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
BlackRock and Microsoft are launching a $30bn data centre fund to meet the growing demands of artificial intelligence, and BP puts its onshore US wind business up for sale. Meta is making teenagers’ Instagram accounts private by default and EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager speaks to the FT about her efforts to regulate in Big Tech.
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BlackRock and Microsoft plan $30bn fund to invest in AI inf...
The EU is preparing to provide up to €40bn in new loans for Ukraine by the end of the year, and Boeing is considering temporary furloughs as its machinists continue to strike. The company behind ChatGPT is launching a new product it claims can solve complex mathematical and scientific problems. Plus, former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi launches a master plan to boost EU competitiveness.
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Both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England are set to announce interest rate decisions this week. In China, venture capital finance has dried up amid political and economic pressures. Plus, Indonesian palm oil producers warn of global supply chain disruption if the EU bans imported commodities linked to deforestation.
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On this week’s special episode of Swamp Notes, four FT journalists discuss the historic first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and answer all your most-pressing questions about the US presidential race. The FT’s US managing editor, Peter Spiegel, moderates the discussion alongside deputy Washington bureau chief, Lauren Fedor, global business columnist, Rana Foroohar, and chief foreign affairs columnist, Gideon Rachman...
Investors snapped up consumer staples such as Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive amid concerns over a potential slowdown in the US economy. Abu Dhabi’s oil company Adnoc could offer €14.4bn for German chemical group Covestro, and the European Central Bank cut interest rates to 3.5 per cent. Plus, people in Los Angeles are encouraged to park their car obsession ahead of the 2028 Olympics, and amateur astronauts completed the first priv...
The Italian lender UniCredit has amassed a 9 per cent stake in Commerzbank, and US inflation fell to 2.5 per cent in August. Plus, Argentines are declaring hundreds of millions of dollars of previously hidden savings in a tax amnesty and Mexico’s Senate approved a radical plan to have voters elect all its judges.
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The EU’s top court orders Apple to pay €13bn in back taxes, and the Federal Reserve halves its proposed capital requirement increase for the largest US banks. Plus, we talk to the FT’s Benjamin Parkin about the Taliban’s warming relations with a growing number of regional powers.
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Top EU court rules Apple must pay €13bn in back taxes
Federal Reserve halves proposed capital requirement rise for large...
Apple launches the iPhone 16 with generative AI features, and France’s new PM needs more time to submit the country’s debt plans. Kamala Harris is under pressure to perform in tonight’s debate against Donald Trump. Plus, Intel’s plunging share price and manufacturing troubles shatter its hopes for a turnaround.
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Apple launches iPhone 16 with AI features to roll out in coming months
Enthusiasm about artificial intelligence masks a recession in the technology sector, and a new exchange traded fund looks specifically for ‘reject’ stocks. Plus, Google heads back to court over fresh antitrust allegations, and Chinese car buyers ditch Tesla for local alternatives.
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AI exuberance masks broad weakness in tech sector, say investors
Democrats and Republicans have taken a protectionist turn on trade policy over the past few years. They say it’s to protect national security, but that argument doesn’t always hold up. Just look at this week’s announcement from vice-president Kamala Harris that she doesn’t support the purchase of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. The FT’s economics editor, Sam Fleming, and Washington bureau chief, James Politi, join this week’...
President Emmanuel Macron has named the EU’s former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France’s next prime minister. Plus, Europe’s sustainable investment funds double down on defence stocks, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy carries out his biggest wartime cabinet reshuffle yet.
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Europe’s ESG funds more than double defence holdings amid Ukraine war
Volkswagen calls for drastic measures to bolster profits, and President Joe Biden wants to block a Japanese company’s acquisition of US Steel. Plus, damning findings about the Grenfell Tower fire surface, and Egypt’s journey from gas bonanza to power blackouts
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Joe Biden set to block Nippon Steel’s takeover of US Steel
Volkswagen warns staff it has ‘a year, maybe two’ to adapt to lower demand&...
Big tech groups including Nvidia led a broad US stock market sell-off on Tuesday, and Huawei’s AI chips are dealing with some bugs. Plus, US homebuilders are facing their biggest credit crunch in more than a decade, and foreign investors are backing out of Indian equities.
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US homebuilders face credit crunch as banks cut lending
Huawei’s bug-ridden software hampers China’s efforts to replace N...
The UK blocks some arms shipments to Israel, audit firms are fighting against new oversight rules in the US, and the same technology that brought us Covid-19 vaccines could also be used to fight cancer. Plus, the Oasis revival tour is so popular it triggered a UK investigation into Ticketmaster.
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UK to halt exports of some arms to Israel citing possible law breaches External Link
Germany's far-right makes significant inroads in state elections, and Israel’s largest union calls for a general strike. Plus, so-called ‘greedlation’ becomes a campaign issue for the Democrats, and Hong Kong wants workers to smile more.
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Alternative for Germany wins its first regional election
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have different approaches to the media: Trump talks a lot, and Harris talks a little. But the candidates share one thing in common: they’re both sceptical of mainstream outlets. The FT’s US managing editor, Peter Spiegel, and Los Angeles bureau chief, Christopher Grimes, join this week’s Swamp Notes to explain why.
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Turkey’s stock rally hits reverse as juicy interest rates lure savers out of the market, and the FT’s Polina Ivanova explains how Telegram is a lifeline for both Russian and Ukrainian troops and civilians. Plus, Cornell University’s Eswar Prasad says Thailand could open a window into how central bank digital currencies might be used in future.
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Turkey’s blazing stock rally falters with high rates luring ...
Nvidia’s record-breaking earnings still somehow disappointed investors, China’s use of the renminbi in cross-border trading is at a record high, and Berkshire Hathaway becomes the first publicly traded US company outside of tech to be valued at $1tn. Plus, Ford’s big plans to boost profits continue to fall short.
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Nvidia revenue more than doubles as demand for AI chips remains strong
The Japanese operator of 7-Eleven is discussing ways to defend itself against a takeover bid by Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, Chinese export controls on crucial semiconductor materials are starting to hit supply chains, and the fintech company Klarna plans to axe almost half of its staff in favour of artificial intelligence. Plus, Nasa is turning to Elon Musk’s SpaceX after Boeing’s Starliner, which was meant to bring two...
French authorities detain Telegram’s chief executive as part of a content moderation investigation, which has reignited the debate about free speech online. Plus, oil prices reached a two-week high as Libya says it is shutting down oil production, and Grenada triggers a first-of-its-kind ‘hurricane clause’ to pause its debt repayments.
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Oil hits 2-week high after Libya says it will shut down crude export...
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