FT News Briefing

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/76ae831e-7a74-4429-8bbb-2b947a04cb44 Biden made his first comments on Afghanistan and blamed the chaos in Kabul on the country’s deposed leaders, and desperate Afghans overran the airport trying to flee. Pakistan’s international bonds came under selling pressure on Monday as emerging market investors braced themselves for the f...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/b1e7f141-e281-4bee-81e3-b11eaf9d767d Afghanistan’s president fled the country as the Taliban advanced on Kabul, and tropical storm Grace headed towards Haiti as rescue workers scrambled to reach people trapped under rubble after a massive earthquake, and as the super-infectious Delta variant spreads around the world many govern...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/80e6939d-d085-499d-ac9d-3ac6386b69c1 Airbnb reported strong quarterly earnings and said tourists from places with higher vaccination rates were “driving the travel recovery”, and ​​employees are taking sensitive computer code from their companies at three times the rate they were a year ago. Plus, the FT’s Africa editor David P...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/baa5d27d-d16c-4f47-9902-abb72f02429d A top Federal Reserve official told the FT that the central bank could dial back its ultra-accommodative monetary stimulus as early as this year, and the White House has called on Opec to boost oil production in an effort to curb high petrol prices. Plus, the FT’s property correspondent, Geo...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/b20cdab3-2e47-4bbe-bbff-39c42459d105 The rapid pace of US consumer price increases seen in recent months is set to stall in July near a 13-year high, and SoftBank will cut its investment in Chinese start-ups until the extent of Beijing’s scrutiny of the tech sector becomes clear. Plus, the FT’s private capital correspondent, Ka...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/7822a4a7-d31a-40ce-8217-ebbafc4acb09 Oil prices continue to slide on investor concerns over the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant, especially in China, and DraftKings buys Golden Nugget Online Gaming for $1.56bn. Plus, the FT’s Washington correspondent, Lauren Fedor, explains how the US Senate is getting closer to approvi...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/65fa9d74-d971-4536-a411-c06d86d8de64 FT calculations of 20 Chinese billionaires show that their net worth has dropped by about $80bn since late June, ByteDance, the owner of short-video app TikTok, has revived a plan to go public, and Industry bosses are predicting a worldwide construction “supercycle” set to fuel demand for bu...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/0e09d7d2-95d7-4fa1-80ff-9ff466f3cf6a Apple intends to install software on US iPhones to scan for child abuse imagery, and president Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday calling for half of all new vehicles sold in the US to be electric by 2030. Plus, the FT’s markets editor Katie Martin explains how Robinhood’s stock...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/c6ee7948-06e7-4f4c-8940-2f83d85bdf4d The value of the world’s stock of negative-yielding debt has ballooned to more than $16.5tn, SoftBank’s second Vision Fund plans to invest $100m in a new fund started by one of its former top partners, and US food delivery group DoorDash is preparing to make its first investment in Europe. P...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/9221dcf1-ef98-4474-9d9f-226f08843bbf Spain has called on the EU to back measures to limit surging electricity prices and athletes from Russia are enjoying success at the Olympics despite a ban on the country. Plus, the FT’s private capital correspondent, Kaye Wiggins, explains why PepsiCo has sold off its big-name juice brands...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/219d15f1-b6fa-471c-b0ed-2a2c4163f757 Forests in the US that generate the carbon offsets bought by companies including BP and Microsoft are on fire; Goldman Sachs looks to scale back its asset management business; and the International Monetary Fund has issued a warning over using cryptocurrency as legal tender. Plus, the FT’s P...

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/97741491-f1aa-4107-a84d-ebd874b1259d House prices are increasing in almost every major economy in the wake of the pandemic, and the success of skateboarding in the Tokyo Olympics could have a real influence on Japan’s culture. Plus, the FT’s commodities correspondent, Emiko Terazono, explains how changing temperatures across th...

Amazon shares slumped in after-hours trading after the ecommerce giant missed Wall Street’s revenue targets, Robinhood shares stumbled out of the gate on Thursday, and China’s securities regulator has sought to ease concerns among international investors and banks. Plus, the FT’s labor and equality correspondent, Taylor Nicole Rogers, explains how some teenagers gained the upper hand in a hot US s...

The Federal Reserve signalled it was moving closer to the moment when it will withdraw its support for the US economic recovery by tapering the central bank’s asset purchases, and the international lawyer Philippe Sands explains why he wants to create an international definition for the crime of ecocide. Plus, the FT’s Stephanie Findlay explains why Indian tech companies are going through an IPO b...

Apple’s profit nearly doubled in the latest quarter as iPhone sales surged, and a former oil trader at Glencore has pleaded guilty in the US over his part in a scheme to bribe government officials in Nigeria. Plus, the FT’s US investment editor, Michael Mackenzie, explains why China’s crackdown is burning investors.  Tech blowout: Apple profit nearly doubles as iPhone sales surge https://www....

The UK government will consider loosening travel restrictions for travellers from the EU and the US, Intel will change the way it names its most advanced technology and Japanese athletes are raking in the golds at the Tokyo Olympics. Plus, Ian Smith, the FT’s insurance correspondent, explains how pressure from the US Department of Justice caused the $30bn merger between Aon and Willis Towers Watso...

The international community is responding to the military’s protest crackdown in a variety of ways, and a look at why Nasdaq is separating its existing marketplace for private company shares into a new unit. Plus, the FT’s markets editor, Katie Martin, talks about the performance of the FT’s annual stock picking contest, thus far.  US places sanctions on head of Cuban military over prote...

As a News Briefing special we present Tech Tonic episode 3, our FT audio deep dive into how AI is gaining a new edge in markets.   If you enjoyed this episode, click here to subscribe to Tech Tonic. From picking the best stocks to listening in on earnings calls, AI-powered systems are changing finance. But how big are the rewards, really? And what are the risks? In this episode Robin Wigglesw...

Washington and Berlin have reached a deal to resolve their longstanding dispute over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and Brussels has insisted it will not renegotiate the EU’s Brexit deal with the UK after London inflamed tensions by launching a bold push to overhaul Northern Ireland trade rules. Plus, rising housing expenses are quickly emerging as a pivotal indicator for officials at the Federal Res...

Netflix gained 1.5m subscribers in the second quarter but lost 430,000 subscribers in the US and Canada, and UBS has launched a portfolio that invests solely in women-led hedge funds. Plus, the FT’s metals and mining correspondent, Henry Sanderson, talks about how the London Metals Exchange and the US-based CME Group are vying to capture rapid growth in demand for commodities tied to the electric...

Fears over the coronavirus on Monday contributed to European stocks’ worst session of 2021  Description: The threat of the Delta coronavirus variant hit global equity markets on Monday, and the online brokerage Robinhood is seeking a valuation of up to $35bn in its upcoming initial public offering. Plus, the FT’s South China correspondent Primrose Riordan reports that American companies are u...

Opec and its allies have reached a deal to raise oil production in response to soaring prices, and China just launched the world’s largest carbon trading market. Plus, the FT’s global health editor, Sarah Neville, reports on scientists’ pursuit of a “supershot” vaccine to protect against all coronaviruses. Opec+ reaches deal to raise oil production https://www.ft.com/content/b517d13d-dc7b-4610-b46...

US retail banks cut their branch networks and trimmed headcount in the first half of the year, and Brussels' historic attempt to tackle climate change faces a wall of opposition from governments in the bloc. Plus, the FT’s business columnist, PIlita Clark, talks about her favourite summer reads about the environment.  US banks close more than 250 branches in bet on digital future with Imani M...

The chair of the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell, sought to ease concerns in Congress about the Federal Reserve’s response to surging  inflation, the assassination of Haiti’s president Jovenel Moïse last week has plunged the poorest nation in the Americas deeper into chaos, and British artist Damien Hirst yesterday launched his NFT-based project, entitled “The Currency”, that calls into question...

Visa and Mastercard have left open key gateways between Binance and the financial system despite rising regulatory scrutiny of the cryptocurrency, the pace of US consumer price increases accelerated unexpectedly in June. Plus, the FT’s global finance correspondent, Robin Wigglesworth, explains why investors might be interested in an “everything index” and how close we are to getting one.  Vis...