Wall Street Wednesday #13: THE STAGFLATION TRAP
When Prices Keep Rising but the Economy Starts Slowing

What happens when inflation remains elevated, borrowing costs stay high and economic momentum begins to weaken?

In this episode of the Unbearably Bullish Podcast, host Donald Johns takes the economy into the emergency room to examine the warning signs of a potential stagflationary environment.

Stagflation is one of the most difficult economic conditions for consumers, businesses, investors and central banks because it combines persistent inflation with stagnant—or potentially contracting—economic growth. Fighting inflation may require tighter financial conditions, but supporting a weakening economy may call for the opposite response.

That is the policy trap.

In this educational Wall Street Wednesday episode, we explore:

• What stagflation means—and what it does not mean
• How oil and energy prices can move through the economy
• Why Treasury yields and borrowing costs matter
• How inflation affects consumers and corporate profit margins
• Why weaker confidence and labor demand deserve attention
• How pricing power can separate resilient businesses from vulnerable ones
• The Bull, Bear and Humanoid perspectives
• Seven indicators on the Stagflation Dashboard
• The five-part P.R.I.C.E. Stress Test

P — Pricing Power
R — Refinancing Risk
I — Input Costs
C — Consumer Dependence
E — Earnings Resilience

The Bull searches for resilience and opportunity.

The Bear warns about margin pressure, household strain and refinancing risk.

The Humanoid ignores the emotion and asks: What does the evidence confirm?

The objective is not to predict a recession, declare stagflation or identify automatic winners and losers. It is to understand how energy, inflation, interest rates, employment, credit and consumer behavior can interact—and how investors can evaluate those relationships more carefully.

🎙️ Unbearably Bullish Podcast
Official podcast of The Bull You Can’t Bear
Hosted by Donald Johns
🌐 www.thebullyoucantbear.com

Strong Markets. Stronger Mindset. Unlimited Opportunity.

Disclosure: This program is provided solely for general educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing presented constitutes financial, investment, legal, accounting or tax advice; an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security; or an endorsement or recommendation of any company, security, commodity, asset class or investment strategy. Market and economic information is based on publicly available information available as of September 30, 2026, and may be rounded, revised or change after recording. The Bull, Bear and Humanoid are fictional storytelling characters used to present educational perspectives. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Conduct independent research and consult appropriately qualified professionals before making financial decisions.

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