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Peter Atwater

@peteratwater.bsky.social
1.7K followers 165 following 761 posts

President of Financial Insyghts. Adjunct Professor William &Mary. Author of "The Confidence Map." Lover of bad puns.

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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
There's a sentiment indicator in here somewhere...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Meanwhile at the bottom of the K...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
What part of top-heavy Jenga Tower didn't you understand?
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Good thing no one saw this coming...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Please take a moment to appreciate that there have been commensurate changes in the confidence. We now have the invulnerable at one end of the economy and the desperate at the other.
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Reposted by Peter Atwater
Ivan the K ™ @ivanthek.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
K™
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Because of course they are...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
What is so interesting about this moment in history is that the once-disruptive "Davids" are now the "Goliaths" - the rich and powerful targets of a new generation of Davids who seek to upend the Establishment.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Whether in business or politics, dominant leaders create two classes of followers: beneficiaries and victims. And here, it is worth considering that the skill most valued and rewarded is followership.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
How many more acts of impunity do we need to see from sports franchise owners before the crowd awakens to the behavioral pattern? Asking for a friend.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
There's a sentiment indicator in here somewhere...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"dossier"
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
There's a sentiment indicator in here somewhere...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
That we are seeing so many atop the K now act with impunity should surprise no one. How did you think those who feel invulnerable in every dimension of their lives would act?
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I've been looking for an suitable analogy. How does this one work? Leaders of the fraternity have a moral obligation to self-regulate the house to ensure the under-age freshmen pledges don't drink.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Come with me and you'll see a world of pure imagination..."
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As we approach the midterm elections, I encourage you to ignore political identity and to consider where on The Confidence Quadrant American voters are today. Outside of the top 1%, they're a mix of fearful, frustrated, and desperate. None want the status quo.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A Sunday morning thought. Each box of the Confidence Map has a distinct feeling which, in turn, drives what we want and do. So, how do you feel today? Whatever journey you're on, it's worth taking a moment to appreciate your current location on the Map.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
FWIW - This is one of the least appreciated aspects of our K-Shaped Economy.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Feelings of uncertainty--> fear Feelings of powerlessness--> frustration Feelings of uncertainty paired with feelings of powerlessness--> despair
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Just a reminder that when policymakers act in response to extreme sentiment, it always with a "Me Here Now" intensely tactical mindset. Strategy - let alone future consequences - is the last thing on their minds.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
While all eyes are on gas prices, it's important to appreciate that for those at the bottom, it is in addition to all the other ways they feel powerless and uncertain. FWIW - The cumulative weight of their "Stacked Vulnerabities" is getting mighty heavy.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our morning garage band name - "The Midterm Candidates" - comes from the headlines. While you may not know the names of the individual band members, you've almost certainly heard the group's latest hit, "Begging For A Diesel Bailout." It's playing everywhere.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Given current consumer sentiment, I suppose this was inevitable.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
More than anything, what this election season is exposing is the misalignment of interests and priorities among current policymakers of both parties and Main Street.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We are now six weeks from Election Day and neither major party has offered a resonant and compelling message on voters' number one concern: affordability. For challengers, there may be no better moment to oust incumbents left and right.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Policymakers follow mood...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The media follows mood...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
A Sunday morning thought: In decision-making, adjectives trump facts. What makes something safe or affordable or healthy or long-lasting isn't data; it is our beliefs. And there, it is important to remember that our beliefs always mirror our mood.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Circular Incestuous Interdependent Whatever term you choose, money makes the AI world go round...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The media follows mood...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
FWIW - My latest assessment of sentiment in the footwear space: "Maybe it is just me, but it feels like we have arrived at a point where Wall Street must believe people are going to walk on their hands ahead."
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Something something certainty and control... Or in this case powerlessness and uncertainty.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Meanwhile, atop the K...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It's almost like investors hate footwear.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A Sunday morning thought: Agency is inward; it is the ability to make the choices we want. Control is outward; it is the ability to generate the outcomes we want. We need to appreciate that there is a difference between feeling empowered and feeling confident.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Meanwhile, for those NOT atop the K...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I sense i may have inadvertently struck a nerve.
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Reposted by Peter Atwater
George Pearkes @peark.es · 04/08/2026
lol *BESSENT: 'I GET SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THIS K-SHAPED ECONOMY'
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
FWIW - I was sick and tired of talking about the K-Shaped Economy years ago. Unfortunately, not only have policymakers done nothing to help close the divide, they made it worse and expanded it to more than the economy.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
FWIW - I'm not sure I've ever seen a moment when policymakers jawboned so many markets at once.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
"We are leaning on resilience because we live in disquieting times. More than that, though, it’s an inherently pessimistic ideal: an admission that the best we can hope for is to muddle through." Required reading from Shawn Donovan. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
We Are Living in an Era of Resilience. That’s Not Good.
From the economy to climate change, our growing celebration of resilience says less about our strength than about a world we increasingly expect to be unstable.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
A Sunday morning thought: Moving from the Passenger Seat to the Launch Pad is the hardest move on the Confidence Quadrant. Why? Because it is our choice and, if we fail, it's on us. What we forget is the same is true when we choose to remain in the PS. That's our choice too.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
FWIW - Hugging Face is to AI as Tom Hanks was to COVID. Tipping points don't have to be big. They just have to confirm our worst fears.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"When we’re captured by the death spiral of scarcity and dominance, we’re signing up for a journey that’s all about the destination, a destination we’re quite unlikely to reach." seths.blog/2026/07/stat...
seths.blog
State champs
Compared to what? 98% of the time, the state champ loses at nationals. Every billionaire but one isn’t the richest person in the world. Only one of the 300 people who direct a feature film ea…
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"Permanently Higher Airfares"
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
The arm of the K has become a slippery slope...
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
A Sunday Morning Thought: It is said that you need confidence to succeed. That is not true. Confidence comes from being successful. With that being the case, it is important to remember that success comes not from having confidence but by what we do when we are without it.
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
ICYMI - With the passage of time, our always on, 24/7 social media cycle creates a virtual carnival midway, where the only way to be heard is to become a circus barker touting a sixteen-headed lady. www.panoptica.com/peter-atwater/
panoptica.com
Peter Atwater
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Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
The challenge with an "Attention Economy" is that, over time, what draws a crowd must become more and more absurd and be delivered with greater and greater stridence. Welcome to the Circus Barker Economy. My latest thoughts: panoptica.com/the-circus-b...
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