Squawk Pod

The SEC’s long-awaited report on GameStop is finally here, a full 44 pages on the trading frenzy, payment-for-order-flow, and stock market “gamification.” Streaming wars are heating up as Wall Street watches subscriber growth numbers for the industry’s biggest players. Interim AMC Networks CEO Matt Blank shares his own company’s strategy for competing with Netflix, HBOMax, and Amazon Prime, and de...

Disney’s streaming business could be running out of steam; MoffettNathanson founding partner and media watcher Michael Nathanson weighs in on Wall Street’s Disney debate. Nathanson also dives into the 'Squid Game' mania and what its eyepopping metrics mean for Netflix and the streaming wars. CNBC’s Steve Liesman breaks down the latest GDP forecasts for the back half of 2021. The first bitcoin-link...

A key FDA advisory committee unanimously recommended giving booster shots of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine to people ages 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans. Dr. Kavita Patel, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and former White House health policy director, breaks down the FDA’s debate over Covid-19 boosters. CNBC’s Scott Cohn provides an update on the trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth...

The U.S. is reporting an average of about 362,000 booster vaccine shots administered per day over the past week, 57% higher than the 231,000 average daily first doses. A key FDA advisory panel is meeting today and tomorrow to discuss the efficacy and safety of extra doses of the Moderna and J&J vaccines. Shellye Archambeau, former MetricStream CEO and Verizon, Okta and Nordstrom board member, disc...

Starwood Capital Chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht discusses the current real estate market, U.S. labor shortages, and his crypto portfolio. The noted investor and real estate mogul reacts to comments from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and explains why he thinks the service economy is in a major labor crisis right now. Corporate vaccine mandates are causing friction in Texas, and after China’s crackdo...

Over the course of three days, Southwest Airlines has canceled more than 2,000 flights and left thousands of travelers stranded around the country. CNBC’s Phil LeBeau and Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, discuss what's behind the canceled flights and what travelers can expect during the upcoming holiday travel season. JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO, Jamie Dimo...

Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics have asked the FDA to approve their Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir for emergency use. It’s only the latest in a stream of biotech innovation this year; Dr. Christiana Bardon, co-managing partner of one of the world’s largest biotech investment firms MPM BioImpact Capital, discusses the sector’s opportunities for portfolios and public health right n...

The U.S. economy created much fewer jobs in September than economists were hoping, a disheartening sign of the country’s pandemic recovery. CNBC’s Steve Liesman, BlackRock’s Kate Moore, and Chicago Booth School’s Austan Goolsbee break down the dismal jobs report and its implications. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner and CNBC contributor, discusses the timeline for getting a Covid-19 vac...

Global gas prices are soaring, and Americans are now paying the most at the pump in seven years. Jeffrey Currie, Goldman Sachs global head of commodities research, discusses what’s driving the spike in energy prices. Currie says that the structural underinvestment to supply and deliver energy commodities and an increase in demand as economies reopen could be to blame. CNBC’s Julianna Tatelbaum als...

Facebook faced negative  testimony about user health and safety from a whistleblower  yesterday in front of Congress. CNBC’s Julia Boorstin reports Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is defending the company against the accusations from whistleblower Frances Haugen. Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, also discusses why lawmakers need to enact r...

As the debt ceiling deadline looms, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says a failure to suspend or raise it could mean “catastrophic” consequences for the U.S. economy and reputation. If Congress does not find a deal by October 18th, the country will default for the first time. Yellen addresses tax concerns, proposals to avoid default, and the longevity of her successor at the Fed, Jerome Powell. Pl...

Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson speaks out, addressing numerous reports of mistruths that have led to his company’s demise. Confronted with misleading claims in his own company’s pitch deck and a review of texting exchanges between himself and Andrew Ross Sorkin, Watson defends the company’s history and discusses his own leadership. He addresses the allegations of inflated viewer metrics, his COO’s im...

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics have developed a therapeutic pill for Covid that reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% for patients with mild or moderate cases. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell reports that Merck hopes for emergency use authorization after “compelling results” in trials. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner, also discusses Merck’s late-stage data and says it’s a ...

Congress will race to prevent a government shutdown before the debt deadline , today at midnight. CNBC’s Ylan Mui details the various other deadlines on the docket for lawmakers, including a short-term appropriations bill and the infrastructure bill. Former OMB Director in the Trump administration Mick Mulvaney joins former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) to discuss bipartisanship, baseball, an...

Eyewear start-up Warby Parker (WRBY) begins trading today via a direct listing, testing investors’ appetite for a household direct-to-consumer retail name. Warby Parker co-founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa discuss the company’s outlook and a tech driven future. The Latino Donor Collaborative has released its 2021 U.S. Latino GDP report, revealing that growth has averaged 5.6% ov...

Ford has announced  a $11.4 billion deal to build four new battery and EV factories through a joint venture with South Korean battery maker SK Innovation. Ford CEO, Jim Farley, spoke with CNBC’s Phil Lebeau about Ford’s ambitious electric vehicle plan and what it means for American jobs and the U.S. supply chain. Data analytics company Amplitude (AMPL) has listed on the Nasdaq via direct listing,...

Lawmakers are attempting to pass a funding plan in time to avert a government shutdown on Friday. The debt ceiling is expected to be part of that debate, but strategists do not expect it to be resolved at the same time. As for the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expects it to be passed this week. However, CNBC’s Ylan Mui says voting may be pushed back from to...

Tennis champion Roger Federer, his agent Tony Godsick, and tennis legend John McEnroe kick off the Laver Cup tournament with the “Squawk Box” team. Federer and Godsick discuss co-founding the tournament, this weekend’s lineup, and the return of live sporting events. John McEnroe reunites with Joe Kernen and Joe Kernen’s hair, and weighs in on the wealth tax debate on Capitol Hill: “I pay more taxe...

Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled a rate hike and a stimulus taper, prompting a positive day on Wall Street. In Washington, Congress may be at a standstill to raise or suspend the debt limit, thus averting a government shutdown, and a debt default. Eric Cantor, former Republican House Majority Leader and CNBC’s Ylan Mui discuss the debt ceiling and the possible economic fallout. The Food and Drug A...

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla discusses his company’s  donation of 500 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to the U.S. government for distribution among lower income countries. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell and Pfizer’s Bourla discuss equitable vaccine access and the global distribution infrastructure. The group chat app Discord is now valued at $15 billion after a new funding round. Discord CEO Jason Citron sh...

Uber may be bumping up its timeline for profitability. After years of losses and struggles with surge pricing and labor shortages throughout the pandemic, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the company is ready to turn its first adjusted profit sooner than expected. Martha Stewart shares her plans to expand Martha.com’s shopping and learning experiences for consumers. A real estate company’s debt crisis i...

Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccine is safe for kids, and appears to generate a robust immune response, according to results from a clinical trial of children 5 to 11. The companies tested a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms — about a third the dosage used for teens and adults — administered three weeks apart. CNBC’s Senior Health and Science Reporter Meg Tirrell says the company plans to submit t...

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has ordered an internal ethics review after several senior central bank officials disclosed large investments and stock trades in 2020. CNBC’s Steve Liesman reports on the details of the disclosure documents, the existing rules for Fed official holdings. LinkedIn co-founder, venture capitalist, and host of the ‘Masters of Scale’ podcast Reid Hoffman discusses...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has issued a warning to residents who haven’t received a Covid-19 vaccine, advising them to register for their first doses as hospitalizations and ventilator usage climb across the state. Murphy discusses Covid safety in schools, tax changes for residents, and the fight for infrastructure on Capitol Hill. Apple’s new iPhone 13 promises improvements in camera performance...

In an extended interview, founder of  Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio outlines his strategy for diversifying his portfolio, from the stock market to gold and cryptocurrencies. Dalio discusses the global and domestic market risks, warns investors away from cash, and considers a conflicted future for capitalism. At the Skybridge Alternatives Conference in New York, Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with...