Barry Knapp
Barry Knapp is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ironsides Macroeconomics, an independent research firm providing macroeconomic and public-policy strategy to institutional investors, wealth managers, banks, and corporations. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to Macro Risk Advisors, delivering top-down macro insights and equity-market analysis. With nearly four decades of Wall Street experience, Knapp has built a broad career across equity derivatives, portfolio strategy, fixed income, macro research, principal trading, and public-policy evaluation. Before launching Ironsides, Knapp held senior leadership roles at several global financial institutions. He served as Senior Managing Director and Head of Macro & Public Policy Strategy at Guggenheim Securities; Managing Director and Head of Thematic Strategies at BlackRock Fundamental Fixed Income, helping manage nearly $40 billion in unconstrained global fixed-income portfolios; Chief U.S. Equity Portfolio Strategist at Barclays Investment Bank; and Managing Director in Principal Trading and Equity Derivatives at Lehman Brothers. He is also a recognized commentator on macroeconomic developments, frequently appearing on CNBC to discuss interest rates, inflation, labor-market dynamics, and policy-driven market trends.
Barry Knapp Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Managing Partner
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Senior Managing Director and Head of Macroeconomic and Public Policy Research
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Managing Director
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Managing Director and Chief U.S. Equity Portfolio Strategist
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Managing Director
At Barclays Investment Bank, Barry Knapp served as Managing Director and Chief U.S. Equity Strategist, becoming one of the firm’s most visible market voices.
He represented Barclays in the U.S. media with more than 50 television appearances each year and regularly guest-hosted CNBC’s top-ranked Squawk Box.
His research ranked among the firm’s most engaged content, consistently placing in the Top 3 most-read Barclays publications, supported by more than 250 client meetings annually and frequent citations in leading financial news outlets.
During his tenure at Lehman Brothers, Knapp ran a multi-asset macro trading book and helped manage an equity division that remained highly profitable during the global financial crisis.
He developed trading strategies around Federal Reserve policy, including yield-curve positioning and cross-market credit-spread themes, while also producing internal macro strategy notes and speaking on firmwide morning calls.
A longtime advocate for tactical asset allocation using index options, Knapp promoted approaches that gained momentum following the rapid expansion of options-based strategies after the 1987 market crash.
MEDIA PRESENCE
Knapp is widely recognized for his market commentary and has been featured across major financial media platforms.
His insights on economic cycles, central-bank policy, recession risk, and market dynamics have appeared on CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, BNN Bloomberg, Fox Business, Business Insider, Barron's, Real Vision, and other prominent outlets.
His views remain sought after by reporters and investors looking for informed macroeconomic and market analysis.