FT News Briefing

The private investment firm Archegos Capital was behind billions of dollars worth of share sales that captivated Wall Street on Friday, the head of the Suez Canal Authority has warned that there is no timeline for freeing the 220,000-tonne container ship that has blocked one of the main arteries of global trade, and Amazon workers in Bessemer wrap up a potentially historic unionization vote. ...

European leaders clash over vaccine distribution at a marathon virtual summit, holders of UK government bonds are suffering the worst quarter in at least two decades as Britain’s economic prospects brighten, Jack Ma’s Ant Group demands bigger fees to rebuild valuation after pulled IPO, and comfort foods like doughnuts and mac and cheese proved popular during the pandemic.  EU leaders clash ov...

British and European officials on Wednesday issued a joint statement saying they’d discussed developing a “reciprocally beneficial relationship” to tackle Covid-19, after a top official in Brussels accused the UK of “vaccine nationalism”; a grounded container ship has blocked traffic in one of the world’s most critical shipping passages; and the rush to produce hydroelectric power in the Hima...

The escalation of a diplomatic row between the EU and China could imperil a market-access deal meant to be the cornerstone of future relations between Brussels and Beijing, Facebook’s CEO prepares for a grilling by US lawmakers over misinformation, and the Wall Street asset management group BlackRock has pushed for more diversity but now faces criticism for lack of an inclusive workplace.  Sa...

Investor confidence in Turkey is shaken by the shock dismissal of the head of the central bank and the appointment of a new central banker with unorthodox ideas on how to tackle the country’s economic challenges, the increased production of the Covid-19 vaccine is creating shortages of other medicines, and Goldman Sachs bows to workplace complaints by junior bankers.  Turkey’s lira tumbles af...

Investors have injected almost $170bn into global stocks over the past month, Broadway’s theatre workers are still waiting for curtains to lift, and India’s job shortage prompts the northern state of Haryana to adopt new rules that require companies to hire residents from that state.   Investors inject almost $170bn into global stocks in 4 week https://www.ft.com/content/88ab1525-02d3-4c...

Europe’s biggest countries are set to resume using the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after the EU drugs regulator said the jab was safe, and the US is taking a tough stance as members from the Biden administration meet with Chinese officials in Alaska. Plus, the FT’s markets editor, Katie Martin, explains why investors are reboarding airline stocks.  EU drugs regulator backs ‘safe an...

Federal Reserve officials sharply upgraded their growth forecasts for the world’s largest economy, and Microsoft is investigating a recent cyber attack and whether security companies that it works with leaked details about vulnerabilities in its software. Plus, the FT’s global tech correspondent, Tim Bradshaw, explains how Stripe became Silicon Valley’s most valuable private company.  Fed sha...

Brussels is to propose the creation of a Covid-19 certificate to allow EU citizens to travel inside the bloc, and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority is bringing money laundering charges against NatWest. Plus, the FT’s Frankfurt bureau chief, Martin Arnold, explains how the economies of the US and EU are drifting apart.  Brussels to propose Covid certificate to allow EU-wide travel https://w...

US airlines are optimistic about the industry after more people flew in the US this past weekend than any time since the start of the pandemic, and companies are turning to tree planting to appeal to eco-conscious consumers.  Plus, the FT’s Patrick McGee explains why some of China’s biggest technology companies  are testing a tool to bypass Apple’s new privacy rules.   China’s...

The payments provider, Stripe, is now worth $95bn after its latest round of fundraising, and more than 4.4m Americans have created businesses during the pandemic. Plus, the FT’s innovation editor, John Thornhill, gives highlights from the latest episode of his Tech Tonic podcast, which looks at two countries where citizens have been comfortable with how their government used some of their private...

Canberra is contemplating investing in a A$1bn biopharmaceutical plant to reduce its dependence on imports of critical medicines, China’s state-backed pharmaceutical group, Sinopharm, wants more governments to buy its Covid-19 vaccine, and Spain is set to become the first EU country to amend its laws to give some gig economy workers employee rights. Plus, the FT’s markets editor, Katie Martin, exp...

President Joe Biden is eyeing a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure package for the US. Plus, the FT’s chief economics commentator, Martin Wolf, examines how well governments and economic policymakers have handled the economic crisis stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The OECD said on Tuesday that president Joe Biden’s $1.9tn US stimulus programme will boost the global economic recovery, the pandemic is being blamed for lower birth rates across Europe, and the IPO of South Korean ecommerce group, Coupang, is being clouded by worker deaths. Plus, the FT’s energy correspondent, Nathalie Thomas, explains the current surge of interest in green hydrogen as an altern...

Stocks declined on Monday with shares of technology companies leading Wall Street lower, and the stricken supply chain financier, Greensill Capital, files for administration. Plus, the FT’s private capital correspondent, Mark Vandevelde, breaks down the $29bn merger between Apollo Global Capital and Athene Holding.  Wall Street dragged lower by tech stocks and pandemic beneficiaries https://w...

The European Central Bank has asked lenders for details of their exposure to Greensill Capital and its key client GFG Alliance, US president Joe Biden will hold a summit with Japan, India, and Australia to find ways to counter China’s influence, and TikTok is removing videos uploaded by Myanmar soldiers. Plus, the FT’s New York correspondent, Josh Chaffin, explains why lenders have been lenient to...

  Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell triggered a sudden sell-off in long-term US Treasury debt and equities Thursday, and Opec and Russia have decided against unleashing a flood of crude on to the market. Plus, the FT’s markets editor, Katie Martin, explains how the UK is going about attracting new companies to the London stock exchange.  Powell inflation comments send US stocks and bonds...

Democratic leaders have reached a compromise on a deal that would limit who is eligible for $1,400 stimulus cheques. Plus, the FT’s capital markets correspondent Robert Smith unpacks the rapidly unfolding saga behind Greensill Capital and why the supply chain financier is on the verge of filing for insolvency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the US would have enough doses of coronavirus vaccines for every adult by the end of May, global energy-related carbon emissions have rebounded from coronavirus lockdown levels, and Ant Group has shared just a fraction of its consumer data with China’s central bank, defying Beijing. Plus, the FT’s Berlin bureau chief, Guy Chazan, explains why Germany’s...

Two senior Democratic lawmakers have warned the Federal Reserve that it would be a “grave error” to extend looser capital requirements for US banks. ExxonMobil appointed two new board directors on Monday to placate activist shareholders and the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday. Plus, the FT’s global media editor Alex Barker looks back on Rupe...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to announce the UK’s budget on Monday and it includes a £5bn “restart” grant scheme, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warns that Europe could face an “era of pandemics,” and Japanese officials are preparing revisions to the country’s corporate governance code in an effort to change an inward looking corporate culture. Plus, the FT’s Patrick McGee exp...

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury exceeded 1.5 per cent for the first time in a year and the outgoing head of Petrobras warns Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro against state controlled fuel prices. Plus, the FT’s Africa editor, David Pilling, discusses the Covax vaccine rollout in low-income countries.  Wall Street stocks sell off as government bond rout accelerates https://www.ft.c...

GameStop’s share price doubled in the final 90 minutes of trading on Wednesday, partners at the consultancy McKinsey have voted to remove Kevin Sneader from his post as global managing partner, and Myanmar’s banking system has ground almost to a halt as employees joined protests against the military coup. Plus, climatologist Michael Mann explains why wind power is not to blame for power failures i...

  Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell spoke to Congress on Tuesday and indicated the central bank would maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy, the Biden administration is planning a broad package of measures to punish Moscow for the SolarWinds hack, and holiday bookings in the UK surged after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a plan for easing the coronavirus lockdown. Plus, the FT’s...

The Nasdaq Composite closed 2.5 per cent lower on Monday as rising inflation expectations undercut arguments for tech stocks’ high valuations, Brazilian markets were rattled after president Jair Bolsonaro removed the head of Petrobras, and American rapper Jay-Z signs a big champagne deal with LVMH. Plus, the FT’s clean energy and environment correspondent, Leslie Hook, explains how Big Tech compan...