Rising interest rates and the end of easy money were two factors in the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and a subsequent stock market run on shares of regional banks. Questions were raised about the safety of the entire U.S. banking industry.

We examine risk in banking, investing and the broader economy.

Federal regulators faced harsh criticism for the latest bank failures. Progressives blamed politicians who eased regulations on medium-sized and small banks. Some on the right claimed that DEI — Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — distracted SVB from focusing on risk management.

Our guest is economist and risk expert Allison Schrager, author of "An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk". She also writes frequently for Bloomberg Opinion and City Journal.

This episode looks at the causes of the recent bank panic and the current outlook for the financial industry.

The last time the U.S. faced a major showdown over the debt-ceiling was a decade ago. Much like today, House Republicans insisted on spending cuts before they would vote to raise the amount of money the government could borrow. Then-President Obama and now President Biden said they would not negotiate.

Who will blink first?

Nearly all economists and financial experts say that a debt default would have extremely serious consequences for the everyday economy and America's place in the world.

We look at the massive U.S. debt mountain, who has leverage in the current game of chicken, and discuss why both political parties are so reluctant to get serious about the debt. Our guest, fixed income specialist and economist, Chris Low of FHN Financial comes up with potential fixes.