Peter Atwater
@peteratwater.bsky.social
President of Financial Insyghts. Adjunct Professor William &Mary. Author of "The Confidence Map." Lover of bad puns.
Feels like a good morning to reshare this excerpt from my blog post on "Why 'Unsinkable' Markets Matter"
www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-un...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-un...
November 22, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Feels like a good morning to reshare this excerpt from my blog post on "Why 'Unsinkable' Markets Matter"
www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-un...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-un...
FWIW - I can't shake the feeling that this has the high likelihood of becoming a classic "middle finger" bar chart...
November 21, 2025 at 1:02 AM
FWIW - I can't shake the feeling that this has the high likelihood of becoming a classic "middle finger" bar chart...
I liked the building remnants at the bottom of the image above. This image came in a very close second.
Do you feel lucky?
Do you feel lucky?
November 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I liked the building remnants at the bottom of the image above. This image came in a very close second.
Do you feel lucky?
Do you feel lucky?
Move over Jenga Tower. Welcome to the Water Tower Economy!
An enormously heavy, intensely fragile, closed system of liquidity at the very top with not much of anything below it to keep it from swaying should a strong wind blow...
An enormously heavy, intensely fragile, closed system of liquidity at the very top with not much of anything below it to keep it from swaying should a strong wind blow...
November 16, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Move over Jenga Tower. Welcome to the Water Tower Economy!
An enormously heavy, intensely fragile, closed system of liquidity at the very top with not much of anything below it to keep it from swaying should a strong wind blow...
An enormously heavy, intensely fragile, closed system of liquidity at the very top with not much of anything below it to keep it from swaying should a strong wind blow...
When we think of traumatic events, we tend to focus exclusively on their cause - the accident, the attack...
In writing "The Confidence Map" I learned that no matter the cause, the impact of traumatic events was the same: feelings of extreme powerlessness & intense uncertainty.
In writing "The Confidence Map" I learned that no matter the cause, the impact of traumatic events was the same: feelings of extreme powerlessness & intense uncertainty.
November 15, 2025 at 1:22 PM
When we think of traumatic events, we tend to focus exclusively on their cause - the accident, the attack...
In writing "The Confidence Map" I learned that no matter the cause, the impact of traumatic events was the same: feelings of extreme powerlessness & intense uncertainty.
In writing "The Confidence Map" I learned that no matter the cause, the impact of traumatic events was the same: feelings of extreme powerlessness & intense uncertainty.
LOL - Jenga Tower metaphors are everywhere!
November 13, 2025 at 7:51 PM
LOL - Jenga Tower metaphors are everywhere!
Of the many visualizations of the K-Shaped Economy, I always find myself returning to this one from the brilliant artist Tomas Walenta which accompanied a @wsj.com column by @mims.bsky.social five years ago.
November 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Of the many visualizations of the K-Shaped Economy, I always find myself returning to this one from the brilliant artist Tomas Walenta which accompanied a @wsj.com column by @mims.bsky.social five years ago.
I am delighted to announce that thanks to the wonderful team at China Translation & Publishing House (CTPH), the complex character edition of "The Confidence Map" is now available.
It's wild to me that my book is now printed in four languages!
It's wild to me that my book is now printed in four languages!
October 29, 2025 at 2:53 PM
I am delighted to announce that thanks to the wonderful team at China Translation & Publishing House (CTPH), the complex character edition of "The Confidence Map" is now available.
It's wild to me that my book is now printed in four languages!
It's wild to me that my book is now printed in four languages!
No. But the full series - that includes COVID offers broader context. Thankfully, searches (and the presumed related need) have been on decline since then 2021. That said, the long-term trend is deeply troubling.
October 25, 2025 at 8:56 PM
No. But the full series - that includes COVID offers broader context. Thankfully, searches (and the presumed related need) have been on decline since then 2021. That said, the long-term trend is deeply troubling.
Houston, we have a problem.
And probably plenty of other American cities.
And this is before SNAP payments end.
And probably plenty of other American cities.
And this is before SNAP payments end.
October 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Houston, we have a problem.
And probably plenty of other American cities.
And this is before SNAP payments end.
And probably plenty of other American cities.
And this is before SNAP payments end.
FWIW - The current state of America's Legislative Branch of our government is a case study on the Passenger Seat - where those on the right appear to have chosen to be there while those on the left feel imprisoned there.
October 23, 2025 at 12:24 PM
FWIW - The current state of America's Legislative Branch of our government is a case study on the Passenger Seat - where those on the right appear to have chosen to be there while those on the left feel imprisoned there.
Something something K-Shaped Economy...
October 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Something something K-Shaped Economy...
I wrote "The Confidence Map" to help others understand how our feelings of certainty and control drive how we feel, what we want, and what we do.
Think about where you were last Sunday and where you are now on the Quadrant below and how that shift in location changed everything
Think about where you were last Sunday and where you are now on the Quadrant below and how that shift in location changed everything
October 12, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I wrote "The Confidence Map" to help others understand how our feelings of certainty and control drive how we feel, what we want, and what we do.
Think about where you were last Sunday and where you are now on the Quadrant below and how that shift in location changed everything
Think about where you were last Sunday and where you are now on the Quadrant below and how that shift in location changed everything
I see UK policymakers have moved from trickle down to bottoms up economics...
October 9, 2025 at 10:09 AM
I see UK policymakers have moved from trickle down to bottoms up economics...
As I watch the aftermath of the Tricolor and First Brands bankruptcies, I am reminded of the book "Where's Waldo?" as the crowd scrambles to figure out who the unlucky are who have exposure.
October 9, 2025 at 12:14 AM
As I watch the aftermath of the Tricolor and First Brands bankruptcies, I am reminded of the book "Where's Waldo?" as the crowd scrambles to figure out who the unlucky are who have exposure.
It will be very interesting to see how the crowd reacts to this article when it hits the print edition of Sunday's NYTimes.
nytimes.com/2025/10/07/m...
nytimes.com/2025/10/07/m...
October 7, 2025 at 8:09 PM
It will be very interesting to see how the crowd reacts to this article when it hits the print edition of Sunday's NYTimes.
nytimes.com/2025/10/07/m...
nytimes.com/2025/10/07/m...
$78 Billion in deals and nobody even blinks...
October 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
$78 Billion in deals and nobody even blinks...
For those still wondering where we are in the cycle...
September 27, 2025 at 12:42 PM
For those still wondering where we are in the cycle...
To butcher Sesame Street, one of these things is just like the other.
That we are now seeing similar societal challenges in the UK (as well as across Europe) makes perfect sense given the extraordinary parallels in consumer sentiment.
That we are now seeing similar societal challenges in the UK (as well as across Europe) makes perfect sense given the extraordinary parallels in consumer sentiment.
September 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
To butcher Sesame Street, one of these things is just like the other.
That we are now seeing similar societal challenges in the UK (as well as across Europe) makes perfect sense given the extraordinary parallels in consumer sentiment.
That we are now seeing similar societal challenges in the UK (as well as across Europe) makes perfect sense given the extraordinary parallels in consumer sentiment.
FWIW - They aren't swerving to the left; they are moving to the bottom...
September 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
FWIW - They aren't swerving to the left; they are moving to the bottom...
"The K-shape to our economy is no longer just a story about the divergence between those at the very top and the very bottom of the economy; it is a statement on the widening gap between those at the top and everyone else."
linkedin.com/pulse/our-k-...
linkedin.com/pulse/our-k-...
September 25, 2025 at 11:28 PM
"The K-shape to our economy is no longer just a story about the divergence between those at the very top and the very bottom of the economy; it is a statement on the widening gap between those at the top and everyone else."
linkedin.com/pulse/our-k-...
linkedin.com/pulse/our-k-...
As you look at the chart below, please appreciate:
Just 13% of U.S. workers aged 15 and older earn more than $100,000 a year.
Men are twice as likely as women to make over $100K.
Adults aged 35 to 44 are the most likely to earn six figures.
Just 13% of U.S. workers aged 15 and older earn more than $100,000 a year.
Men are twice as likely as women to make over $100K.
Adults aged 35 to 44 are the most likely to earn six figures.
September 25, 2025 at 8:41 PM
As you look at the chart below, please appreciate:
Just 13% of U.S. workers aged 15 and older earn more than $100,000 a year.
Men are twice as likely as women to make over $100K.
Adults aged 35 to 44 are the most likely to earn six figures.
Just 13% of U.S. workers aged 15 and older earn more than $100,000 a year.
Men are twice as likely as women to make over $100K.
Adults aged 35 to 44 are the most likely to earn six figures.