A rundown of the most important global business stories you need to know for the coming day, from the newsroom of the Financial Times. Available every weekday morning.
Are the Democrats doomed? Which world leaders are happiest to see Trump back in the White House? And why are investors flooding into American stocks? The FT’s US managing editor Peter Spiegel and global business columnist Rana Foroohar answer all of your questions after a wild year in US politics.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Trump team aims to bankrupt Iran with new ‘maximum pressure’ plan
How ‘the mother of all bubbles’ will pop
Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here
Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A number of cryptocurrency-focused hedge funds are outpacing their rivals, the Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.75 per cent, and Microsoft has partnered with a utility company to restart a controversial reactor at Three Mile Island.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Hedge funds cash in on Trump-fuelled crypto boom
Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.75%
Behind the Money: How the AI boom is reviving Three Mile Island
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by a quarter-point but signals a slower pace of easing, and we look back at what central banks learned in 2024. The US Supreme Court says it will hear TikTok’s appeal against a divest-or-ban law, and Honda-Nissan talks aim to rescue Japan’s fragmented automotive industry.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Fed cuts rates by a quarter-point but signals slower pace of easing
Five central banking lessons for 2024
US Supreme Court to hear arguments challenging law that could ban TikTok
Honda-Nissan merger talks mark Japan Inc’s new consolidate-to-survive mood
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Marine Saint, Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Argentina emerged from a severe recession in the third quarter, Microsoft buys twice as many of Nvidia’s chips as any of its largest rivals, KPMG narrows the gap with the other Big Four firms, and Huawei sets sights on becoming a big supplier to the electric car industry. Plus, pub chains express frustration over shortages of Guinness in the run-up to Christmas.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Microsoft acquires twice as many Nvidia AI chips as tech rivals
Argentina’s economy exits recession in milestone for Javier Milei
KPMG outpaces Big Four rivals as audit and tax units shine
‘A different animal’: inside Huawei’s nascent EV business
Diageo ‘better get brewing’, says Wetherspoons head amid Guinness shortage
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Japan’s SoftBank unveils $100bn US investment plans, fervour around Nvidia cools as investors look to AI’s next winners, and Europe launches its most ambitious space programme in a decade. Plus, in Syria, Kurdish groups fear they may be worse off under a rebel-led government.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Japan’s SoftBank pledges $100bn investment in US
After Nvidia’s boom, what’s next for AI-related stocks?
Europe signs €10.6bn Iris² satellite deal in bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink
Syria’s Kurds fear US betrayal under Donald Trump
Credit: AP
Send us your questions for Swamp Notes! Write to [email protected].
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Marine Saint, Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Germany’s Olaf Scholz is expected to lose a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, and Arm and Qualcomm’s bitter legal feud over chip design licensing is heading to trial. The London Stock Exchange is on course for its worst year for departures since the financial crisis. Plus, investors’ appetite for juicy returns has triggered a big boom on Wall Street in complex financial products.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Olaf Scholz faces confidence vote — and hopes to lose it
Wall Street’s complex debt bonanza hits fastest pace since 2007
London Stock Exchange suffers biggest exodus since financial crisis
Chip groups Arm and Qualcomm square off in high-stakes US trial
‘No political authority’: South Korea’s interim leader faces daunting task
Send us your questions for Swamp Notes! Write to [email protected].
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Europe has been able to predictably lean on the US for decades. But Donald Trump used tariffs and other economic threats to test those assumptions in his first term, and he looks set to do so again. The FT’s EU correspondent Andy Bounds and US climate correspondent Aime Williams join to discuss how the EU is preparing (again) for a more confrontational America.
Mentioned in this podcast:
EU strikes blockbuster trade deal with Mercosur
EU commissioner pitches ‘Europe first’ in response to Donald Trump
Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here
Questions about US politics for next week’s Swamp Notes? Email them to [email protected].
Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HSBC is reviewing its retail banking operations outside the UK and Hong Kong, and the European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter-point to 3 per cent. The FT’s markets columnist Katie Martin provides a few insights for investing in 2025. Plus, human referees are set to be increasingly phased out as machines become more efficient at making critical decisions in sport.
Mentioned in this podcast:
HSBC reviews retail banking outside UK and Hong Kong
Donald Trump election win sparks trading surge for banks and brokers
ECB lowers rates to 3% and paves way for more cuts
In sport, the race is on to let technology decide who wins
Send us your questions for Swamp Notes! Write to [email protected].
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
European Nato members are holding talks about increasing the alliance’s target for defence spending, Microsoft’s artificial intelligence head Mustafa Suleyman is building a team focused on consumer health, and US inflation ticked up to 2.7 per cent last month. Plus, new regulations on human rights are forcing global companies to address concerns about modern slavery and tackle problems in their supply chains.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Nato’s European members discuss 3% target for defence spending
Microsoft’s Suleyman hires ex-DeepMind staff for AI health unit
US inflation rose to 2.7% in November
New rules sharpen investment focus on modern slavery
Fifa set to confirm Saudi Arabia as host of 2034 World Cup
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund prepares for a petrodollar windfall, while oil majors scale back their $18bn power generation push. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins testifying in a corruption trial, and public pension schemes and sovereign wealth funds plan to pour more money into private markets over the coming year.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Qatar’s $500bn wealth fund targets bigger deals as LNG windfall looms
BP and Shell rein in electricity ambitions to escape ‘valley of death’
Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in court to testify in corruption trial
Public pension plans and wealth funds to invest more in private markets
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hiring has fallen more sharply in the UK than in other big economies over the past year, Vanguard will break its advisory business into a separate unit, and Israel has taken more Syrian territory. Plus, we take a look inside Japan’s audacious bid to become a semiconductor superpower.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Hiring falling more sharply in UK than in other major economies
Israel draws furious reaction from Egypt after taking more Syrian territory
Vanguard to accelerate wealth management drive in restructuring
Japan’s audacious bid to become a semiconductor superpower
Christie’s has brought the dinosaur auction show to London
The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Josh Gabert-Doyon, Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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