Episode summary
Odd Lots Celebrates 10 Years
Bloomberg Surveillance
· · Hosts: Joe Weisenthal, Tracy Alloway · Guests: Tom Keene
Summary
Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway used Odd Lots’ 10-year anniversary to look back at how the show began, with Tom Keene as the first guest and an early test case for an experiment that was still undefined. They recalled the original goal as a weekly conversation about economics, finance, markets, market structure, and even politics and culture, with an early instinct to avoid just repeating the day’s headlines.
The hosts said the show had a long runway because podcasting was still early, Bloomberg did not yet have a podcast team, and there was little internal pressure to optimize for growth. Over time, they said the format shifted from deliberately offbeat topics like banjos, guitars, and charting by hand toward a mix that is still wide-ranging but somewhat more timely, including episodes on the dairy industry and recurring deep dives such as semiconductors.
They also argued that the show’s value comes from not talking down to listeners. Tracy Alloway said the audience wants to learn, and the show often learns alongside them. Looking ahead, they pointed to a bigger community built around the podcast, newsletter, Discord channel, and live events, with 2026 expected to be a bigger year for that expansion.
Key takeaways
- The hosts said Odd Lots started as a broad conversation about markets and ideas, not just the day’s news, with Tom Keene as the first guest.
- Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway said they had unusually little pressure early on, because podcasting was still nascent at Bloomberg and elsewhere.
- Tracy Alloway said the show succeeds by not oversimplifying and by letting listeners learn alongside them, especially on long-running topics like semiconductors.
- The hosts said the franchise now extends beyond audio into a daily newsletter, a Discord community, and more live shows, with 2026 expected to be bigger for live events.
Notable quotes
“We want to have a discussion every week about economics, finance, markets, market structure, which Tracy loves, maybe some politics and culture thrown in stuff”
“We had a very long runway in doing this because as you said, even ten years ago, podcasts were not as popular as they are now”
“I think what we've discovered through all bots is that people really want to learn”
“We started talking about those in early 2020 and then everyone just gets interested in it”
“I was definitely a guinea pig and you guys were so desperate that you didn't have anybody else to talk to”
How the episode opens
Hello and welcome to the first episode of Odd Lots. I'm Joe Weisenthal, co-host of What'd You Miss? and editor at Bloomberg Markets, Noam Tracy Alloway, executive editor of Bloomberg Markets here at Odd Lots.
We want to have a discussion every week about economics, finance, markets, market structure, which Tracy loves, maybe some politics and culture thrown in stuff that doesn't necessarily fit into the normal day to day conversation. And we couldn't think of any guest better to have than Tom Keene Am I kidding? Pig?
You You're the guinea pig. Okay, Thank you. It was really something.
Good morning, all of you. Across the nation and around the world. Good morning on YouTube.
Please subscribe to Bloomberg podcasts. Add lots with a tense year. I was definitely a guinea pig and you guys were so desperate that you didn't have anybody else to talk to.
Tracy Alloway. Joe Weisenthal in celebration of what they have wrought. How did you two meet?
I need to start with that. You were in the Financial Times. I'm rich.
I said this the other day in a taping. You re Tracy Alloway and you're like, Dammit, she's smart. Joe Weisenthal singlehandedly changed journalism in Business Insider Did you meet before being Berger here?
We met before Bloomberg. I mean, we mostly met on the internet. We had like Matt, like in a bar probably, and some sort of like journalists Happy hours.
Well, so Joe was always sort of a presence just floating in the Internet. In my first time we met in person, I remember distinctly because it was at a bar in midtown and I was excited to meet you. And I go up to you and you know how the first time you meet someone you expect a little bit of small talk.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- odd lots 10-year anniversary
- podcast recap
- newsletter history
- joe weisenthal and tracy alloway
- tom keene early guest
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Bloomberg
Watch the episode
Watch “Odd Lots Celebrates 10 Years” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from Bloomberg Surveillance
-
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: November 12th, 2026 | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Jensen Huang Ousted by Nvidia Board as CEO | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: November 11th, 2026 | Bloomberg Surveillance -
AI Stocks Rebound as Fed Hike Bets Return | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Bloomberg Surveillance TV: November 10th, 2026 | Bloomberg Surveillance -
Stocks, Bonds Fall as CPI Data Fuel Fed-Hike Bets | Bloomberg Surveillance
Bloomberg Surveillance, this episode and its artwork belong to Bloomberg. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
