FT News Briefing

Swamp Notes: Europe in the age of America First

FT News Briefing

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.

The dangers of investor groupthink

FT News Briefing

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.

Microsoft bets on AI healthcare

FT News Briefing

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.

Can big oil escape the ‘valley of death’?

FT News Briefing

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.