FT News Briefing

Rights groups say Israel appears to be implementing a controversial plan to force Hamas into submission by laying siege to the north of Gaza. BHP’s chief executive met government officials in South Africa last week, fuelling speculation that the miner will resurrect its failed bid for rival Anglo American. Plus, the downfall of once-hyped genetic testing company 23andMe, and Prada launches in...

Shares in ASML led a tech rout on Nasdaq on Tuesday after the chipmaker warned of a slower recovery in the semiconductor market, and Goldman Sachs’ quarterly profits jumped 45 per cent to $3bn, boosted by its equity trading business. Asian battery makers are racing to develop new generations of superfast charging for electric vehicles, and a growing list of cash-strapped companies are deferring lo...

OpenAI is considering a largely untested company model to protect chief executive Sam Altman from outside interference, and virtually all global insurers now include at least one low-carbon transition goal within their investment plans. Millions of dollars in bets are being placed on the US presidential election following the lifting of a domestic betting ban last week. Plus, China’s deflationary...

Russia has expanded the capacity of its shadow fleet of oil tankers despite western sanctions, and US bank stocks hit their highest level since before the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday, following better than expected quarterly earnings. Plus, the Eurozone’s weak economic growth and sluggish consumer prices have raised concerns about low inflation, and Argentina’s president Javier Milei...

Both chambers of the US Congress are like the country they represent: narrowly divided. But while Democrats currently hold a one-seat Senate majority, Republicans are increasingly confident that they’ll take back control of the chamber after the election next month. The FT’s Washington bureau chief, James Politi, and the Cook Political Report’s Senate and Governors editor, Jessica Taylor, join thi...

The French government has proposed a budget for next year with some €60bn worth of spending cuts and tax increases, and Hurricane Milton ploughed across Florida on Wednesday. US inflation fell to 2.4 per cent in September . Plus, we look ahead to Japan’s early elections later this month.  Mentioned in this podcast: French PM unveils shock therapy in 2025 budget US inflation fell to 2.4% in Se...

HSBC’s top-paid bankers to bear the brunt of cost-cutting restructuring, and the UK Conservative party leadership race has been whittled down to two rightwingers. Plus, Germany’s economy is expected to shrink, and the US government is considering seeking the break-up of Google to end its monopoly in search.  Mentioned in this podcast: US weighs Google break-up in landmark antitrust case Jenri...

The head of KPMG US says the industry urgently needs to make it easier to become an accountant, and the EU is suing Hungary’s government over a new security law it says is in breach of citizens’ fundamental rights. Plus, India races to extract as much oil as possible while there remains a market for crude.  Mentioned in this podcast: KPMG US head says the industry urgently needs to make it ea...

Big bank bosses join a growing list of prominent financiers expected to skip COP29 next month, and Spain proposes a new mechanism to help harmonise the EU’s capital and credit markets. Plus, activist investor Starboard Value has built a $1bn position in struggling drugmaker Pfizer, and tens of thousands of striking machinists are threatening Boeing’s recovery.  Mentioned in this podcast: “You...

A new report forecasts that Donald Trump would raise the US debt by twice as much as Kamala Harris, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is quietly opening up a new front in a global battle over a scarce and precious resource: radio spectrum. Plus, US partners at accounting firm EY have been told their pay for 2024 will be deferred, and a year after the October 7 attacks, international criticism of the Gaza war...

The Biden administration has tried and failed to contain fighting in the Middle East over the past year - and now, the conflict is close to spiralling into all-out war. The FT’s US foreign affairs and defence correspondent Felicia Schwartz and US political news editor Derek Brower join this week’s Swamp Notes to explain what Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are telling voters they’ll do to end the c...

A strike that closed US east and Gulf coast ports will be suspended, and market reaction to escalations in the Middle East remains minimal. Plus, Italy’s government will raise more taxes from companies earning windfall profits, and luxury group LVMH will become a top sponsor of car-racing franchise Formula One. Mentioned in this podcast: US dockworkers suspend strike that threatened to cripple por...

UK house sales rise at the fastest rate in three years, mass displacement in Lebanon risks overwhelming a country battered by economic crises, and Brussels intends to postpone a controversial EU anti-deforestation law for a year following a backlash. Plus, two-thirds of all new solar and wind power projects are based in China.  Mentioned in this podcast: UK house sales rise at fastest pace in...

Iran fires missiles at Israel, hours after the IDF launches a ground offensive in Lebanon. France’s new Prime Minister Michel Barnier announced tax rises on large companies and the wealthy, and US business groups warned of economic ‘paralysis’ after tens of thousands of dockworkers went on strike. Plus, investors are seeking to profit from the uncertainty over the outcome of the US presidential ra...

SoftBank will invest $500mn into OpenAI as part of a fundraising round that will give the start-up a $150bn valuation, and Chinese equities post their best day since the 2008 global financial crisis. Plus, new data suggests artificial intelligence start-ups are bringing in revenues at an unprecedented rate, and South Korean exporters are struggling to compete with a glut of goods from Chinese riva...

In the wake of Hassan Nasrallah’s death, Hizbollah looks for a way forward, and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen goes on trial for allegedly embezzling EU funds. Peter Thiel’s venture capital firm is backing a nuclear start-up aimed at fueling artificial intelligence, and a handful of high frequency trading firms have seized market share from traditional investment banks.  Mentioned in t...

Voters consistently tell pollsters that economic issues are their top electoral concern. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have spent the past few weeks honing their economic messages — and they couldn’t be more different. The FT’s US managing editor, Peter Spiegel, and Washington bureau chief, James Politi, join to explore how each candidates’ plan would impact the country. Mentioned in this podcast...

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves may backtrack on a key tax plan, Saudi Arabia is ready to abandon its unofficial price target of $100 a barrel for crude, and Citigroup announced a $25bn deal with Apollo to lend to private equity groups and low-rated US companies. Plus, Palestinian villagers in the West Bank are experiencing heightened violence after Hamas’s devastating October 7 assault on Israel. Men...

OpenAI’s chief technology officer is leaving the company, major banks pledge to increase their support for nuclear energy, and hopes of an M&A comeback rise as global companies pursue blockbuster takeovers. Plus, a surge in female labour force participation emerges as a bright spot for Saudi Arabia.  Mentioned in this podcast: OpenAI’s chief technology officer Mira Murati to leave  ...

The US Department of Justice has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa, China has unleashed a swath of stimulus measures to jump-start growth and the incoming CEO at Trafigura signals a new era for the trading house. Plus, Sri Lanka has a new leftwing president who has promised a fresh start for the country. Mentioned in this podcast: US antitrust lawsuit accuses Visa of using dominance to shut...

The US proposed effectively banning Chinese cars, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came out against a UniCredit takeover of Commerzbank and Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Lebanon. Plus, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will try to turn around the Labour party’s mood during a speech at the party conference.  Mentioned in this podcast: US proposes banning Chinese software and component...

Olaf Scholz’s SPD narrowly fends off the AfD in Brandenburg’s state election, and chipmaker Qualcomm approaches Intel about a potential takeover. AI search engine Perplexity mounts an ambitious effort to break Google’s stranglehold over the $300bn digital ads industry. Plus, a strike at three dozen US ports could upend supply chains and raise prices just weeks before Election Day . Mentioned in th...

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate senator JD Vance have spent the past few weeks pushing a false claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating residents’ pets. The FT’s US national editor, Ed Luce, and New York correspondent, Joshua Chaffin, join this week’s Swamp Notes to discuss why misinformation is a powerful electoral strategy and whether the trut...

The S&P 500 hit a record high, Europe’s biggest hope for dominance in EV batteries is struggling to hang on and the Bank of England held interest rates steady. Plus, the FT’s Brooke Masters explains why customers are getting fed up with airline loyalty programmes.  Mentioned in this podcast: S&P 500 hits new record after Fed makes jumbo cut to US interest rates   Europe’s great b...

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate easing began with a half-point cut, and the UK’s financial watchdog has stepped up pressure on banks to offer more attractive interest rates on deposits. The FT’s Mehul Srivastava unravels the supply chain behind the pagers that exploded in Lebanon this week.  Mentioned in this podcast: Federal Reserve cuts rates by half a point and signals era of easing ha...