FT News Briefing

Apple has hit a $2tn market capitalisation just two years after it became the world’s first trillion-dollar company, concern is growing in Germany that a rule introduced as part of the country’s emergency response to coronavirus is fuelling the creation of thousands of so-called zombie groups that could end up sapping the economy for years to come. Plus, as Joe Biden prepares to accept the Democra...

Oracle has entered the race to acquire TikTok, EU leaders lined up to urge the Vladimir Putin to help steer Belarus out of its political crisis, and the US postmaster-general has reversed course on a series of controversial cost-cutting measures after Democrats claimed that they would hinder postal voting in the presidential election. Plus, a look at why special purpose acquisition companies are o...

Alexander Lukashenko, the strongman president of Belarus, fought for his political future on Monday as protesters called on him to “resign”, stock-trading app Robinhood raised new equity that values the company  at more than $11bn, and the Trump administration has moved to open part of the Arctic wildlife refuge for oil drilling. Plus, the FT’s Anna Gross on the human and economic toll of cli...

Senior Democrats have called the US postmaster general to testify before Congress amid election fears, pharmaceutical group CureVac has ruled out selling a vaccine at cost, and Italy's businesses enjoy a better than expected rebound from coronavirus. Plus, the FT’s Emiko Terazono on why the decline of travel is bad for the chocolate industry.  Further reading: Democrats call postal chief to t...

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached a historic peace deal, Donald Trump has threatened to deprive the US post office of money needed for postal voting in November’s presidential race, and Wells Fargo’s chief compliance officer, Mike Roemer, is leaving after two years of attempting to overhaul the bank’s internal oversight operations.  Plus, the FT’s Christian Shepherd explains wh...

Small and medium-sized US companies suffered a wipeout in profits in the second quarter amid the Covid-19 crisis, Lyft reported a 61 per cent drop in revenue in the same quarter but says it is seeing signs of a recovery, and Cisco warned of an even bigger drop-off in sales than it has experienced so far during the crisis. Plus, the FT’s Gavin Jackson reports on the UK’s latest GDP data. Then, we l...

Democrat Joe Biden has named Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate, an Eastman Kodak board member donated $116m in company shares to an Orthodox Jewish congregation just before the stock price collapsed, and McDonald’s is suing its former chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, over sexual conduct allegations. Plus, Russia has become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a va...

A judge in California has ordered Uber and Lyft to reclassify their drivers as employees, and the Federal Reserve has turned down Goldman Sachs’ request for less onerous treatment after the results of its annual stress test. Plus, the FT’s Richard Milne explains why any labelling of Sweden’s approach to coronavirus might be an oversimplification.  Uber and Lyft told to treat drivers as employ...

A series of blockbuster deals has led a resurgence in M&A activity since the start of July, and international donors agreed to fund €250m in emergency aid for Beirut after a chemical explosion devastated Lebanon’s capital. Plus, the FT’s US sports business correspondent, Sara Germano, explains why a group of employees at Nike have asked management to publicly acknowledge the company’s own inte...

A surge in Uber’s food delivery business was unable to offset a 75 per cent drop in global ride-sharing, Quicken Loans stock jumped 20 per cent in its first day of trading on Thursday, and an FT analysis of data made public by  the Trump administration makes it difficult to discern whether the US Paycheck Protection Program was effective at saving jobs. Plus, the FT’s deputy Beijing bureau ch...

US lawmakers have launched an investigation into a $765m loan by the US government to Eastman Kodak, and two companies, Zynga and Etsy, reported strong quarterly earnings amid the pandemic. Plus, the FT’s Washington correspondent, Lauren Fedor, has some updates on how the campaign of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is doing.  House Democrats probe $765m government loan t...

Dozens are dead and thousands injured after an explosion rocked Beirut, an income hit at Disney’s theme park has caused a knock on the company’s profits in the latest quarter, and an exchange traded fund holds more gold than some central banks. Plus, the FT’s Tabby Kinder explains why the UK tax authority, HM Revenue & Customs, is going after General Electric on fraud allegations. Beirut rocke...

US President Donald Trump reversed course and dropped his opposition to Microsoft’s bid for TikTok, two leading candidates to head the World Trade Organization say US legal criticisms over dispute resolution are valid, and foreign aid groups combatting the coronavirus pandemic in North Korea have been forced to borrow money from its government. Plus, the FT's senior energy correspondent, Anjli Rav...

The Trump administration has vowed to “take action” against Chinese software companies that it perceives as a risk to security. Plus, William Spriggs, a professor of economics at Howard University and chief economist of the AFL-CIO, explains how the pandemic is changing the US labour market.  US to widen action against Chinese tech groups beyond TikTok https://www.ft.com/content/2eb1859f-ea08...

Facebook, Amazon, and Apple all reported stellar revenue increases in the latest quarter. The FT’s Richard Waters will explain what that means in the context of Wednesday’s US congressional big tech antitrust hearings. Then, FT US markets reporter Colby Smith will explain investor reaction to the worst contraction in the US economy in postwar history. Plus, corporate America is still clinging on t...

American lawmakers grill the chief executives of four US tech groups over unfair competition accusations, Qualcomm shares soared to a record high after the California chipmaker announced a royalty deal with Huawei on Wednesday, and the Federal Reserve extends measures to deal with the risk of an international shortage of dollars. Plus the FT’s opinion and analysis editor, Brooke Masters, explains...

Moderna is pitching its coronavirus vaccine at about $50 to $60 per course, the Federal Reserve has announced that it will extend emergency lending facilities, the European Central Bank has called on eurozone banks to continue to freeze dividend payments and Europe is bracing for another surge in coronavirus cases. Plus, the heads of Amazon, Apple, Alphabet and Facebook are set to appear toge...

Senate Republicans unveiled a White House-backed plan for $1tn in new stimulus that would cut emergency unemployment benefits by two-thirds, the dollar weakened to a two-year low on Monday as coronavirus flare-ups weighed on investor confidence and Major League Baseball contends with a fresh coronavirus outbreak. Plus, the FT’s banking editor, Stephen Morris, will explain what lies ahead for Europ...

Republicans are set to unveil their proposals for a fresh round of stimulus today, US oil companies have increased production following the price crash earlier in the year, and a surge in coronavirus cases have forced countries to curb European travel. Plus, the FT’s political editor, George Parker, will have an update on the progress  of future relationship talks between the UK and EU. ...

Goldman Sachs is pointing to its strong second quarter results in a pitch to the Federal Reserve for relief on its capital requirements, Intel shares dropped after the company said it was pushing back the launch of its next generation of chips, and as US lawmakers wrangle over the next economic stimulus package the US jobs recovery appears to be stalling. Plus, the search for oil can cost hundreds...

Tesla reported its fourth consecutive quarterly net profit on Wednesday, the fissure between the US and China continues to deepen with Washington ordering Beijing to shut its consulate in Houston over spying concerns, a group of US tech investors has launched an ambitious plan to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and Wirecard’s former chief executive has been rearrested and ac...

The British government has abandoned hopes of reaching a US-UK trade deal ahead of this autumn’s American presidential election, and Donald Trump told reporters the pandemic in the US will “get worse before it gets better”. Plus, the FT’s Latin America editor, Michael Stott, will explain why the region might be headed for another debt crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...

EU leaders are closing in on a deal for a landmark coronavirus recovery package, the largest laboratory company in the US, Quest Diagnostics, has warned it will be impossible to increase coronavirus testing capacity in the event of a second wave in the autumn, and European banks are facing as much as €800bn in loan losses over the next three years as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Plus, the F...

EU leaders spent the weekend locked in marathon summit talks over Europe’s proposed €750bn response to the coronavirus pandemic, and Albert Fernández, Argentina’s president, has made an impassioned appeal for the world to accept that he cannot budge from his final offer to restructure $65bn of foreign debt. Plus, the US is considering an effective ban on TikTok, the popular social media platform....

The US is considering putting TikTok on a blacklist that would effectively prevent Americans from using the popular video app, Netflix warns investors that its pandemic related growth spurt is waning, and the FBI and New York state launch investigations into Wednesday’s unprecedented hack of Twitter. Plus, the FT’s Dan Dombey explains how Spain is still struggling with its coronavirus recovery, an...