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
This is a repeat of an episode published on Swamp Notes, a sister podcast of the FT News Briefing on January 9, 2026. Subscribe to Swamp Notes on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.
After a military operation to capture Venezuela's leader, the Trump administration is seeking influence over other regions across the western hemisphere. The FT’s national editor Edward Luce and US-Europe foreign ...
Glencore and Rio Tinto resume mining megamerger talks, protests in Iran over economic conditions are the largest in years, and the US trade deficit narrowed to its lowest level since 2009. Plus, is there a right way for chief executives to exit a company?
Mentioned in this podcast:
Glencore and Rio Tinto resume talks on mining megadeal
The US wants to control Venezuelan oil sales ‘indefinitely’ but the ‘catastrophic’ state of the Latin American nation’s crude facilities presents several hurdles. Plus, President Donald Trump banned institutional investors from buying single-family homes, and the UK and France pledged to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of sweeping US-backed security guarantees.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Leading asset managers are positioning for a sharp sell-off in US technology stocks, Venezuela’s government has launched a crackdown after the US captured Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration is meeting with executives from US oil majors to discuss its strategy for Venezuela. Plus, the FT’s Joe Leahy explains how US involvement in Venezuela could affect China.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to narco trafficking charges, and smaller private investors are eager to invest in Venezuelan oil. Plus, Chinese carmarkers are expected to increase exports this year, and we’ll look at how south-east Asia has been riding out Trump’s tariff storm.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Maduro pleads not guilty to drug-trafficking charges in New York court
US President Donald Trump has warned Venezuela’s defacto leader she must meet America’s demands following Nicolas Maduro’s capture. We explore what Trump hopes to achieve in the Latin American country, and the challenges ahead for its people and resource-rich oil industry.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Trump topples Maduro and vows to ‘run’ Venezuela in stark display of US power
Financial Times columnist Gillian Tett predicted that the Magnificent 7 tech stocks were not going to fall, but they wouldn’t ride a lot higher either in 2025. What actually happened was a bit of a mixed bag, and Gillian says that sets these companies up for diverging paths in 2026. The era of an artificial intelligence tide lifting all boats seems to be drawing to an end.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Europe’s banking industry could shed 10 per cent of its workforce by 2030. Plus, the FT’s US national editor and columnist Edward Luce predicted America’s president would not fall out with one-time “first buddy”, billionaire Elon Musk in 2025. He explains why they could form a new kind of alliance in 2026.
Mentioned in this podcast:
AI forecast to put 200,000 European banking jobs at risk by 2030
The FT’s Europe editor Ben Hall thought there would be a Ukraine peace deal in 2025. Despite lots of back and forth over ceasefire proposals, an agreement has yet to materialise. The negotiations reveal a lot about the relationship between the west and Russia. Can the countries come to an agreement in 2026?
Mentioned in this podcast:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for 50-year US security guarantee fo...
US President Donald Trump hosted Ukraine’s leader at Mar-a-Lago for high-stakes peace talks but failed to reach a breakthrough. Plus, FT markets columnist Katie Martin predicted that in 2025, the bond market would creak but not break. She explains why it held up and whether that will continue in 2026.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Trump and Zelenskyy talks fail to deliver breakthrough on Ukraine peace deal
What went right in 2025? What could go wrong in 2026? Recorded for the FT’s digital conference The Global Boardroom, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong talk with Ian Smith, the FT’s senior markets correspondent, about the incredible resilience of the US stock market, and the challenges ahead. Also, they go long boring companies and short KPop Demon Hunters.
Subscribe to Unhedged to hear more.
The French pioneer of European integration Jean Monnet believed that Europe would be ‘built in crisis’. The war in Ukraine is putting this theory to the test, once again. Gideon discusses with historian Timothy Garton Ash how European leaders are responding to this latest crisis after the brief ‘holiday from history’ that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Subscribe to The Rachman Review.
Clip: ITV
Note: The FT does n...
When international private equity groups first entered Japan at the turn of the 21st century, newspapers criticised them as vulture funds and politicians steered clear of public contact. Today, it’s a different story. Dozens of buyout groups have set up in the country and the establishment is courting them. The FT’s Tokyo correspondent David Keohane and Tokyo bureau chief Leo Lewis explain why there’s been a shift, and how private ...
This is an episode of Political Fix, the FT weekly podcast that takes you into the corridors of Westminster to unwrap, analyse and debate British politics with a regular panel of FT correspondents.
It’s been another turbulent year in UK politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced down rebellions from within his own party, overseen scandals and sackings, and delivered a constant barrage of bad news from health and housing to...
How much do we really know about ageing? For decades, scientists have been trying to understand the biology of the ageing process - what happens to our bodies as we get older? And is it possible to slow that process down or even stop it all together?
In this series of Tech Tonic, the FT’s Hannah Kuchler and Michael Peel look into the past, present and future of longevity - the wellness movement focused on extending and bettering...
In this final episode of their series for the FT's The Economics Show, FT chief economics commentator Martin Wolf and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman consider listeners’ questions and comments ranging from a critique of globalisation, increasing inequality and plutocracy, the global appetite for US federal debt, China’s economic future and much more.
This is a repeat of an episode published on The Economics Show, a sister podcast of...
The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also the most expensive. Between gifts, food and travel, people can end up spending a lot of money this year. The Financial Times’ consumer editor Claer Barrett explains why people are feeling the pinch this season and what they can do about it.
Mentioned in this podcast:
BP chief executive Murray Auchincloss has said he will step down after less than two years in the role, India’s central bank governor expects the country’s interest rates to remain low for a ‘long period’, and UK inflation fell more than expected to an eight-month low of 3.2 per cent. Plus, global companies are seeking private equity partners in China to take on their local operations as they grapple with an increasingly competitiv...
Investors are snapping up Venezuela’s defaulted debt, JPMorgan Chase has withdrawn almost $350bn in cash from its account at the Federal Reserve since 2023, and the US unemployment rate rose to its highest level in more than four years. Plus, global asset managers’ cash holdings have fallen to a record low in a sign of investors’ bullishness about the AI-fuelled stock market rally.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Shell’s merger chief departed after a bid to acquire rival BP was quashed internally, and the EU’s top trade official warns the bloc would lose global credibility if it fails to approve its trade deal with the Mercosur group of South American countries. Plus, Brussels plans to scrap the EU’s 2035 combustion engine ban, and hedge funds and trading firms are piling into physical commodities markets in search of new sources of returns...
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.