital currencies. Tenev outlines the story with the SEC so far: "We have been trying to work with the SEC in good faith to register a special purpose broker dealer to trade crypto assets. Obviously that process was not reciprocated and that's unfortunate. We do believe we have the most compliant and safest crypto platform out there for customers. We're, as you probably know, extremely selective about the coins that we offer on the platform. They go through a rigorous vetting process, so it appears that the SEC is taking a hostile posture towards the crypto industry in general in the US." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Robinhood retirement accounts offer 'compelling' values: CEO

    Robinhood Markets (HOOD) posted its first-quarter results which revealed a gain in revenue, up 40% year-over-year, with revenue from crypto up 232%. Among the positive results showed thousands of customers sign up for Robinhood's retirement account offering, potentially on the back of rising retirement concerns around Social Security insolvencies. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi is joined by Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev to discuss the trading platform's successful quarter as well as the drivers for asset inflows, the boost from crypto engagement, and more. "When we talk to customers, particularly for our retirement product, they love the user experience and the 3% match that is evergreen for contributions is just among the most compelling offers they've seen," Tenev tells Yahoo Finance's Market Domination. "A lot of them don't have 401(k)s through employers. The ones that do sometimes don't have employers that match, so having Robinhood provide that service in an individual self-directed retirement product is really compelling." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Reddit is maturing as a company, CEO says

    Reddit shows that growing up fast may be good news for shareholders.

  • Reddit CEO: here comes profits and new tech

    Reddit (RDDT) beat first-quarter estimates on the top and bottom line in the social media platform's first earnings report since going public in March. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman joins Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi to talk the website's earnings figures, its CapEx (capital expenditure) spending, and Reddit's plans to revamp its user interface. "The thing about Reddit is its communities, and those communities represent every interest and hobby and passion imaginable. Which means in addition to being fun for users, basically every company's customers are on Reddit somewhere. and our ads technology is getting better and better," Huffman states. "And so if you're a company trying to reach your customers and know that 30% of our users are not on Instagram or Facebook or TikTok, other big advertising platforms, as a company, you can find your customers uniquely on Reddit, often in a moment where they're talking about your product or brand or vertical." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

  • 'Short-term volatility' ahead of election season: Nuveen CIO

    With new inflation data and the April Jobs report falling short of expectations, the Federal Reserve is in a tough spot, potentially putting investors in a tougher spot due to uncertainty. With the election season heating up, there is mounting challenges for the market. Yahoo Finance Anchors Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita are joined by Nuveen Investments CIO Saira Malik at the Annual Milken Global Institute Conference to discuss what investors need to keep in mind as the election approaches during this current economic environment. Malik reminds investors what they need to pay attention to: "We do have new things to consider this year even though the candidates are known, which would be sort of a positive for the markets because they like transparency and clarity. Think about artificial intelligence, potential misinformation, international issue issues, how we're dealing with all of these geopolitical issues. Those are going to be important to the voters. And that could also impact market movements and election volatility." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • It's time to be 'selective' with Big Tech: Nuveen CIO

    Several 'Magnificent Seven' names have announced major investments in AI technology after reporting strong earnings. Yahoo Finance Anchors Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita are joined by Nuveen CIO Saira Malik at the Annual Milken Global Institute Conference to discuss whether there has been an overallocation in Big Tech names, leading to possible underperformance. "I think it's the year of being selective, and you saw that last week with Meta (META), which actually put up a good quarter with 27% revenue growth. But the whisper numbers were for 30% revenue growth. Stock goes down because it's over over-owned. Now you look at Apple (AAPL), where if you look at the fundamentals of the quarter, it's more about the next iPhone cycle seasonality, trade. But the stock was under-owned. So Apple goes up. So I think that crowding in these tech stocks is important for these stocks," Malik tells Yahoo Finance. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Investors are now selective on election risk, tech: Nuveen CIO

    Markets (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) have seemed to price in higher for longer interest rates after the Federal Reserve made its latest monetary policy decision to keep rates unchanged. As inflation sticks around, however, the Fed's long-term rate picture remains unclear. Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita are joined by Nuveen Investments CIO Saira Malik at the Annual Milken Global Institute Conference to discuss the Federal Reserve, inflation, the overall state of the market, and more."I wasn't surprised to see payrolls miss this month. But they're still reasonably strong. Markets rallied last week on the Fed's comment because they were actually relieved that rate hikes were taken off the table," Malik comments on the market reaction to April's jobs report and Fed's rate hold last week. "I am not convinced that we're not going to see another rate hike. If inflation re-accelerates and the economy remains strong, I think you could be bringing a hike back on the table. It's not our base case, but I think it's still an issue out there." Catch more of Yahoo Finance's coverage at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Lazard Pres. talks markets, AI energy needs, election risks

    The Milken Institute Global Conference continues in California, with Lazard (LAZ) President Ray McGuire joining Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi and anchor Akiko Fujita to discuss market outlooks, AI investments, election risks, and more. McGuire says that investors approach markets from two perspectives: "What's in front of us and what's ahead of us." Regarding the immediate concerns, he notes that Lazard clients are primarily focused on "the impact of inflation, the markets, and valuations," as well as the Federal Reserve's policy decisions. On the other hand, the "what's ahead of us" perspective focuses on geopolitical and geo-economic risks that may materialize. Turning to the generative AI front, McGuire highlights the energy requirements associated with this rapidly evolving technology. He cites the Chips Act, emphasizing "the recognition that we need to be able to manufacture our own chips." This realization has prompted companies to invest heavily in capital expenditures, driving the construction of data centers and other AI infrastructure. However, McGuire says this movement will force the United States to simultaneously develop new energy sources to support the demand. As the US presidential election nears, McGuire notes that companies are "actively" considering the potential outcome and its impact on markets. Lazard aims to assist organizations with "scenario planning" for such pivotal events. However, McGuire notes that the risks extend beyond just the US election, as global elections could significantly influence supply chain investments. McGuire characterizes the current regulatory environment as "a headwind." He emphasizes that regulations "have become a factor in ways they haven't historically" when companies contemplate growth or expansion through mergers, acquisitions, and other deals. Catch more of Yahoo Finance's coverage at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Catalysts. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • How 'Masters of the Universe' will use the 'Barbie' playbook

    Mattel (MAT) is hoping that He-Man and his Power Sword can bring the same magic that "Barbie" brought to the box office. The company recently announced it's teaming up with Amazon MGM Studios (AMZN) to bring "Masters of the Universe" to the big screen on June 5, 2026. Speaking with Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference, Mattel Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz says the move is part of the company's "strategy to continue to capture value for Mattel outside of the toy aisle." While Kreiz admits that not every movie can be a "Barbie," Mattel is "absolutely looking to apply the same methodology and the same approach" to "Masters of the Universe." He also says the same ideas will be applied to marketing the movie, saying, "The approach will be about infusing purpose, creating cultural relevance and currency." Watch the video above to hear Kreiz discuss what's next for Barbie and his outlook for the holiday shopping season. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here. This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.

  • Trump and Biden both bad for the economy: Fmr. Speaker Paul Ryan

    Former House Speaker Paul Ryan sits down with Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita to discuss the economic agendas of 2024 presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump. "I think they're both bad for the economy," he tells Yahoo Finance. Regarding Trump, Ryan stresses that the former president lacks the "character" needed of the country's top leader. He adds that Trump's position on tariffs is "just bad economics" that will make American businesses less competitive. On the other hand, the former speaker says that Biden's increased taxes on small and medium-size businesses are also bad economic policies. But if the former speaker had to choose between the two, he would prefer Trump's agenda, saying, "I believe he would be better on regulations and taxes." Neither of the frontrunners will receive Ryan's vote on Election Day; instead, he says he plans to write in a Republican candidate. Click here to watch Yahoo Finance's full interview with former House Speaker Paul Ryan. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Melanie Riehl

  • Don't worry, inflation is going to settle: Stifel CEO explains

    The US economy is all about rates these days as the Federal Reserve opts to hold interest rates higher for longer, which has not eased mortgage rates for potential homebuyers still taxing around the housing market. Stifel Chairman and CEO Ron Kruszewski joins Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi at the 2024 Milken Conference to have a conversation about the strength of the US economy and whether Wall Street is still sobering up from its rate cut hopes heading into 2024. "I said I would've been surprised in January with whether it would be two and now, I'd be surprised if there's even one today," Kruszewski says, referring back to his comments to Yahoo Finance in January at the World Economic Forum. "And the reason for that is the economy's very strong. The inflation is stickier, it is persistent right here. It's gonna settle..." Kruszewski recognizes the Fed's caution around avoiding risks: "The risk is either not having a soft lining, which is a risk, or reigniting inflation. The bigger risk is clearly letting the inflation genie back out of the bag as you started to corral." He considers the Fed's scaling back of its Quantitative Tightening (QT) policy as its own kind of rate cut. Kruszewski goes on to speak with Sozzi about the long-term rate environment Americans could expect over the next ten years and market (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) behavior around domestic and global geopolitical events. Catch more of Yahoo Finance's coverage at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

  • Whole Foods CEO talks expansion, new tech and store formats

    As the Milken Institute's Global Conference unfolds in California, Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel joins Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor Brian Sozzi to delve into the company's growth plans, technological enhancements within the store, new product offerings, and more. Buechel highlights the company's recent unveiling of its ten-year vision, 'Growing With Purpose,'" which was revealed in January. The initiative aims to reconnect the company with its core values. Buechel hopes it will boost customer engagement and expand the company's reach and impact, ultimately enabling the grocer to "nourish people on the planet, which is our higher purpose." Recognizing the challenges posed by inflation, Buechel emphasizes that Whole Foods is actively working with suppliers "to minimize this impact." The company has also aimed to combat inflation for consumers by investing in its own private label to offer quality products at value-driven prices. However, Buechel acknowledges that Whole Foods is renowned for the quality and sourcing of its products and that the company aims to strike a balance by providing value while ensuring customers "can appreciate the work that goes into it at the same time." On the expansion front, Buechel expresses pride, noting that the grocery retailer plans to open more than 30 new stores annually, with 75 currently in production. This expansion is driven by customer interest and the company's plans to test new storefront formats, including the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop concept. Regarding technological advancements in stores, Buechel covers the implementation of Amazon's (AMZN) Dash Cart, a device that allows customers to pay for groceries as they shop, saving time. He emphasizes that the company's approach to technology implementation is driven by the desire to "simplify how we run our business" and create a more productive and seamless customer experience. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • '1 or 2 rate cuts' is the next move from the Fed: Strategist

    The Federal Reserve decided to keep rates steady after its two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, causing some uncertainty over the central bank's next move. However, following recent inflation data and April's jobs report, there might be room for the Fed to change rates. Schwab Asset Management CEO and CIO Omar Aguilar joins Market Domination to give insight into the Federal Reserve, the economy's growth, and more. Aguilar explains his predictions for rate cuts in this current environment: "Our estimate based on what we see, the economy is slowing down as well as the inflation finally getting to the point where the Fed might look at options, put us into 1 or 2 rate cuts for this year, most likely starting, more in the fall, more like in September, with still slight probability to do it in July. But certainly, I think the data on inflation will have to give plenty of reasons for the Fed to make that move in July." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Fmr. Speaker Paul Ryan on GOP 'nihilists,' Trump's econ. plans

    Former House Speaker Paul Ryan joins Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita to discuss the current state of US politics and the potential effects of the upcoming 2024 presidential election on the economy. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) has filed a motion to oust current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after disagreeing with his negotiation efforts with Democrats to pass a $1.2 trillion funding bill. "Shame on people who think that they should vacate a Speaker for a policy disagreement," Ryan says of Taylor-Greene. He believes that her efforts will not succeed and sides with Johnson, giving him credit for making a tough decision and saying, "You can't be good at these jobs unless you're willing to lose them." He explains that the rampant political dysfunction in Congress only "adds to uncertainty tax" hitting the US and its economy. On the issue of debt, Ryan believes that both 2024 presidential frontrunners will not do anything to alleviate the problem and are only "demagoguing those who are offering solutions." He warns, "We're walking ourselves into a very predictable crisis," and points to entitlement reforms that should be phased in to curtail the nation's growing debt. "You can't tax your way out of this," he explains, stressing that the debt crisis should be a bigger issue in the current election. Disagreeing with both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Ryan tells Yahoo Finance that he will be writing in a Republican on Election Day. Watch the video above to hear Ryan explain why both Trump and Biden are "bad for the economy." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. Be sure to check out more from Yahoo Finance's coverage of the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference. This post was written by Melanie Riehl

  • Disney CFO: We feel 'terrific' about our streaming progress

    Disney (DIS) signaled it is closing in on profitability for all of its direct-to-consumer streaming services and networks, according to its fiscal second-quarter earnings results. While topping quarterly earnings estimates, Disney reported slowing experience spending by customers. From the 2024 Milken Conference, Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi speaks to Disney CFO Hugh Johnston — who was brought on board at Disney in December 2023 — about the media giant's strategy for its streaming platforms (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN) and linear TV segments. "You're gonna see prices steadily go up over time in the streaming service, mostly because the content we have is worth paying for. So obviously we generate a lot of our own IP [intellectual property], both on the television series side as well as on the movie side," Johnston says. "And in addition to that, as we continue to build out the streaming service, in particular putting an ESPN tile on later this year and then adding ESPN flagship as an option next year, uh, we think there's just gonna be more and more value there for consumers, and they'll be willing to pay more for it." As streaming subscriptions dominate a good chunk of Disney's revenue, Johnston believes Disney is soon going to "hit a point" where linear customers will begin leveling off: "Eventually we're at the point where it's just the stayers that will be there." Johnston also discusses the performance of Disney parks businesses around the world, whether ripples of an economic slowdown are appearing in consumer spending, and Disney's proxy battle victory against activist investor Nelson Peltz. Catch more of Yahoo Finance's coverage at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

  • How Pinterest ad revenue is 'accelerating': CEO

    Pinterest (PINS) has boosted its advertising efforts with deals from tech giants like Amazon (AMZN) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL). The company has also utilized AI to improve personalized recommendations for its users. Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita are joined by Pinterest CEO Bill Ready at the Milken Global Institute Conference to discuss the impact of new deals from tech giants. On the success of the deals with his company, Ready states that some of the increase ad revenue comes from: "It's really because of the actionability of the platform. That's through a combination of efforts. A lot of it is retailers coming to us directly, but then we've also, as you noted, augmented that first-party demand on our platform with third-party demand coming from Amazon...Google we added more recently... And so that is helping to bring more shoppable, actionable inventory on to the platform, but it really is a composite effect. What I would say, if you step back from it all, Pinterest is firing on all cylinders." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination Overtime. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • The biggest risk to investing in 'Magnificent 7' stocks like Nvidia and Amazon, according to top CEOs

    It's good practice for investors to think beyond the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, the CEOs of Apollo and Avenue Capital Group said.

  • CFTC chair on derivatives bets and future crypto framework

    Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) officials are weighing whether to ban the use of derivatives to bet on the outcome of the US election. Derivatives are investments based on the value of an underlying security, group of assets, or benchmark, which can include stocks, bonds, commodities, index funds, and cryptocurrencies. CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam sits down with Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi and Akiko Fujita at the 2024 Milken Conference to discuss this proposal as his agency seeks to prevent fraud or forms of manipulation that could compromise the election. "We've had obviously issues around election integrity, allegations of it over the past few years, if there are issues around elections, we can end up becoming involved in a civil enforcement action with underlying elections, whether at the local level, state level, or federal level," Behnam explains. "We play an important role in terms of risk management and price discovery, and I do hear from a lot of people how they benefit from these prediction markets. But there are other ways to use these prediction markets besides elections... The commission has to vote. That remains to be seen." Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted to 25 years in prison in March for defrauding the crypto exchange's investors, customers, and lenders. Additionally, Binance Founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao received four months in prison after a plea deal with US authorities in connection to money laundering charges. Benham has seen a massive increase in suspected fraudulent activity in the crypto space, having to allocate "nearly 50% of our enforcement docket" in 2023: "That's a staggering statistic for a derivatives regulator that oversees trillion dollar markets in FX, credit, agriculture, energy, metals, and interest rates as well." "The fact that I'm having to allocate 50% of my enforcement resources towards an unregulated market, again, is a staggering statistic. And I think one that demonstrates how much fraud and manipulation there is in the market and how much of a strong need there is for a traditional regulatory framework so that we can push that fraud and manipulation out." Catch more of Yahoo Finance's coverage at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.