FT News Briefing

FT News Briefing

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

Episodes

August 18, 2026 11 mins

Airlines are locked in a “stand-off” over whether to cut ticket prices, and Mark Carney is making a last ditch bid to avert Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat. Plus, the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history and Malaysia has been an unassuming AI winner.


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Mark Carney in last-ditch effort to avoid Donald Trump’s ...

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Private credit is under strain as troubled loans swell, JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon warned Britain’s chancellor against higher bank taxes, and the cost of shipping through many global maritime chokepoints are hitting record highs. Plus, the US is sitting on a mountain of debt – can anyone fix it? 


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Private credit under strain as troubled loans swell

Jamie Dimon warns UK chancellor against h...

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Leading US AI labs are releasing cheaper models to compete with cut-price alternatives from Chinese rivals. Venezuela’s government and opposition unite to demand $4bn in gold reserves back from the Bank of England. A flood of foreign currency bond issuance by Big Tech groups is shaking up the world’s smaller credit markets. Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema is running for a second term amid growing discontent ...

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August 13, 2026 10 mins

Anthropic investors expect the AI start-up to be the largest ever initial public offering, and US inflation edged lower to 3.4 per cent in July as petrol prices declined. Plus, Iranian businesses are increasingly resorting to “buy now, pay later” schemes as the cost of living spirals out of control.


Note: This episode of the FT News Briefing has been updated. A segment was removed.


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Anthr...

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Ukraine has halted drone strikes on oil tankers using a critical Black Sea port after a request by the US, suspected Chinese hackers hit Taiwan with an autonomous AI cyber attack, and the head of the Boston Federal Reserve thinks policymakers may be forced to raise rates in September. Plus, measures of volatility in stocks and currencies have tumbled this summer despite the geopolitical uncertainty. 


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Wall Street giants are partnering with Nvidia on a $500bn AI financing deal, the mega-merger between AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb has been put on ice, and queues at some EU airports have doubled because of border checks. Plus, the FT’s Malaika Kanaaneh Tapper explains why Morocco’s economy isn’t helping its young workers. 


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Wall Street giants partner with Nvidia on $500bn A...

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China is bypassing shipping chokepoints with an “Ice Silk Road” route through the Arctic, dozens of people have been killed in election clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Germany’s economy minister warned that growing support for a far-right political party could deter foreign investors. Plus, we take a look at the bank behind China’s AI listings bonanza, and how the UAE has won over Washington.

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Weakened refining capacity in Russia and the Gulf is a boon to US refiners. Plus, the Trump administration’s decision to revoke legal protections for migrants could hurt the US economy, and Google is shifting control of its AI effort from London back to Silicon Valley.


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Refining crunch keeps fuel prices high as crude retreats

Google shifts AI power back to Brin as DeepMind’s Hassabis steps asi...

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Iran said it reached an agreement with Oman on a route through the Strait of Hormuz, US Democrats hope to win control of Congress in the midterm elections and scammers are taking advantage of the disruption caused by the EU’s new crypto rules. Plus, the FT’s Joe Daniels explains how Ukrainian drone technology is helping cartels and guerillas in Colombia.


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Iran says it has reached agreement wi...

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August 5, 2026 12 mins

SpaceX surpassed analysts’ expectations in its debut earnings report, China is hunting for hundreds of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes and power cuts in Tunisia have provoked protests against President Kais Saied. Plus, the rise in US diesel prices is the latest blow to inflation-weary Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections.


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SpaceX posts 92% rise in revenue in debut earnings rep...

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August 4, 2026 12 mins

Novo Nordisk’s CEO checks in on his first year at the helm, and Russia is quietly assembling a "shadow fleet" of ships to circumvent EU sanctions. Plus, we take a deep dive into a historic joint intervention in Japan’s currency.


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‘Arrogance kills’: Novo chief injects risk-taking into Ozempic-maker

AstraZeneca investors raise concerns over mega-merger talks

Russia expands shadow LNG ...

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UK drugmaker AstraZeneca is in talks to combine with US rival Bristol Myers Squibb, and European governments will hold an online meeting to discuss Spain’s migrant crisis. Plus, wildfires and heatwaves in Europe have already cost more than €3bn this year. 


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AstraZeneca holds talks with Bristol Myers Squibb over $400bn tie-up

EU ministers to discuss Spain’s migrant crisis after Sánchez hit...

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Amazon reported accelerated cloud growth in the quarter to the end of June, and JPMorgan has walked into another football firestorm as it works on a plan with Fifa. Plus, Citadel bought Situational Awareness equity holdings after the hedge fund suffered steep AI losses, and DR Congo’s cobalt boom carries an unwanted cargo: uranium. 


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Amazon shares surge higher after cloud business grows 37%

How...

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Meta and Microsoft reported quarterly earnings as investors raised concerns about AI spending, and the US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. The Bank of Japan is also expected to leave rates unchanged at its meeting on Friday, and UK oil and gas companies are looking away from the North Sea in favour of foreign investment opportunities.


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Microsoft’s cloud business boosts sales as AI invest...

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July 29, 2026 12 mins

Ukraine is shifting its long-range drone campaign to focus on critical Russian infrastructure, and Big Tech companies are facing an AI dilemma as they report quarterly earnings. Plus, Google DeepMind is leaving behind its Nobel-winning AlphaFold project for new ventures, and PwC published “thought leadership” reports containing AI-generated hallucinations.


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Ukraine adapts strikes on Russian e...

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July 28, 2026 12 mins

A crucial gauge of risk in holding the debt of companies at the centre of the AI boom has hit a record high, private capital group Ares Management has held talks to acquire Leonard Green & Partners, and French company TotalEnergies will be able to continue selling gas from its flagship Siberian project to Asia. Plus, institutional investors are snapping up bundles of UK homes at large discounts and sales at LVMH’s key fas...

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Investors raised their bets the Federal Reserve will raise rates on Wednesday after this month’s jump in oil prices. And, firefighting efforts were boosted in France and Spain as “violent” wildfires raged. Plus, developing nations make plans for the next energy shock, and US artificial intelligence companies spend record amounts on lobbying. 


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Investors crank up bets on Federal Res...

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The US unveiled new tariffs to replace old ones, oil’s jump above $100 deepened a global bond sell-off, and thousands of supporters of the youth-led “Cockroach” movement in India continued protesting over problems in the education system. Plus, the European Central Bank held interest rates, but other central banks may not follow suit. 


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US hits 60 countries with new duties as Donal...

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Tesla reported its first cash burn in more than two years in the second quarter, and US oil refineries are running at full tilt as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine choke global supplies of fuels such as diesel. Plus, the UK consumer price index dropped in June, and Deutsche Bank’s headquarters was raided for the third time this year.  


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Tesla profits plunge as discounts on EV model...

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Ukraine has a new commander-in-chief after days of protests, andFT calculations show the US has collected more than $13bn in revenues from Venezuelan oil sales this year, but it's unclear what has happened to the money, and US President Donald Trump may unleash fresh tariffs on dozens of countries as soon as this week. Plus, Samsung is in talks to invest in French AI start-up Mistral, and investors are worried about betting big on ...

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