FT News Briefing
Episodes
US midterms countdown: abortion on the ballot
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emerging economies have seized price discounts to buy cheaper Russian oil, and the FT News Briefing election series will take listeners around the US ...
The UK’s gilt trip continues
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on G7 countries to speed up supplies of air defence systems after another day of Russian missile attacks, and the biggest U...
US property industry braces for downturn
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Britain’s largest global law firms are struggling to attract and retain staff in the US after the sterling’s drop in value, and the European Commi...
Iranian song fuels anti-regime protests
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US and Germany are leading calls to overhaul the World Bank to better address climate change, ships carrying Ukrainian grain are stuck in a Black ...
FT Weekend: HBO’s 'Industry', and Esther Perel
08 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, we discuss Industry on HBO with chief features writer Henry Mance. The show is part of a trend: like Succession and Euphoria, it depicts...
China keeps peeling off Taiwan’s allies
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The pace of US job growth is expected to have cooled in September, Ukrainian forces are continuing their counteroffensive in the southern part of thei...
US lashes out at Opec+’s oil cuts
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Opec+ is cutting oil output to prop up prices, the FT and Nikkei ranked the most popular US cities among foreign businesses, and this week’s Rachman...
Elon Musk offers to follow through on Twitter deal
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Elon Musk is offering to follow through on his deal to buy Twitter, Russians are fleeing the country after Putin announced a conscription army, and th...
The UK tax cut and pound U-turn
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The UK government reversed course on a tax cut, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro defied expectations in the first round of election voting, and Cre...
The race to reinvent the space station
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Opec+ is planning to cut oil production, and Tories are in Birmingham for their annual party conference while demonstrations against the cost of livin...
FT Weekend: Jamaica Kincaid and Enuma Okoro on writing
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Writer Jamaica Kincaid is one of the best known writers on race and colonialism in the US. Her writing is biting and fearless, and she’s been a keen...
The next phase of Putin’s invasion
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia plans to annex four regions of Ukraine today, turmoil in UK markets is spilling over on to global bond markets, and Germany announced a €200b...
Brazil's high-stakes election
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The UK's tax cutting plan is a political liability, the EU announced another round of Russian sanctions, and Brazil is days away from a monumental pre...
The global backlash to UK tax cuts
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The IMF is criticising the UK’s tax cut plan, the US is pressing EU countries to speed up and increase the financial support for Ukraine, and the he...
Italy’s new far-right government
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China’s economic output will lag behind the rest of Asia for the first time since 1990, according to new World Bank forecasts, the Bank of England f...
UK tax plan hurts investor confidence
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
UK chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has vowed to double down on his controversial tax-cutting drive despite investor jitters, at least 41 people have died in...
FT Weekend: How NFTs shook up the art world
24 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
NFTs were a big sensation, but the market for them has crashed. This week, we invited a crypto-sceptic, FT columnist Jemima Kelly, to answer all the q...
Catch a falling yen
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Several EU member states are pushing for hard-hitting measures against Russia and a UN policy memorandum argues Pakistan should suspend international ...
Fed signals more economic pain to come
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage points for the third time in a row on Wednesday, and Credit Suisse has drawn...
Travis Kalanick’s excellent (and secret) venture
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by 0.75 per cent today, Goldman Sachs is expanding its transaction banking business in Eu...
Swamp Notes: US Democrats on the offensive
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two Turkish banks have halted the use of Russia's payment system, two global energy agencies estimate it would cost $1tn to avoid the catastrophic eff...
The collapse of Celsius Network
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Markets are increasingly betting on policymakers raising borrowing costs higher and faster, an FT-IGM survey shows economists expect the US central ba...
FT Weekend: How do young Brits feel about the monarchy?
17 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we discuss how young people view the late Queen Elizabeth with journalist Imogen West-Knights and our own producer Lulu Smyth. For many Mill...
Inflation, the Hamptons and an $800 grocery cart
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China’s local government financing vehicles are bailing out cities and provinces that are struggling for cash, and UK prime minister Liz Truss is ma...
A worsening migration crisis in the Americas
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US and EU are concerned that Russia can use Turkish banks to evade financial sanctions, Porsche tries to catch up to Ferrari with an initial publi...
Wall Street shudders after seeing US inflation data
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A worse than expected US inflation report triggered a Wall Street sell-off, Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko testified in front of a US Senate commi...
Is a post-dollar world coming?
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US inflation is expected to have eased due to falling energy prices and Ukraine has regained momentum fighting back the Russian invasion. Plus, Ruchir...
King Charles and the royal finances
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
King Charles heads to Scotland today, UK financial markets are bracing for Liz Truss’s energy package, and Russia’s Gazprom is making record profi...
FT Weekend: The legacy of Queen Elizabeth II
10 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Queen Elizabeth II has died after a 70-year reign. This weekend, we reflect on her legacy, life and cultural impact with FT Weekend editor Alec Russel...
Britain in mourning
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace has announced. The FT’s Miranda Green examines this mom...
The ECB goes from dove to hawk
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese companies have raised six times as much money through share sales in Europe than the US this year, and European farmers expect a sky-high food...
EU wants tax to fight ‘astronomic’ electricity bills
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The EU is considering a windfall tax for energy companies, Zambia’s IMF bailout is a test for countries that have defaulted on Chinese debt, and US ...
Russia’s double energy whammy
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Truss will be the next UK prime minister after winning the Tory leadership race, Opec+ agreed on Monday to cut crude supply in a bid to prop up oi...
Britain set for new prime minister
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The oil producing cartel is meeting today and will consider a cut in oil supply to prop up prices, and UK Conservative Party members will vote today o...
Have we hit peak TV? Plus, our debt to bees
03 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, guest host Topher Forhecz is joined by Los Angeles bureau chief Chris Grimes to hear about the future of TV's streaming wars. Since the pan...
Cruise control: port cities push back against ships
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US releases the latest jobs numbers today and analysts expect the pace of positions added to have slowed in August, eurozone unemployment fell to ...
Russia shuts down Nord Stream 1 pipeline
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia has halted the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe for three days, and the EU has agreed to suspend a visa deal with Mosco...
Will student debt add up to more inflation?
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world’s second-largest cinema chain incorrectly reported the identity of its largest shareholder, and ExxonMobil is contesting Vladimir Putin’...
Morgan Stanley beefs up block trade supervision
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Stanley has tapped a lawyer to keep an eye on its block trading, and airlines are bracing for a chilly winter. Plus, Liz Truss, the frontrunner...
US watchdogs take on private equity
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Financial markets are bracing for a longer period of high interest rates, EU foreign ministers are set to suspend the bloc’s visa facilitation agree...
A sceptic’s guide to crypto: the ‘smart’ money
28 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of the latest season of Tech Tonic, FT columnist and host Jemima Kelly tries to understand why an influential Silicon Valley inv...
FT Weekend: The art of sound design. Plus: summer hits of 2022
27 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
FT Weekend has its own podcast feed! For more content, subscribe to 'FT Weekend' wherever you listen.This weekend, we meet a British pioneer of sound ...
Afghanistan’s economy after one year under the Taliban
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Finland will host talks with Sweden and Turkey for talks on the Nordic countries’ Nato membership bids, and we’ll take a look at the ins and outs ...
Can Jay Powell stick the landing?
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hedge funds have lined up the biggest bet against Italian bonds since the global financial crisis, Japan is looking to rebuild its nuclear energy capa...
Six months of war in Ukraine
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today marks six months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a Twitter whistleblower says the company hid security flaws and fake ...
The student who rode Bed Bath & Beyond to the moon
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ben & Jerry’s lost a legal dispute with its parent company over sales in Israel and investors are sceptical about this summer’s equities rally...
Droughts grip large parts of the globe
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Apple employees are pushing back against the iPhone maker’s call for workers to return to the office next month, and major droughts across the globe...
A sceptic’s guide to crypto: boom and bust
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A new season of Tech Tonic asks whether crypto and its supporting technology - the blockchain - have a future following a market crash. In the first e...
FT Weekend: Ukraine’s digital war. Plus: how computers changed chess
20 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
FT Weekend has its own podcast feed! For more content, including our special Food & Drink mini-series, search 'FT Weekend' where you listen to pod...
FT Business Book of the Year longlist
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Middle East states are expected to bring in $1.3tn in additional oil revenues, big US retailers posted quarterly earnings this week and results were m...
Missteps at Missfresh
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Federal Reserve officials discussed the need to keep interest rates at levels that restrict the economy “for some time” in a bid to contain inflat...
WeWork 2.0?
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has accused the FTC of harassing top executives as part of an antitrust investigation, hedge fund Elliott Management has dumped almost all of i...
Private equity: from cutthroats to frenemies
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Elections officials in Kenya announced a winner in last week’s presidential election but the result is being challenged, Iran denies involvemen...
Will oil prices keep falling?
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Saudi Arabia has agreed to renew a three billion dollar deposit at Pakistan’s Central Bank, Saudi Aramco reported record profits, and an expected US...
FT Weekend: Chef Mashama Bailey on reclaiming African-American food
13 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For more FT Weekend content, including our special Food & Drink mini-series, search 'FT Weekend' where you listen to podcasts and subscribe there....
Ben & Jerry’s bitter battle with Unilever
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US lawmakers are set to pass a $700bn spending bill, activity on European corporate bond markets has slowed to a near standstill and US initial public...
US inflation finally takes a breather
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US stocks rallied after the latest US inflation report showed price rises slowed in July, Disney beat analyst expectations and added 15mn subscri...
Corporate America fumes at Biden’s economic package
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Taiwanese national security officials want to force Apple supplier Foxconn to unwind an $800mn investment in a Chinese chip company, and corporate Ame...
Why Ireland’s economy is red hot
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China’s extended military drills around Taiwan are stoking fears of a drawn-out period of heightened tension and investors are split over whether th...
Apple under scrutiny for mishandling misconduct claims
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Investors are selling stakes in private equity and venture capital funds at the fastest pace on record so far this year, and earnings at companies suc...
FT Weekend: Author Elif Batuman. Plus, our obsession with feedback
06 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we talk to the author Elif Batuman about her new novel ‘Either / Or’. The book is set in the 1990s, and follows Elif’s...
New US unemployment claims hit six-month high
05 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US new unemployment claims have reached a six-month high as the labour market cools, the Bank of England raised interest rates by 0.5 percentage point...
SoftBank moves to sell down its stake in Alibaba
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
SoftBank has raised as much as $22bn in cash from deals that would sharply reduce its stake in Alibaba over the coming years, Iran and western powers ...
‘Generation Moonshot’ investors
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China has blocked imports from hundreds of Taiwanese food producers in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, a flurry of e...
China wrestles with an overseas debt crisis
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Instagram head Adam Mosseri is moving to London, HSBC has pledged to restore its dividend to pre-pandemic levels, and China is facing its first overse...
Beijing fears social unrest from property crisis
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Bank of England is set to consider its biggest rate rise in more than 25 years, the EU and UK are easing up on Russian oil restrictions to keep ga...
FT Weekend: A new weight-loss drug works. Is that good?
30 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we hear about a new 'miracle' weight-loss drug called Wegovy. It has unprecedented clinical results and endorsements from celebrities such ...
Is the US in a recession?
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US economy has shrunk for two consecutive quarters, many energy companies are posting record profits but French EDF recorded a record loss, and US...
Fed hikes rates, but next steps are uncertain
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US interest rates are going up by 0.75% for the second month in a row, the drama surrounding Elon Musk’s halted Twitter takeover debacle is hurting ...
A new CEO for Credit Suisse
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Walmart profit warnings shine a light on disparities in US consumer behaviour, the International Monetary Fund slashes its global growth forecast, and...
Anglo-French merger would challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US Big Tech companies are set to release quarterly earnings this week, German business confidence hits a two-year low, and French satellite operator E...
European banks set to benefit from rising interest rates
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The dollar’s surge to its highest level in 20 years is taking a toll on the corporate earnings of US companies with overseas operations, European ba...
FT Weekend: Why are tennis players fixing matches?
23 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we look at the dark side of professional tennis, where underpaid players are selling matches just to break even. Ranked around 200th in the...
ECB raises rates amid Italian turmoil
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigns, the European Central Bank raises interest rates for the first time in more than a decade, Russia and Ukra...
Tesla shines despite production disruptions
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla withstood disruption to China production and the high costs of scaling up new plants in Texas and Germany, Ukraine is getting some debt relief f...
Netflix rallies despite subscriber losses
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix loses 1mn subscribers, small and midsize venture capital firms in China are struggling to raise funds as foreign investors flee risk, and form...
SoftBank halts plan for Arm IPO in London
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Japanese tech investor SoftBank has put on hold plans for an initial public offering of Arm because of the political turmoil in the UK, a luxury shoe ...
Sri Lanka picks a new leader
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The leader of Sri Lanka’s biggest opposition party has urged the IMF to provide support to ease the country’s humanitarian crisis and cushion the ...
Martin Wolf on how to change one's mind
16 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lilah talks to Martin Wolf about having the confidence to change your mind. Martin is our chief economics commentator and one of the most i...
Italian political drama weighs on markets
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Italian prime minister Mario Draghi offered to resign, which caused problems for Italian stocks and for the euro. Plus, two of the biggest US banks ha...
Will rising interest rates actually lower prices?
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US consumer prices rose more than forecast in June, hitting an annual pace of 9.1 per cent, and investors are shunning 20-year US government bonds. Pl...
Biden in the Middle East
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US president Joe Biden is set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the biggest US banks report earnings this week and are expected to ...
What we know about the Abe murder
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Former UK chancellor Rishi Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss have emerged as the favourites to replace prime minister Boris Johnson, and more deta...
Crypto collapse hits black Americans hard
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Twitter is mounting legal action against Elon Musk as he tries to terminate the deal to buy the social media company, black Americans’ higher exposu...
FT Weekend: Our summer books and films special
09 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week is our summer books and films spectacular, full of recommendations of things to read and watch. First, Lilah is joined by literary editors F...
Britain after Boris
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The FT’s UK chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and FT columnist Stephen Bush discuss what’s next for the country after Boris Johnson’s...
Marxism degrees are having a moment in China
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pressure mounts on UK prime minister Boris Johnson to resign, but the pound holds steady. Plus the Chinese government is pushing for more students to ...
The race for electric vehicle supremacy
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two high-profile UK ministers resigned on Tuesday, oil prices had its biggest one-day drop since March, and a Chinese electric car company outsold Tes...
Martin Wolf: are we heading for a global recession?
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
European power prices hit record high as Russia curtails gas supplies, foreign investors have dumped a record $33bn of Indian shares since October, an...
FT Weekend: How to live forever
02 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we return to one of our favourite episodes, to ask the question: what does it mean to defy death? Rock climber Leo Houlding tells us about ...
China’s middle class dreams of leaving
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US Supreme Court cut back the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, US stocks lost $9 trillion in the ...
How the beauty industry left Revlon behind
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese stocks are set for their largest monthly rise since 2020, Meta frustrates app developers by charging for VR apps, and Revlon’s bankruptcy fi...
A new legal battleground in US abortion wars
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A former White House aide testified that former President Donald Trump tried to commandeer his limousine on January 6, an independent report advises t...
Russia heading for first default in decades
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia is on course to default on its debt for the first time since 1998, and Credit Suisse has become the first domestic bank to be found guilty of a...
Listener question: Should the UK cut arts funding?
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nato is to agree an overhaul of its battle plans to offer better protection to the alliance’s eastern flank, and there is some debate on how t...
FT Weekend: A Strange Loop, the Tony-winning queer black best new musical
25 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we speak with Michael R. Jackson, playwright of A Strange Loop, which just won the Tony award for Best Musical and Best Book. Jackson is a q...
Ukraine in the EU?
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The EU recognizes Ukraine as an official candidate for membership, Russian businessmen look to work with Iran to skirt US sanctions, and the FT’s Ho...
Can all of Africa get access to electricity?
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US stocks stay fairly flat after Fed Chair Jerome Powell testifies in Congress, a Ukrainian-made drone hits an oil refinery in Russia, and the I...
Schrödinger’s dead cat bounce
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The S&P 500 rose by 2.4% on Tuesday, Russia is threatening Lithuania over enforcing EU sanctions, and the global food shortage reignites the...
Jeff Bezos vs the bridge
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China is the leader in initial public offering fundraising this year, Jeff Bezos’s superyacht ignites a debate about who cities are for, and New Zea...