FT News Briefing
Episodes
Who will back Elon Musk?
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Elon Musk’s $43bn bid to take Twitter private is struggling to draw interest from private equity groups, Netflix shares tumbled on Tuesday after its...
US Treasury ‘real yields’ about to eclipse inflation expectations
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bank of America gave a bullish revenue outlook as the second-largest US lender reported better than expected earnings, and Mexico’s opposition polit...
A year after Greensill Capital’s collapse
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many people with lingering symptoms of Covid-19 struggle to work or have been forced to leave the workforce entirely. Plus, the FT’s capital markets...
US-China Tech Race: Chips with Everything
17 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our latest season of Tech Tonic continues, with a deep dive into the semiconductor industry and Taiwan’s unique position as a bastion of computer-ch...
FT Weekend: The story behind one of reggae’s most sampled songs
16 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we bring our classic Life of a Song series to your ears, with the dramatic story behind 'Bam Bam', Sister Nancy's reggae dancehall classic....
Is the US headed for a recession?
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US president Joe Biden announced yesterday he would send $800mn in additional military aid to Ukraine, the FT’s John Paul Rathbone outlines Russia’...
Volkswagen’s U-turn
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stockpiles of some of the world’s most important industrial metals have dropped to critically low levels, US banks start reporting quarterly earning...
The rise of conservative shareholder activism
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Investors are bracing for another tough report on US inflation, Putin’s war in Ukraine has sparked an exodus of educated professionals from Russia a...
A French presidential election rematch
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen will advance to the final round of voting after yesterday’s first round of the Frenc...
US-China Tech Race: Spies and Lies (Part Two)
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of this season of Tech Tonic, James Kynge, the FT’s Global China Editor, asks how significant Chinese intellectual property th...
FT Weekend: How Cameo is changing celebrity. Plus: designing your home
09 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, we delve into the world of celebrity via the app Cameo. What does it mean that we can now pay celebrities to send us personalised video ...
Will sanctions create a backlash against the dollar?
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
French bank shares and bonds were rattled this week after the recent poll showed stronger results for right-wing French presidential candidate, Marine...
Did AutoX risk safety to look good for investors?
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US has imposed its most severe level of sanctions on Russia’s Sberbank and Alfa-Bank, and Brazil might have finally settled on a chief executive...
Shanghai lockdown forces bankers to camp in offices
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US and eurozone government debt sold off on Tuesday as traders weighed the prospect of stronger sanctions against Russia and comments from a top polic...
Atrocities prompt more calls to ban Russian energy
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The venerable venture capital firm, Sequoia Capital, has announced a change in leadership, Elon Musk has bought a nearly-10 per cent stake in Twitter,...
EU prepares new sanctions after reports of Russian atrocities
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
EU prepares more sanctions against Russia after apparent atrocities near Kyiv, French president Emmanuel Macron has warned his supporters not to assum...
Tech Tonic, the US-China Tech Race: Spies & Lies (Part One)
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of this season’s six-part series, the FT’s Global China Editor James Kynge tracks China’s dramatic transformation from the ...
FT Weekend: Poet Maria Stepanova. Plus, Inside the FT newsroom
02 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, guest host Marc Filippino discusses the FT's war coverage in Ukraine with our Editor, Roula Khalaf. How does a news organisation make decis...
Biden’s move to lower oil prices
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The White House announced a “historic release” of about 180mn barrels of oil from the US emergency stockpile in an attempt to cool oil prices, and...
Russia squeezes Germany over gas
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
SoftBank will slow down further investments amid a scramble for cash, journalist and “Putin’s People” author Catherine Belton talks about the im...
The global impact of Putin’s war
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia has decided to “dramatically” scale back its military activities in the Kyiv area, and Barclays faces a £450mn hit after the bank mistaken...
Can the Kremlin track me?
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia’s biggest internet company has embedded code into apps found on mobile devices that allows information about millions of users to be sent to ...
Introducing Tech Tonic: The US/China Tech Race
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A new six-part series of Tech Tonic brings you stories from the frontlines of the battle between the US and China for global technological supremacy. ...
The US-China technology rivalry heats up
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
HSBC has repeatedly edited its analysts’ research publications to remove references to a “war” in Ukraine, the US has denied that it is seeking ...
FT Weekend: Art in times of war, plus Anish Kapoor
26 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, guest host Taylor Nicole Rogers talks to Ukrainian filmmaker Iryna Tsylik, director of the documentary The Earth is Blue as an Orange. I...
Bargain hunting for bonds in Russia and Ukraine
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US is finalising a plan to supply the EU with up to 15bn additional cubic metres of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022, Russian shares rose ...
Ukraine’s army of volunteers
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Oil exports from a crucial pipeline on Russia’s Black Sea coast were fully halted on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin said Russia will begin to invoice Eur...
Dispatch from Kyiv
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Writer Tim Judah talks about life in Kyiv as Russian forces advance on suburbs of Ukraine’s capital, and the FT’s Money Clinic host Claer Barrett ...
Why some Western companies are staying in Russia
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Moscow reopens markets, Pakistanis face crippling inflation and their prime minister Imran Khan faces a no confidence vote, Nestlé justifies staying ...
Panicked Russian consumers stock up on staples
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Germany said it sealed a long-term agreement with Qatar for liquefied natural gas supplies, prices on many products in Russia have shot up as sanction...
FT Weekend: How Russia weaponizes disinformation
19 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, we discuss the power of disinformation, and how Russia has been using it in Ukraine. We are joined by Natalia Antelava, who has reported...
The Great Nickel Pickle
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US secretary of state has poured cold water on hopes of a diplomatic settlement to the war in Ukraine, saying there were no signs Vladimir Putin w...
The Federal Reserve finally raises rates
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Reserve has lifted its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, Europe’s largest energy traders have called on centra...
EU and UK impose new sanctions on Russian oligarchs
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Oil prices fell and share indices in Hong Kong and China dropped amid investor jitters over potential lockdowns and their economic impact, German pros...
Biden turns to autocrats for oil
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US stocks dip lower on concerns over this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, a star witness in the 1MDB corruption trial has wrapped up testimony in a ...
Russian banks hobbled by sanctions
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US officials say Moscow has asked Beijing for military equipment to support its invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s army celebrates its Turkish drones bu...
FT Weekend: Understanding Ukraine’s identity. Plus, the Oscars
12 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, we speak with Ukrainian journalist Olga Tokariuk, who is currently in western Ukraine. Olga reflects on how Ukrainians forged the resolv...
Poland welcomes Ukrainian refugees
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US consumer price growth approached 8 per cent last month ahead of a surge in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the war in U...
Ukraine war boosts Macron’s re-election chances
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
EU leaders prepare to meet in Versailles today for a summit aimed at a unified response to the war in Ukraine, and Citigroup is having a hard time sel...
The stalled green transition
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US and UK banned Russian oil and gas imports on Tuesday to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine, the stalled green revolution, and Russians are flee...
Russia’s war on Ukraine boosts China’s financial ambitions
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Oil and natural gas prices see-sawed as global stocks fell on Monday after a US push to ban Russian crude faced German resistance, the US Treasury war...
Russia’s war on Ukraine adds more turmoil to global shipping
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is fueling the ‘fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since second world war,’ according to the UNHCR; the White...
FT Weekend: The stories we tell, with Elif Shafak
05 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we bring you one of the most popular episodes from our archive: a conversation with Elif Shafak, the most widely read woman novelist in Turk...
Commodities prices soar over Russia supply fears
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Western brands flee Russia, global commodities soar as Putin intensifies his attack on Ukraine, and the US announces new sanctions on Russian oligarch...
War in Ukraine sparks Germany’s defence policy transformation
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the brutality of Moscow’s invasion intensifies, the idea of targeting oil and gas exports for sanctions is no longer off the table, and Federal R...
China shifts stance on Ukraine
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline company that was to bring Russian gas to Europe is reportedly insolvent, China has signalled it is ready to p...
The squeeze on Russia continues
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The International Energy Agency will hold an emergency meeting to discuss whether to release oil from strategic stocks to offset rising energy prices ...
BP to sell its stake in Russia’s state oil company Rosneft
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
BP plans to divest its stake in Russia’s state-oil company Rosneft, Norway’s $1.3tn oil fund plans to sell out of Russia and US and Western allies...
FT Weekend: The international mystery of the ‘Hum’
26 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia has invaded Ukraine. We begin this episode with a visit from FT Weekend editor Alec Russell, a week after he joined us to discuss his years cov...
War in Ukraine shocks markets
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Western countries are punishing Russia after Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion from Ukraine, and UK prime minister Boris Johnson wants to punish Russ...
Putin orders start of ‘military operation’ in Ukraine
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The FT’s Max Seddon, reports from Moscow about Vladimir Putin’s order to launch a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, and the FT’s economics edito...
Russia’s move on Ukraine triggers western sanctions
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Western powers impose sanctions on Russia as Biden says Ukraine ‘invasion’ has begun, and Russian assets are set to bear the brunt of the Ukraine ...
Putin Moves Into Ukraine
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia sends troops into Ukraine after recognizing two separatist regions there. Then, Russia could be facing sanctions for its actions over Ukraine. ...
Is corporate America becoming more inclusive?
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Olympics wrapped up in Beijing yesterday, capping two weeks of competition and controversy. Banks pledged in the run up to the Glasgow climate sum...
FT Weekend: Lea Ypi talks capitalism and freedom
19 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, FT Weekend editor Alec Russell brings us to Albania for Lunch with the FT. He sits down with writer Lea Ypi, whose memoir ‘Free’ doc...
Siberia’s DIY cryptocurrency miners
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sequoia Capital plans to move deeper into cryptocurrency markets and has earmarked at least $500mn for investments in cryptocurrency assets, and a glo...
Blackstone’s dip into the rent-to-buy market
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes show it would be willing to tighten monetary policy quickly if US inflation does not come under control...
Soaring oil prices put US shale in a bind
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
US and European shares rallied on Tuesday after Russia said it had begun pulling back some troops, and former Google chief executive, Eric Schmi...
Emerging markets: high risk, no reward?
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The FT’s Gideon Rachman discusses the messaging wars between the US and Moscow over Ukraine, Central America and Mexico is benefiting from a bumper ...
The FT investigates Axel Springer’s #MeToo moment
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
German chancellor Olaf Scholz heads to Kyiv and Moscow to try and deter Putin from attacking Ukraine, and Germans are confronting a major #MeToo momen...
FT Weekend: Will Silicon Valley ruin Miami?
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Miami is hot right now. In the pandemic, more people moved to Florida than to any other state by a long shot. Chief among them were the tech elite, wh...
Inflation prompts investors to ditch Treasuries
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A court struggle in China is casting a shadow over the company’s hopes for an Arm IPO after its failed $66bn sale to Nvidia, the 10-year Treasury yi...
Peloton’s turmoil could be appealing
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dozens of biotech companies are running low on cash and face an uphill struggle to raise fresh funds, Fidelity’s little-known passive investmen...
London and Paris at impasse over migrants
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Credit Suisse investors warn they will try to block any extension of vice-chair Severin Schwan, and SoftBank is looking to list UK chip design company...
Horatio Clare on the UK migrant crisis and Dover
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Credit Suisse became the first Swiss bank in the country’s history to answer criminal charges on Monday, and the US is lobbying Brussels to water do...
Great Britain’s migrant crisis
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A week of dizzying diplomatic meetings seeking to de-escalate tensions with Russia kicks off today in Moscow and Washington, aid agencies call for unb...
FT Weekend: Does Peloton trick us into working out?
05 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, we look at the Peloton phenomenon. Is it a failing fitness cult or a lasting way to stay healthy? Lilah and San Francisco correspondent ...
Facebook's fall hits markets
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wall Street stocks slumped on Thursday after disappointing earnings reports in the technology sector from Facebook parent Meta, Turkey and Ukraine sig...
Spotify responds to the Joe Rogan fiasco
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Spotify delivered a weak outlook for first-quarter subscriber growth, investors are putting more pressure on the European Central Bank to raise intere...
Has plant-based meat peaked?
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alphabet announced a 20-for-one stock split on Tuesday, and businesses across Myanmar shut up shop yesterday, joining a nationwide “silent strike”...
January stocks hit the skids
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US stock market has suffered its worst start to the year since the global financial crisis, US and European allies are preparing what is being des...
Ukrainian city braces itself for war
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund has warned that investors face years of low returns due to permanent inflation, and splits are emerging in...
FT Weekend: Treasure hunting on the Thames, with Jo Ellison
29 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we look at two things that connect us to human history. First, How To Spend It editor Jo Ellison takes us mudlarking — sifting through lo...
Russian gas projects face sanctions
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Apple posted record revenue of $123.9bn in the holiday quarter, and investors had a tough time gauging the Federal Reserve’s hawkish tone, the UK’...
The Fed plans to be ‘humble and nimble’ and hawkish
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla reported a record net profit of $2.3bn last quarter but warned of supply chain constraints and the Federal Reserve signalled its intention to ra...
The Draghi dilemma
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Google has overhauled a central piece of technology it is building to replace advertising cookies, and the owner of 7-Eleven is facing investor calls ...
The Big Dip
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stocks on Wall Street ended higher on Monday after investors took advantage of a severe drop early in the session, Peloton has come under attack from ...
Discontent at Unilever
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Germany’s largest publishers and advertisers are demanding that the EU intervene over the Google's plan to stop the use of third-party cookies, Sony...
FT Weekend: Pati Jinich and Gillian Tett on food, culture and power
22 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, we look at our culture through new lenses. First, we go to Mexico. Lilah speaks to James Beard Award-winning chef Pati Jinich about how ...
The bright side of Bund yields
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Reserve has for the first time launched a period of debate of a central bank digital currency, and Luckin Coffee is planning to relist in ...
Moscow’s ‘Fortress Russia’ strategy
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A US Senate committee will begin debating a pair of bills designed to reshape technology regulation, and US banks are gearing up for interest ra...
Microsoft and Activision’s shared virtual universe
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The car industry has turned on France’s plan to force manufacturers to attach the equivalent of a public health warning to their advertising, and US...
China applies brakes to Africa lending
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
UK inflation is expected to rise to a 30-year high when December’s data are released this week, Meta patent applications indicate how the Silicon Va...
Bain under fire for enabling South Africa corruption
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pension cash for British Gas workers was used to buy Israeli cyberweapon developer NSO Group, European sales of electric cars overtook diesel models f...
FT Weekend: Tracey Emin: ‘I want to be a happy ghost’
15 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’ve got two GOATs – that’s Greatests Of All Time. Legendary artist Tracey Emin is starting an art school and studio compound in Mar...
The London-Kazakhstan connection
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Google says it will spend $1bn to purchase its office building in London, Katie Martin explains why Ken Griffin selling a $1.2bn stake in his Cit...
Environmental activists target top PR firms
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson suffered the toughest day of his premiership on Wednesday when he faced calls to quit after he admitted attending a Number 10 “bring y...
The Fed’s Big Shrink
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/afd4c412-780b-407a-8b5a-10175cf319fcA US judge says that the Federal Trade Commi...
US shifts from the ‘war on drugs’
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/d84a12a8-97da-4331-836b-391c25c8676bThe Federal Reserve’s second-in-command ha...
Investors gear up for ‘gold rush’ in metaverse hardware
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/51351f23-63b8-458c-9ee2-a7cbda43c287Nato has warned Moscow to abandon its bellig...
FT Weekend -- Happily ever after? Disney in the 21st century
08 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! Our first episode of 2022 is dedicated to one of the world’s most powerful cultural forces: Disney. What happens when a company with...
‘Spec-tech is getting wrecked’
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/4418eedc-e949-4d44-a517-55e73f2076f9Outgoing Federal Reserve vice-chair has blam...
Corporate America after the Capitol insurrection
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/31290819-a321-496e-a995-4281198ec453Minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meet...
The small German city hosting BioNTech
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/cf9a801f-d99d-4703-a1dd-2219ee91f3faChinese banks rushed to meet their annual st...
The pandemic is messing with US labour market data
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/f1236902-0997-4028-8cd1-d50317d10abaA jury found Elizabeth Holmes guilty of cons...
Forecasting the world in 2022
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/f0ee8a8b-fab1-4fcc-a49e-864a7b2cf62eThe US chief medical adviser has warned of a...
Who made up the metaverse?
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/693b3337-ce80-4150-866a-01e1c3730fadUS financial conditions are near the most ac...
America’s segregated banking
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/ee47c8a9-9e84-4e31-bcf0-2314be0b406fUS stock exchanges are increasing their effo...
Chile veers left
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/5e8d9be2-8efa-4339-b80a-53ffe0664ec1US retailers’ supply chain problems are be...
The melody of a yield curve
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/b08546bc-7eee-4c25-9e5c-db458728e4c2US president Joe Biden suffered a blow to hi...