Peter Atwater
Peter Atwater is Adjunct Professor of Economics at College of William and Mary, and President of Financial Insyghts, a consulting firm that advises institutional investors, Fortune 500 executives, and global policymakers on how social mood affects decision making, the economy, and the markets. Atwater is a pioneer in securitization and a long-time financial services executive. He studies the impact of changing confidence on consumer decision-making, using his research to advise investors, business leaders, and policymakers. After a successful career in financial services, including 13 years with JPMorgan and executive leadership roles at Bank One, he turned his attention to socionomics – how changes in social mood drive changes in our behavior. Today, through his firm, Financial Insyghts, he brings a practical understanding of the world of finance coupled with a keen awareness of human decision making.
Peter Atwater Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Adjunct Professor, Economics Department
Academic History
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BA, Economics
EXPERTISE & EARLY CAREER
Given his talent to knit Wall Street, Main Street, and Constitution Avenue, Atwater is a renowned favorite of the media.
He writes and speaks about how changes in confidence affect our preferences, decisions, and actions.
He built and then ran JPMorgan’s asset-backed securities business.
He also served in executive roles at First USA, Bank One and Juniper Financial.
He was called "one of the smartest guys you have never heard of on anything financial" by Herb Greenberg of CNBC.
He has also written financial articles for the World Policy Institute.
He coined the term the “KShaped Recovery" to describe the extreme confidence divide that he saw between those at the top and bottom of the economy, arising from the pandemic.
MEDIA & APPEARANCES
His work on social mood and decision-making has been featured in The Socionomist, Time Magazine, and The Financial Times.
He is also a frequent commentator on television, appearing on CNBC and Fox Business News.
He has appeared as a guest on Real Vision and 2021 Real Vision Festival of Learning.