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Financial Times

A rundown of the most important global business stories you need to know for the coming day, from the newsroom of the Financial Times. Available every weekday morning.
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FT News Briefing

Donald Trump once called cryptocurrencies a “scam”. He’s long since changed his tune, and now, crypto enthusiasts are hoping he’ll catapult the industry into the financial mainstream. The FT’s digital markets correspondent Nikou Asgari and US legal and enforcement correspondent Stefania Palma join this week’s Swamp Notes to discuss what the industry could look like under a second Trump administration. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Crypto advocate Paul Atkins picked as SEC chair by Donald Trump

Bitcoin hits $100,000 as Trump era hopes grow

Trump picks Musk ally David Sacks as crypto and AI tsar

The grim ghost of crypto future

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. 

CREDIT: Washington Post, Bitcoin Magazine

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swamp Notes: America’s first ‘Bitcoin president’

The next superpower will be a tech superpower, and to be that superpower you need to have some control over the semiconductor industry which is driving the AI revolution. But almost all advanced semiconductors are made in Taiwan — and it is under constant threat of a Chinese invasion. President Joe Biden’s Chips Act promises lavish subsidies to companies working to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to US soil. Will those subsidies survive once Donald Trump, the president-elect, is in the White House? In a new season of Tech Tonic the FT’s James Kynge, is in Phoenix, Arizona, the former heartland of American chip manufacturing. He speaks to those trying to revive the US chipmaking industry.

Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw.

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The geopolitics of chips: Chips in the USA

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and fled the country and South Korean prosecutors have opened an investigation into the country’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on charges of treason and abuse of power. The EU and four South American countries have struck a blockbuster trade deal, and a US appeals court upheld a law requiring TikTok’s owner ByteDance to sell the platform or face a ban next year. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Assad flees Syria as rebels seize Damascus 

Syrian rebels seize Damascus and topple Assad dynasty

South Korean president to be investigated for treason after failed coup

EU strikes blockbuster trade deal with Mercosur 

TikTok fails to halt law that could lead to US ban 

Credit: AP, Reuters

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Syrian rebels topple Assad regime

Hiring has fallen more sharply in the UK than in other big economies over the past year, Vanguard will break its advisory business into a separate unit, and Israel has taken more Syrian territory. Plus, we take a look inside Japan’s audacious bid to become a semiconductor superpower. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Hiring falling more sharply in UK than in other major economies 

Israel draws furious reaction from Egypt after taking more Syrian territory 

Vanguard to accelerate wealth management drive in restructuring 

Japan’s audacious bid to become a semiconductor superpower 

Christie’s has brought the dinosaur auction show to London 

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Josh Gabert-Doyon, Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanguard doubles down on wealth management

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund prepares for a petrodollar windfall, while oil majors scale back their $18bn power generation push. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins testifying in a corruption trial, and public pension schemes and sovereign wealth funds plan to pour more money into private markets over the coming year. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Qatar’s $500bn wealth fund targets bigger deals as LNG windfall looms 

BP and Shell rein in electricity ambitions to escape ‘valley of death’ 

Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in court to testify in corruption trial

Public pension plans and wealth funds to invest more in private markets 

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can big oil escape the ‘valley of death’?

European Nato members are holding talks about increasing the alliance’s target for defence spending, Microsoft’s artificial intelligence head Mustafa Suleyman is building a team focused on consumer health, and US inflation ticked up to 2.7 per cent last month. Plus, new regulations on human rights are forcing global companies to address concerns about modern slavery and tackle problems in their supply chains.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Nato’s European members discuss 3% target for defence spending 

Microsoft’s Suleyman hires ex-DeepMind staff for AI health unit

US inflation rose to 2.7% in November

New rules sharpen investment focus on modern slavery 

Fifa set to confirm Saudi Arabia as host of 2034 World Cup 

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Microsoft bets on AI healthcare

HSBC is reviewing its retail banking operations outside the UK and Hong Kong, and the European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter-point to 3 per cent. The FT’s markets columnist Katie Martin provides a few insights for investing in 2025. Plus, human referees are set to be increasingly phased out as machines become more efficient at making critical decisions in sport. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

HSBC reviews retail banking outside UK and Hong Kong

Donald Trump election win sparks trading surge for banks and brokers

​​ECB lowers rates to 3% and paves way for more cuts

In sport, the race is on to let technology decide who wins

Send us your questions for Swamp Notes! Write to ethan.plotkin@ft.com.

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dangers of investor groupthink

Europe has been able to predictably lean on the US for decades. But Donald Trump used tariffs and other economic threats to test those assumptions in his first term, and he looks set to do so again. The FT’s EU correspondent Andy Bounds and US climate correspondent Aime Williams join to discuss how the EU is preparing (again) for a more confrontational America. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

EU strikes blockbuster trade deal with Mercosur

EU commissioner pitches ‘Europe first’ in response to Donald Trump

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Questions about US politics for next week’s Swamp Notes? Email them to ethan.plotkin@ft.com. 

Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swamp Notes: Europe in the age of America First

Germany’s Olaf Scholz is expected to lose a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, and Arm and Qualcomm’s bitter legal feud over chip design licensing is heading to trial. The London Stock Exchange is on course for its worst year for departures since the financial crisis. Plus, investors’ appetite for juicy returns has triggered a big boom on Wall Street in complex financial products. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Olaf Scholz faces confidence vote — and hopes to lose it

Wall Street’s complex debt bonanza hits fastest pace since 2007

London Stock Exchange suffers biggest exodus since financial crisis

Chip groups Arm and Qualcomm square off in high-stakes US trial 

‘No political authority’: South Korea’s interim leader faces daunting task

Send us your questions for Swamp Notes! Write to ethan.plotkin@ft.com.

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arm and Qualcomm head to court

Japan’s SoftBank unveils $100bn US investment plans, fervour around Nvidia cools as investors look to AI’s next winners, and Europe launches its most ambitious space programme in a decade. Plus, in Syria, Kurdish groups fear they may be worse off under a rebel-led government.

Mentioned in this podcast: 

Japan’s SoftBank pledges $100bn investment in US 

After Nvidia’s boom, what’s next for AI-related stocks? 

Europe signs €10.6bn Iris² satellite deal in bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink 

Syria’s Kurds fear US betrayal under Donald Trump 

Credit: AP

Send us your questions for Swamp Notes! Write to ethan.plotkin@ft.com.

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Marine Saint, Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI investors look beyond chips

Elon Musk’s first big foray into politics was a success — he used his world-leading fortune and mass media platform to help Donald Trump regain the White House. But now, just weeks before Trump’s inauguration, some Republicans are pushing back against Musk’s influence. The FT’s Washington correspondent Joe Miller and US business and politics correspondent Alex Rogers join this week’s Swamp Notes to discuss how Musk is navigating a future in Washington. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Top Democrats warm to Elon Musk’s US government cost-cutting mission

Elon Musk’s fight with Maga reveals split on immigration within Trump’s circle

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Swamp Notes is mixed by Samantha Giovinco and produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. 

CREDIT: Bannons_WarRoom/X

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swamp Notes: Where does Musk fit in Maga?

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