The 10 best podcasts about finance, markets, and the economy in 2019

Podcasts are fast becoming a top medium for timely macro insights perhaps because they are often more convenient to consume than reading a lengthy tome or a jargon-filled academic article. In fact, we spend so much time listening to podcasts we've curated our top ten for you.

So, in no particular order:

. Erik Townsend hosts this interview-based podcast. It's one of the few that focuses on market views. Guests range from hedge managers to researchers. Check out this recent one with macro guru Juliette Declercq.

A podcast by one of our favourite bloggers: Barry Ritholtz. Geared more towards the process of investing, it can range from how to invest to how to hire talent. He interviews a wide range of industry players. I particularly like his interview of venture capitalist Ben Horowitz.

. David Beckworth hosts this excellent podcast, conducting in-depth interviews with economists on the big topics of the day. This is one of my go-to podcasts. Take a listen to this episode with Frances Coppola talking about helicopter money.

. Jim Grant has been a feature of rates markets for decades. He does tend to see bubbles and inflation everywhere, but his views always provide an important check on any optimism. He also gets different people onto the podcast, which allows for more varied discussions. For a sample, take a listen to his most recent episode on notable recent market events.

. Cambridge University's David Runciman hosts this politics podcast, and it's one of the best. He always has very smart contributors and the discussions are thoughtful and balanced. They also make predictions (sometimes). It leans towards the UK, but they do venture onto the European political scene too. Well worth a listen. Here's their take on Boris Johnson's recent victory.

This Bloomberg podcast hosted by Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway always has something interesting scheduled. Often, it's on market topics like the recent repo volatility, but other times it can be more left field like how online dating is affecting the economy. Here's an episode on Taiwanese life insurers that I particularly liked.

. Another Bloomberg podcast, this time hosted by Paul Sweeney and Lisa Abramowicz. This is newsier but still contains interesting analysis and viewpoints from excellent interviewees from all segments of the industry. It also has more markets content than pure economics. Here's a taster episode featuring the Fed's Robert Kaplan explaining why inflation will remain low.

This is for the nerd in you. The show features one-hour-plus interviews with authors of new books on economics. By the end of an episode you'll feel like an expert. I particularly liked this show on How China Escaped the Poverty Trap .

. One of the best podcasts on geopolitics, hosted by the think tank The Chicago Council On Global Affairs. It offers a wide range of topics (not just US-oriented ones), ranging from US dealings with Putin to Myanmar's global standing and peace in the Horn of Africa. Take a listen to this episode on which side India will take in the US-China rivalry.

. This is Deutsche Bank's podcast show. I find the show strikes the right balance between brevity and depth. It also covers a nice array of topics from the Chinese consumer to economic outlooks and decarbonising the economy. Check out Jim Reid's history of debt episode .

Bilal Hafeez is the CEO and Editor of Macro Hive. He spent over 20 years doing research at big banks JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and Nomura, where he had various "Global Head" roles and did FX, rates and cross-markets research.

NOW WATCH: A big-money investor in juggernauts like Facebook and Netflix breaks down the '3rd wave' firms that are leading the next round of tech disruption