Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 13/10/2026There's a sentiment indicator in here somewhere... 160
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026What part of top-heavy Jenga Tower didn't you understand? 010
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Please 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. 041
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026What 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. 030
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Whether 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. 010
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026How 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. 010
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 08/10/2026There's a sentiment indicator in here somewhere... 030
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 06/10/2026There's a sentiment indicator in here somewhere... 030
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 03/10/2026That 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? 082
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I'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. 181
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 29/09/2026"Come with me and you'll see a world of pure imagination..." 050
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 28/09/2026As 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. 020
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 27/09/2026A 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. 000
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 24/09/2026FWIW - This is one of the least appreciated aspects of our K-Shaped Economy. 173
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Feelings of uncertainty--> fear Feelings of powerlessness--> frustration Feelings of uncertainty paired with feelings of powerlessness--> despair 050
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Just 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. 040
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026While 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. 020
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Our 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. 000
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Given current consumer sentiment, I suppose this was inevitable. 162
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 22/09/2026More than anything, what this election season is exposing is the misalignment of interests and priorities among current policymakers of both parties and Main Street. 020
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 22/09/2026We 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. 130
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 20/09/2026A 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. 032
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Circular Incestuous Interdependent Whatever term you choose, money makes the AI world go round... 020
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 17/09/2026FWIW - 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." 1195
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Something something certainty and control... Or in this case powerlessness and uncertainty. 111
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 13/09/2026A 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. 030
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 04/08/2026I sense i may have inadvertently struck a nerve. 053
Reposted by Peter AtwaterGeorge Pearkes @peark.es · 04/08/2026lol *BESSENT: 'I GET SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THIS K-SHAPED ECONOMY' 141518
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 04/08/2026FWIW - 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. 2102
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 04/08/2026FWIW - I'm not sure I've ever seen a moment when policymakers jawboned so many markets at once. 0134
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.comWe 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. 074
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 26/07/2026A 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. 020
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 23/07/2026FWIW - 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. 2153
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.blogState champsCompared 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… 012
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 19/07/2026The arm of the K has become a slippery slope... 041
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 19/07/2026A 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. 140
Peter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 18/07/2026ICYMI - 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.comPeter Atwater 020
Reposted by Peter AtwaterPeter Atwater @peteratwater.bsky.social · 10/07/2026The 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... 1245