When a company is sold there tends to be a standard playbook: There’s some tough negotiations. Then, the buyer gets a business and the seller gets a check. Everyone’s happy. That’s not what happened when a private equity firm recently bought a California grocery store chain. The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap explains how the deal went off the rails, and how the supermarket’s owners might end up paying millions of dollars to sell their company. 

Clip from KCRA 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

The inequity method of accounting

Opposition shadows Cerberus windfall from Albertsons supermarket deal 

The pool is closed, part 1

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Sujeet Indap (@sindap) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few years ago, four men went on a hunting trip to Wyoming. That trip would end up changing their lives — and possibly, the future of the public’s access to millions of acres of land in America's western states. The FT’s Oliver Roeder expands on the saga that’s played out since 2021 inside courtrooms and within thousands of pages of legal documents.  

Clips from KGWN, Ludlow Music and The Richmond Organisation

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

Battle for the American West

Seven states, 3,000 miles: a trip across the US energy divide

Wyoming’s Carbon Valley aims to turn ‘coal into gold’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Oliver Roeder (@ollie) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WeightWatchers is struggling. Launched in the early 1960s, the brand grew by helping members shed pounds through behavioural change programmes. Then, GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs hit the market, long-time spokesperson and board member Oprah Winfrey announced her departure, and the company’s credit rating was downgraded. FT reporter Anna Mutoh examines whether WeightWatchers’ latest strategy can produce the turnaround investors are hoping for.  

Clip from Lionsgate Television

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

WeightWatchers faces an era when weight loss comes in a syringe

Behold the Ozempic effect on business 

The race to develop the next generation of weight-loss drugs

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Anna Mutoh (@anna_mutoh) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US and China’s battle for dominance in the semiconductor industry is having some surprising knock-on effects: Companies are looking to insulate their supply chains from rising geopolitical tensions. And many from around the world are setting their sights on Malaysia to set up or expand their chip factories. FT correspondent Mercedes Ruehl explains how the country earned a prized spot in the supply chain, and what it needs to do to keep hold of it. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

Malaysia: the surprise winner from US-China chip wars

Vietnam dangles semiconductor incentives to draw foreign companies

AI boom broadens out across Wall Street

Plus, sign up for the FT’s Alphaville pub quiz on April 9 in New York. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Mercedes Ruehl (@mjruehl) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past several years in the US Treasury market have not been what you’d call smooth sailing. Three crises in a decade recently pushed regulators to introduce important changes to the world’s largest and most liquid market. The Securities and Exchange Commission passed the most significant reform a few months ago. The FT’s capital markets correspondent Kate Duguid examines that change — plus the potential pitfalls and promise that come with it. 

Clips from CNBC, Bloomberg

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

The radical changes coming to the world’s biggest bond market

Has Gensler’s SEC pushed Wall Street too far?

SEC tussles with shadow trades in the US Treasury market

Ransomware attack on ICBC disrupts trades in US Treasury market

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Kate Duguid (@kateduguid) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More questions — more answers! We’ve partnered with the FT’s Unhedged podcast for a special two-part episode, fielding questions you have submitted about markets and finance. The host of Unhedged, Ethan Wu, plus the FT’s US financial commentator Rob Armstrong and markets editor Katie Martin join Michela to traverse topics ranging from the longevity of the Magnificent Seven stocks to Japan’s economic outlook. 

To listen to the other part of the episode, visit the Unhedged podcast feed.

Clips from The Magnificent Seven, The Mirisch Company/United Artists, music by Elmer Bernstein 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

The Magnificent 7 value trade

Japan’s market rally lacks solid backing

How fatalistic should we be on AI?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Ethan Wu (@EthanYWu), Robert Armstrong (@rbrtrmstrng), Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Penny stocks are having a moment. In recent months, little-known companies with names such as Bit Brother and Phunware have been among the most traded stocks in America’s public markets, surpassing companies like Tesla and popular exchange traded funds. The FT’s US markets editor Jennifer Hughes explores why this is happening, and whether retail investors should think twice before diving in.

Clip from Paramount Movies

Plus, a note on next week’s show: Look for Behind the Money in your feed a day early, on Tuesday, March 19. 

We’re doing a special 2-part episode with the Unhedged podcast. One part will be in Unhedged’s feed and the other part will be right here, in Behind the Money’s feed. 

We’ll be back to our regular Wednesday schedule the following week. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

The tiny Chinese tea seller whose shares trade more than Tesla’s

Stock markets undergo ‘risk reset’ as indices notch new records

Retail investors are in no rush to join the latest stock market rally

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Jennifer Hughes (@jennhughes13) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a year since Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse left everyone worried that the US’s banking sector sat on shaky ground. Despite that turmoil, one bank stands out: JPMorgan Chase. The largest bank in the country, JPMorgan took home record profits in 2023, and its dominance looks set to continue. The FT’s US banking editor Joshua Franklin walks through the reasons why JPMorgan flew past its competitors, and what threat its size could pose to smaller banks.

Clips from AP, CNBC, KTVU, KPIX

Plus, do you have a question about markets, finance or economics? Get in touch with Michela, and we may use it in an upcoming joint show with Unhedged.

Email Michela at [email protected], or message her on X at @mtindera07.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

JPMorgan takes almost a fifth of total US bank profits

US regional banks hope for profit revival as pain from SVB fallout eases

JPMorgan: the bank that never lets a crisis go to waste

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Joshua Franklin (@FTJFranklin) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI is one of the fastest-growing companies ever, thanks to its artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT. But costs to train and run the models that underpin that technology are steep. And chief executive Sam Altman has said he has even bigger aims. The FT’s Madhumita Murgia and George Hammond examine whether the start-up’s existing business model can achieve its long-term goals. 

Plus, do you have a question about markets, finance or economics? Get in touch with Michela, and we may use it in an upcoming joint show with Unhedged. 

Email Michela at [email protected], or message her on X at @mtindera07.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

Can OpenAI create superintelligence before it runs out of cash?

OpenAI on track to hit $2bn revenue milestone as growth rockets

OpenAI’s Sam Altman in talks with Middle East backers over chip venture

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Madhumita Murgia (@madhumita29), George Hammond (@GeorgeNHammond) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Billionaire financiers such as Ken Griffin pioneered what’s known as the multi-manager model for hedge funds, where big spending begets big returns. In 2022, Griffin’s Citadel became the best-performing hedge fund of all time. But now, cracks in the sector are beginning to form. The FT’s Harriet Agnew and Ortenca Aliaj examine what a downturn could mean for investors and the broader financial sector. 

Plus, do you have a question about markets, finance or economics? Get in touch with Michela, and we may use it in an upcoming joint show with Unhedged. 

Email Michela at [email protected], or message her on X at @mtindera07.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

For further reading:

Are hedge fund pioneers facing the end of a golden era? 

Bobby Jain’s hedge fund launch falls short of $8bn-$10bn target

How Ken Griffin rebuilt Citadel’s ramparts 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On X, follow Harriet Agnew (@HarrietAgnew), Ortenca Aliaj (@OrtencaAl) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.