Jeremy Hunt has ordered ministers to find more than £2bn to fund public sector pay rises this year, JPMorgan is trying to scoop up Silicon Valley Bank’s clients, and a US court denies a watchdog’s request to block the Microsoft-Activision merger Mentioned in this podcast: Nvidia in talks to be an anchor investor in Arm IPO JPMorgan hires dozens of start-up bankers to capitalise on SVB collapse US judge denies FTC attempt to block Microsoft’s Activision deal Behind the Money: Frances Haugen’s les...
Jul 12, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hedge funds have cut their bets on a rising US stock market to the lowest level in at least a decade and pivoted to Europe, a top US banking regulator has announced tougher capital rules for a broader range of lenders, and Dutch PM Mark Rutte is quitting politics after the collapse of his coalition. Plus, the FT’s Henry Foy explains why Nato is torn over whether to admit Ukraine. Mentioned in this podcast: Hedge funds slash bets on US after rally and pivot to Europe Top US bank watchdog ou...
Jul 11, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel is set to start voting on controversial judicial reforms on Monday and the largest US banks are expected to report the biggest jump in loan losses since the onset of the pandemic. Plus, global manufacturers are shifting business out of China to Vietnam. Mentioned in this podcast: Benjamin Netanyahu faces fresh wave of resistance to Israeli judicial reform plans Wall St to report biggest jump in loan losses since pandemic Vietnam becomes vital link in supply chain as business pivots ...
Jul 10, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Investors sold stocks and bonds across the world on Thursday as US borrowing costs touched a 16-year high, US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen is in China, and Meta said more than 30mn people had signed up to its long-awaited competitor to Twitter. Plus, the FT’s Africa editor David Pilling explains why conservation in the Congo has become contentious. Mentioned in this podcast: US borrowing costs hit 16-year high as markets roiled by jobs data Janet Yellen to visit China in new US push to ...
Jul 07, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US and Germany are among the western allies falling behind in delivering promised heavy weapons to Ukraine, and big asset managers are flocking to Latin American bonds and currencies. Plus, the FT’s Africa editor David Pilling introduces us to some conservationists working to protect elephants from poachers in the Congo River Basin. Mentioned in this podcast: Latin America’s bonds and currencies lure yield-hungry investors In search of the ‘village of the elephants’, deep in the ...
Jul 06, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel’s raid on the West Bank reignites fears of escalating violence, Switzerland is looking into potential Russian sanctions violations and we continue our series on the Congo Basin with David Pilling, the FT’s Africa editor. Plus, meme stock traders shop for Bed Bath & Beyond. Mentioned in this podcast: Switzerland questions oil trader over sidestep of Russian sanctions In search of the ‘village of the elephants’, deep in the central African rainforest Eight injured after car rams ped...
Jul 05, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast The UK’s financial watchdog has summoned bank chief executives to address concerns that savings rates are lagging behind the surging cost of mortgages, Internet brand, Yahoo, is planning a return to the public markets, and the FT has released an investigation into sexual allegations toward celebrated architect, David Adjaye. Plus, the FT’s Africa editor, David Pilling, takes us to one of the biggest rainforests in the world. Mentioned in this podcast: UK watchdog summons bank bosses t...
Jul 04, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Apple has been forced to make drastic cuts to production forecasts for the mixed-reality Vision Pro headset, French president cancels a trip to Germany as protests continue in Paris over the police killing of a teenager, and the Nasdaq Composite recorded its best first half of the year since 1983. Plus, the FT’s Taylor Nicole Rogers tells us what resuming student loan payments will mean for borrowers and the larger economy. Mentioned in this podcast: Apple forced to make major cuts to Vision Pro...
Jul 03, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elon Musk took over Twitter with the promise of promoting free speech and making the loss-making platform profitable again. But his critics say he’s destroying Twitter’s culture and driving it to bankruptcy. How much danger is the company really in? In the first episode in a new series of Tech Tonic, Elaine Moore, deputy editor of the FT’s Lex column, asks whether Musk will save Twitter or destroy it. In this episode we hear from Evan Henshaw-Plath, one of the original creators of Twitter; Rumma...
Jul 01, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US Supreme Court has curbed universities’ ability to consider race in admissions, turmoil at the top of Thames Water has left the UK government scrambling to prepare contingency plans, and China has passed a new foreign relations law that deepens President Xi Jinping’s control over the country’s external relations. Plus, the FT’s Raphael Minder explains how Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko ended up brokering a deal to stop the attempted coup in Russia. Mentioned in this podcast: US S...
Jun 30, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sterling suffers biggest one-day fall against the dollar in a month following UK growth fears, US banks are stepping up the sales of their loan portfolios, and Odey Asset Management continues to spiral after an FT investigation into sexual misconduct allegations at the hedge fund. Mentioned in this podcast: US banks step up sales of loan portfolios to private lenders Odey Asset Management in talks with SW Mitchell over Oliver Kelton’s funds Wall Street shares waver as central bankers warn ...
Jun 29, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sierra Leone’s president, Julius Maada Bio, has won a second term in office, the US Supreme Court rejects a Republican election plan, and a New York court has ruled that FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried cannot dismiss the criminal charges against him. Plus, a leading Japanese semiconductor equipment maker has accepted a $6.4bn buyout offer from a state-backed fund. Mentioned in this podcast: Bio secures second term as Sierra Leone leader US Supreme Court affirms state courts’ authority over electio...
Jun 28, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast The head of the Wagner militia has denied trying to overthrow the Russian government, and western banks may not be able to participate in the Shanghai IPO of Swiss chemicals group Syngenta. Plus, the Federal Reserve’s campaign to increase interest rates is doing damage to short-term bond yields. Mentioned in this podcast: Wagner chief hails march on Moscow as ‘masterclass’ but denies coup bid Bets on bond renaissance frustrated by stubbornly high inflation China’s biggest IPO in years poses $9bn...
Jun 27, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wagner troops withdrew from Russia late Saturday night after an abandoned coup attempt on Moscow, Greek prime minister Kyriako Mitsotakis won re-election in a blowout, and foreign investors viewed Turkey’s first interest rate rise in years as a ‘baby step’ towards ending the country’s economic crisis. Mentioned in this podcast: Kyriakos Mitsotakis set for return to power in Greek elections Wagner troops withdraw as Russian uprising leaves Putin weakened Investor scepticism remains after Tu...
Jun 26, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Home prices in the US and UK skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic. In a special four-part series, we explored how they got so out of whack and what might work to bring back some balance. Mentioned in this podcast: Homesharing offers a cheaper alternative to rental accommodation Turning offices into condos: New York after the pandemic The Fed’s waiting game: is the US economy finally starting to crack? How stubborn inflation has undermined the UK housing market The FT News Briefing i...
Jun 25, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bank of England’s 50 basis point interest rate rise is causing concern for the UK’s already-high mortgages, and Germany has signed another long-term deal to import more US liquefied natural gas. Plus, the FT’s Aanu Adeoye explains what’s at stake in Sierra Leone’s election this weekend. Mentioned in this podcast: ‘We’re suffering’: soaring costs create opening for Sierra Leone’s opposition Bank of England raises interest rates by 0.5 percentage points Mass UK house repossessions unlike...
Jun 23, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast India’s prime minister Narendra Modi is set to address the US Congress today, and US regulators are accusing Amazon of duping customers into signing up for its Prime service without their consent. Plus, Italy has stripped China’s Sinochem of its influence as the largest shareholder in the Italian tyremaker Pirelli. Mentioned in this podcast: India’s Narendra Modi embarks on US state visit to deepen defence and tech ties Washington’s embrace of Modi carries a price FTC alleges Amazon ‘trick...
Jun 22, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC has accelerated dealmaking in the US, and US president Joe Biden’s son has agreed to plead guilty to tax and firearm possession charges. Plus, the FT’s Madhumita Murgia visited an AI voice technology start-up to explain some of its applications and risks. Mentioned in this podcast: Singapore’s GIC accelerates US deals as China cools Hunter Biden hit with federal tax and firearm charges Can AI make me a musical star? The FT News Briefing is produced by ...
Jun 21, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has met with China's President Xi Xinping in an attempt to ease US-Sino tensions. Plus, the aerospace industry says that flying taxis could soon be on the horizon in cities around the world. Mentioned in this podcast: Xi Jinping sees ‘progress’ in China-US ties at meeting with Antony Blinken Which flying taxi will take off first? Amazon, Hilton and Starbucks to hire thousands of refugees across Europe The FT News Briefing was produced by Fiona Symon and Josh...
Jun 20, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast AstraZeneca has drawn up plans to break out its China business, and France is challenging a German-led plan to build up Europe’s air defences. Plus, US businesses are cutting back on their investments in diversity and inclusion. Mentioned in this podcast: AstraZeneca drafts plan to spin off China business amid tensions France summons allies in challenge to German-led air defence plan Cuts to investment in diversity threaten gains Hunt tells ministers to quicken adoption of AI to...
Jun 19, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this last episode of Martin Wolf’s series, the FT’s chief economics commentator sits down with the FT’s executive opinion editor, Jonathan Derbyshire, to give his concluding thoughts on the state of the world’s democracies. Drawing on arguments in Martin’s latest book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, and his conversations in this series, they discuss what role citizens’ juries could play in rectifying some of what has gone wrong in the past couple of decades. Want more? Martin Wolf: in d...
Jun 18, 2023•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this fourth episode of Martin Wolf’s series, the FT’s chief economics commentator discusses the rise of populist politics with someone who was hit by its hard edge: Hillary Clinton. Drawing on arguments in Martin’s latest book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, they discuss what the future holds for democracy, why female leaders face such extreme misogyny and threats of violence, whether President Biden can win re-election next year, and why Clinton is pinning her hopes on a younger genera...
Jun 17, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast UK hedge fund firm Odey Asset Management is being dismantled in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against its founder and Saudi Arabia has spent almost $8bn on gaming companies in the past 18 months as part of a turbocharged investment spree. Plus, FT markets editor Katie Martin talks about this week’s asynchronous central bank moves. Mentioned in this podcast: ECB increases interest rates to highest level since 2001 Chinese economic data fuels gloom over recovery Saudi Arabia spen...
Jun 16, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US Federal Reserve paused its interest rate rise campaign on Wednesday after 10 straight increases, and former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has been found to have committed “multiple” contempts of parliament. Plus, Russian energy giant Gazprom has been backing militias in the Ukraine war. Mentioned in this podcast: Federal Reserve pauses rate rise campaign but signals more to come Boris Johnson found to have committed ‘multiple’ contempts of parliament ‘Stream’ and ‘Torch’: the Gazprom-ba...
Jun 15, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast EY’s global chief executive Carmine Di Sibio says he is planning to retire next year, and the FT’s Joshua Franklin explains the impact of JPMorgan settling a lawsuit over its 15-year relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Plus, in the fourth and final part of our housing series, we look at what the government can do to bring down prices. Mentioned in this podcast: EY chief Carmine Di Sibio to retire after failure of split plan JPMorgan to pay up to $290mn to settle Epstein accusers’ lawsuit Th...
Jun 14, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast France is drumming up support for a global levy on greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry, and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died. Plus, an explosive FT investigation exposed sexual misconduct allegations against prominent financier Crispin Odey. Mentioned in this podcast: France seeks to rally support for emissions levy on shipping Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, 1936-2023 How Crispin Odey evaded sexual assault allegations for decades The FT N...
Jun 13, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast The former first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested on Sunday, Boris Johnson’s exit from UK parliament will have consequences for the Conservative Party. Plus, former US president Donald Trump’s most recent indictment could have implications on his 2024 run for president. Mentioned in this podcast: Nicola Sturgeon arrested in probe into SNP finances Johnson quits parliament in protest at MPs’ ‘kangaroo court’ Trump indictment’s sharp details seen as ‘daunting for the defen...
Jun 12, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this third episode of Martin Wolf’s series, the renowned FT columnist and economist speaks to the journalist and historian Anne Applebaum, who has written extensively about the history of communism and the development of civil society in central and eastern Europe. Drawing on arguments in Martin’s latest book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, they discuss what lies behind a global rise in autocracy and what can be done to counter it. Want more? Martin Wolf: in defence of democratic capita...
Jun 10, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tesla and General Motors have struck a deal to let the Detroit carmaker’s customers plug in at 12,000 of the Texas company’s roadside chargers, and Turkey eased its long-running battle to defend the lira and the currency plunged. Plus, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday agreed on an “Atlantic declaration” to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Mentioned in this podcast: Turkish lira slumps as new economic team starts ‘intentional devaluation’ Bid...
Jun 09, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast We want to tell about a new podcast coming soon! On Unhedged, Ethan Wu, Katie Martin and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind what’s happening in finance right now. Unhedged launches June 13, you can follow the show here ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 08, 2023•58 sec•Transcript available on Metacast 
