In light of US president Barack Obama's historic trip to Havana co-hosts Cardiff Garcia and Shannon Bond discuss the state of the Cuban economy, including the evolution of the dual currency system, new opportunity for foreign investment and Mr Obama's attempt to claw away at the trade embargo. Then, economist Caroline Freund describes the relationship between the emergence of billionaires in poor countries and the ability of those countries to move quickly up the development ladder, the topic of...
Mar 24, 2016•46 min
David Burkus, author of Under New Management, joins co-hosts Shannon Bond and Cardiff Garcia to debate the merits and pitfalls of open-plan offices, transparent salary structures and unlimited vacation policies. Then, Citi's chief global political risk analyst, Tina Fordham, discusses the extent to which the economy effectively prices in political risk, and reveals the findings from her recent paper on the missed potential of women in the global economy. Visit FT.com/alphachat for show notes and...
Mar 18, 2016•50 min
Economist David Beckworth discusses his case for measuring the economy with nominal GDP targetting as well as a recent op-ed in which he blames the Federal Reserve for the severity of the 2008 recession. Then, FT equities correspondent Nicole Bullock breaks down the war between the IEX trading venue made popular in Michael Lewis's Flashboys, and the incumbents, NYSE and Nasdaq. Plus, a look inside the corporate jet scene at top US companies, as well as long form reading and listening recommendat...
Mar 11, 2016•44 min
Just as the US 2016 election race is heating up, Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico and Libertarian candidate making his second bid for the White House, discusses his immigration, fiscal and monetary policy, as well as legalising marijuana. Then, hosts Cardiff Garcia and Shannon Bond take a deep dive into the world of campaign finance. Tracking the funding of the 2016 campaign, the Center for Responsive Politics looks at who can spend money on political campaigns, how much they can spen...
Mar 01, 2016•54 min
Author and hedge fund manager Jeff Gramm talks to the FT's John Authers about the biggest boardroom battles of the last century, from the proxyteers of the 1950s, to the corporate raiders of the 80s and the hedge fund activists of today. Then, in an excerpt from the FT's Alphachatterbox podcast, writer and NYU Shanghai professor Clay Shirky outlines the rise of Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, a company considered to be the most valuable startup of all time. Go to FT.com/alphachat for show notes and ...
Feb 26, 2016•45 min
A thinking, learning and trading computer could one day outwit the brightest fund manager. US markets editor Robin Wigglesworth explains how hedge funds are turning to artificial intelligence and computer scientists to develop algorithms that can spot market trends with break-neck speed. Then, Mohamed El-Erian discusses his new book "The Only Game in Town" as well as his roadmap for avoiding the next market collapse, with the FT's senior investment commentator John Authers. Plus a proposal for a...
Feb 19, 2016•38 min
More than 30 years after China instituted the one-child policy to temper population growth, the country's demographics have greatly transformed. Author Mei Fong joins hosts Shannon Bond and Cardiff Garcia to talk about the societal and economic implications of the policy, the subject of her book "One Child". Later, the blood testing device developed by Theranos was expected to disrupt the healthcare sector, but that seems less likely now that it has run into regulatory trouble. FT journalists Da...
Feb 12, 2016•47 min
Peking University professor Michael Pettis visits the FT to discuss the role that debt plays in the rebalancing of the Chinese economy. Then, Trump's bombastic stump speeches and interviews have been a ratings boon for US media. Global media editor Matt Garrahan joins hosts Shannon Bond and Cardiff Garcia to explain how the 'Trump Effect' has impacted conservative talk radio and television shows. Go to FT.com/alphachat for show notes and links. Music by Yeyey and Minden. Clips courtesy of The La...
Feb 05, 2016•49 min
Corporate short-termism, or a company's tendency to reduce internal investment and focus on share price and dividend payments, is widely criticised by economists and politicians for its effect on the stock market. Michael Mauboussin, head of global financial strategies at Credit Suisse, explains his skepticism about this consensus. Then, a recent Goldman Sachs report suggests more millennials lived in their parents' homes in 2015 than the year before, despite a strengthening jobs market. The FT'...
Jan 29, 2016•1 hr 1 min
As malware becomes easier for even non-technical bad actors to use, the risk of sensitive information being compromised becomes ever greater. FT investigations correspondent Kara Scannell sheds light on some of the biggest security threats facing companies in 2016. Then, Alphaville's Matt Klein offers some explanations on the new year market jitters. Finally, the clash between Detroit's automakers and Silicon Valley's tech giants in the race to create the smartest vehicle. The FT's US industry c...
Jan 22, 2016•37 min
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos next week, replete with captains of industry and world leaders. The FT's US managing editor Gillian Tett and Fusion's senior editor Felix Salmon join host Cardiff Garcia to debate the merits of the gathering of the rich and powerful in the Swiss Alps. They also discuss the theme of privacy in an age of enhanced security measures and new technology. Finally, with the workforces of several developed countries expected to shrink in t...
Jan 15, 2016•50 min
President Barack Obama intends to expand background checks on gun sales and target online firearm marketplaces like Armslist.com that have created a loophole for people prohibited from purchasing guns. US policy correspondent Barney Jopson explains. Then, as the Consumer Electronics Show wraps up in Las Vegas, correspondents Leslie Hook and Tim Bradshaw talk about the latest tech gadgets on display at the conference, including new developments in virtual reality and a smart phone-controlled runn...
Jan 08, 2016•39 min
In a year when the Federal Reserve announced the first interest rate rise since the financial crisis, mergers and acquisitions activity brought record-breaking deals, Silicon Valley's unicorn companies continued to raise large rounds of funding, and property tycoon Donald Trump topped the polls in the Republican primary race, US reporters and editors at the FT discuss how the biggest stories of 2015 will impact what is to come in 2016. Music by Minden and Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Dec 23, 2015•30 min
Cuban dissident Miriam Leiva speaks with Cardiff Garcia in Havana about the life of her late husband, Oscar Espinosa Chepe, an economist with an irrepressible instinct to tell the truth to a government that did not want to hear it – for which he was repeatedly and severely punished. Then Gary Silverman on a trip to Arizona, where he discovered a free travel zone for Mexican shoppers who want to cross the border. Finally, a review of “Hamilton”, the hip-hop Broadway musical depicting the life of ...
Dec 19, 2015•1 hr 2 min
Economists widely agree that Janet Yellen and the Fed board will lift interest rates at the December 16 meeting but expectations vary just as much when it comes to longer term monetary policy. Capital markets correspondent Eric Platt joins Shannon Bond to discuss. Then, a shrinking in America's middle class to less than 50 per cent of the population for the first time since the early 1970s comes under examination from Washington-based FT correspondents Sam Fleming and Shawn Donnan. Finally, econ...
Dec 11, 2015•31 min
Author Sean Silcoff calls in from Toronto to discuss the rise and fall of BlackBerry, the topic of the book he co-wrote, "Losing the Signal". Then, Patrick Chovanec of Silvercrest Asset Management discusses the IMF's plan to include the renminbi in its basket of reserve currencies. Finally, why is one Chicago group pushing back against George Lucas's gift of a museum for the city? Neil Munshi discusses with host Shannon Bond. Music by Kevin MacLeod, The Womb and Kai Engel. Hosted on Acast. See a...
Dec 04, 2015•44 min
Car sales in the US are set to hit a record high this year, helped by the post-recession resurgence of the sport utility vehicle. As President Barack Obama prepares to visit Paris next week for the UN climate change conference, host Shannon Bond asks FT journalists Ed Luce and Robert Wright what the SUV boom means for the government's efforts to steer Americans toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. Then, the FT's Robin Wigglesworth and Matt Klein examine how a $2bn IMF-led bailout program is help...
Nov 26, 2015•32 min
The Rise of the Robots author Martin Ford stops by to discuss his pessimistic outlook on the future of automation after winning the FT-McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award this week. Then, San Francisco correspondent Hannah Kuchler breaks down how Facebook is turning to user data to power its artificial intelligence products. Finally, US retail sales are lagging in advance of the critical holiday shopping season, even as total consumer spending grows. FT correspondents Lindsay Whipp and Eric...
Nov 20, 2015•45 min
When "Reclaiming Conversation" author Sherry Turkle sat down with co-host Shannon Bond, she had more to say than could fit in this week's episode of Alphachat. Ms Turkle talks about the effect of screens and smart phones on office conversation and productivity, and how to create device-free zones at work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 14, 2015•16 min
Sherry Turkle, clinical psychologist and MIT professor, stops by to speak with host Shannon Bond on how our addiction to our tech devices has stunted our ability to converse with friends, family and colleagues - the topic of her new book "Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age". Then, FT journalists break down the differences in valuing public and private tech companies, especially the so-called unicorn startups. Finally, a preview of the latest Alphachatterbox episode featu...
Nov 13, 2015•55 min
HBO announced this week that the company will embark on a four year production deal with the former Comedy Central star, beginning with short-form content for the channel's digital platforms. Co-hosts Cardiff Garcia and Shannon Bond discuss how Stewart's new role signals HBO's move to focus on growing its online-only audience. In the latest sign of the mounting difficulties faced by Bill Gross, George Soros has pulled $500 million from Janus Capital. What's going on with the former Pimco bond ki...
Nov 05, 2015•55 min
Alphachat went on the road this week to visit Angus Deaton at Princeton University. Host Cardiff Garcia previews a few excerpts from his conversation with the 2015 Nobel Prize in economics winner. Then, the rush of activity in the pharmaceutical sector, including a potential Pfizer and Allergan mega-deal, is discussed by pharma correspondent David Crow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 29, 2015•36 min
The new memoir of former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, titled The Courage to Act, is discussed by US economics editor Sam Fleming and Cardiff Garcia, and how Mr Bernanke's legacy might affect the way in which the current Federal Reserve board decides to raise interest rates. Then a debate about the future of video content creators as streaming services take the place of traditional television with media editor Matt Garrahan and correspondent Shannon Bond. Finally, the surprisingly globa...
Oct 23, 2015•49 min
Guest host Shannon Bond speaks to FT correspondents about the blockbuster AB Inbev deal with SABMiller and what it will mean, if approved by regulators, for the beer market. Then, Matt Lieber of podcast network Gimlet Media stops by to talk about the company behind the popular StartUp podcast. Finally, Shannon previews an excerpt from the Alphachatterbox conversation with economics commentator Greg Ip on his new book Foolproof: Why safety can be dangerous and how danger makes us safe. Hosted on ...
Oct 16, 2015•44 min
Media correspondent Shannon Bond asks San Francisco correspondent Hannah Kuchler and management editor Andrew Hill what Jack Dorsey's dual CEO roles at the messaging company and payments group Square mean for both companies' future. Producer Aimee Keane reports from the annual #FTPubQuiz in New York. Finally, Cardiff Garcia previews one more excerpt from his long-form Alphachatterbox interview with chief economics commentator Martin Wolf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...
Oct 09, 2015•29 min
In this episode of Alphachat, Cardiff Garcia previews an interviewwith Anne-Marie Slaughter about her newly released book, UnfinishedBusiness, on gender equality in the workplace and at home. ShannonBond calls in from Washington to explain how the visit to the US ofPresident Xi Jinping of China was eclipsed in US media by coverage ofPope Francis, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Finally, author EmilyParker stops by to discuss the political and societal implications ofexpanding internet access in...
Oct 02, 2015•38 min
Host Cardiff Garcia previews an in-depth interview with the FT's chief economics commentator, Martin Wolf, who has just finished a new afterword for his book, The Shifts and the Shocks; Business correspondent David Crow discusses the sharp falls in biotech stocks following Hillary Clinton's pledge this week to crack down on the growing cost of prescription drugs; John Authers speaks to Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller about his new book, Phishing for Phools. Plus, Cardiff reveals details of a new F...
Sep 24, 2015•47 min
In this episode of Alphachat, host Cardiff Garcia and FT media correspondent Shannon Bond assess the winners and losers of a disappointing debate among Republican candidates for the White House. Then, San Francisco correspondent Hannah Kuchler calls in to discuss the growing success of YouTube video stars. Finally, Cardiff and fellow Alphavillian Matt Klein reflect on the much anticipated rate decision from the Federal Reserve board. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 17, 2015•38 min
The Federal Reserve board meets next week to decide on whether or not it will raise US interest rates. Host Cardiff Garcia speaks to US markets editor Robin Wigglesworth and US economics editor Sam Fleming about the potential implications. Then, John Authers sits down with Andrew Ang, head of factor investment at Blackrock and business professor at Columbia University, to discuss sovereign wealth funds and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 10, 2015•43 min
Host Cardiff Garcia is joined by Ella Atkins, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, to discuss the technology, regulatory issues and potential risks of the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 02, 2015•41 min
