Companies in Japan have long avoided foreign acquisitions. But Canada-based Alimentation Couche-Tard’s recent unsolicited bid for the owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain is testing that premise. The FT’s Tokyo bureau chief Leo Lewis examines how these events could shape corporate Japan’s future. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -…

As Jay Powell’s Federal Reserve contemplates making the first interest rate cut in more than two years, we’re taking a step back with the FT’s US financial commentator Robert Armstrong. How did Powell tame inflation without crashing the economy? And how might history judge his leadership? Clips from Associated Press - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - …

This week, we’re revisiting an episode from last year. For decades, the global centre for oil trading has been Geneva, Switzerland. But Russia’s war in Ukraine changed that. Sanctions have made it harder for western traders to move Russian oil. Now, traders are flocking to a new trading hub that has no restrictions on oil from Russia: the United Ar…

Private credit took Wall Street by storm. But at a software company called Pluralsight, recent loan troubles are now highlighting risks that could be hidden in the sector. The FT’s senior US corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt and Due Diligence reporter Amelia Pollard walk through what went wrong with Pluralsight, and how that could shape pr…

Hundreds of companies have moved their headquarters to Texas in recent years, including big names like Tesla, HP and Charles Schwab. They’ve been enticed by low taxes, light regulation and the promise to run their businesses on their own terms. But the FT’s Houston correspondent Myles McCormick explains that there might be limits to that message of…

Indian equities are soaring right now. The country’s benchmark Nifty 50 index has doubled in just five years, beating out the pace of Japan, China and even the US. And it’s all being driven by millions of domestic investors who are piling into the market for the first time. But this boom has regulators sounding the alarm. The FT’s Mumbai correspond…

This week, we’re bringing you something from our fellow FT podcast, The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes. Sir Angus Deaton won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2015. So when he says he is rethinking many of his assumptions about the field, it matters. Today on the show, Soumaya discusses what we are getting wrong about everything from inequality t…

Remuneration among CEOs in the US is rising quickly. It’s been hard to miss recent examples of massive pay packages, like for Tesla’s Elon Musk. But that growth is far outpacing that of wages for everyday workers in the US. The FT’s corporate governance reporter Patrick Temple-West outlines some reasons this is happening and looks at whether change…

Two recent Supreme Court decisions have taken a lot of rulemaking power away from federal agencies. And it could shake up how businesses in the US operate. Many chief executives are happy about these decisions — the less regulation, the better. But could these rulings come with their own risks? Clips from Bloomberg, CBS News, CNBC - - - - - - - - -…

The Labour Party has come back into power in the UK after 14 years. For the City of London, this brings hope for some stability amid the rise of competing financial sectors around the world. But will efforts to revitalize markets and the economy work out? The FT’s chief UK business correspondent Michael O’Dwyer analyzes the expectations of City of …

The owner of motor racing giant Formula One is racing to capture the American sports audience. Thanks, in part, to efforts like the Netflix series Drive to Survive, it has caught the attention of many new fans. But FT sports business reporter Samuel Agini examines whether this league’s push into the US will stick — and keep growing. Clips from Netf…

This week, we’re revisiting an episode from earlier this year. BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink has been on the hunt for the money manager’s next “transformational” deal. In January, Fink revealed that he had finally found it with the acquisition of a private capital firm, Global Infrastructure Partners. The FT’s US financial editor Brooke Mast…

Exxon Mobil struck black gold in 2015 when it discovered a massive oil reserve off the coast of Guyana in South America. It’s poised to make Guyana the fourth-largest offshore oil developer in the world, and it's already jump-started a transformation within the developing economy. But will this oil bonanza benefit Guyana’s people? The FT’s US energ…

Banks in the US are locked in a bitter fight with regulators. It’s all about a proposed set of rules with an unusual name, Basel III Endgame. Regulators say the rules will help avoid future banking crises. Banks say they’re overkill and could hurt everyday Americans. The FT’s US banking editor Joshua Franklin explains how the industry is pushing ba…

In November, online fast-fashion giant Shein filed paperwork to go public in the US. Since then the process has not moved forward at all — and it looks like Shein’s ties to Beijing could be to blame. The FT’s China tech correspondent Eleanor Olcott explains how Shein has tried to distance itself from China to appease US regulators, and where it mig…

The 2024 NBA Playoffs are in full swing, but eyes are still on a team that was knocked out last week. The Minnesota Timberwolves are caught up in an ownership dispute that’s gone south pretty fast, after two prospective buyers attempted to finance their purchase of the team in an unconventional way. The FT’s US sports business correspondent Sara Ge…

This week, we’re revisiting an episode from last November, about a Wall Street saga that lost shareholders more than $10bn. In 2007, when Dan Och took his hedge fund public, he was making a bet that his company would stand the test of time. More than 15 years, a bribery scandal, and a feud with his protégé later, the FT’s Ortenca Aliaj and Sujeet I…

Audit firms are supposed to put a company’s books under the microscope. But these days, regulators are finding an increasing number of flaws in the audits that they inspect. The FT’s US accounting editor Stephen Foley explains what’s going wrong, and how regulators around the world plan to fix these shortcomings. Clips from CNN, NBC News - - - - - …

Introducing Power for Sale, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. In Untold: Power for Sale, host Valentina Pop and a team of FT correspondents from all over Europe investigate what happened in the Qatargate scandal, where EU lawmakers were accused of accepting payments from Qatar to whitewash its image. Subscribe and listen on: Apple Po…

Late last year, Warren Buffett’s close business confidant Charlie Munger died at 99. Munger’s death and Buffett’s upcoming 94th birthday have renewed questions about the future of Berkshire Hathaway. What will the empire he’s built look like after he’s no longer at the helm? Behind the Money and the FT’s senior corporate finance correspondent Eric …

In a new season of Tech Tonic, longtime FT China reporter Jame Kynge travels around the world to see how China is pushing towards tech supremacy. Will China be able to get an edge in crucial technological areas? What does China’s attempt to leapfrog the west look like on the ground? A 6-part series looking at China’s tech industry. Presented by Jam…

Three years ago, chaos struck Wall Street. Companies saw their share prices tumble, seemingly out of nowhere. Major banks lost billions of dollars in the fallout. Eventually, that chaos was linked to a family office, Archegos Capital Management, and its founder Bill Hwang. This week, Hwang heads to trial in New York, where he faces charges includin…

For decades, countries in the Middle East have dominated the oil market, pumping large quantities of the world’s supply. Along with that has come a pattern: when there’s conflict in the region, oil prices rise. The pattern seems to be breaking though, mainly because of one thing: US shale. The FT’s Myles McCormick explains how production in the cou…

When a company is sold there tends to be a standard playbook: There’s some tough negotiations. Then, the buyer gets a business and the seller gets a check. Everyone’s happy. That’s not what happened when a private equity firm recently bought a California grocery store chain. The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap explains how the deal went off th…

A few years ago, four men went on a hunting trip to Wyoming. That trip would end up changing their lives — and possibly, the future of the public’s access to millions of acres of land in America's western states. The FT’s Oliver Roeder expands on the saga that’s played out since 2021 inside courtrooms and within thousands of pages of legal document…

Introducing Money Clinic’s Five Minute Investor, a miniseries hosted by Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor. In each episode, Claer challenges top financial commentators to break down financial jargon in just five minutes, making you a smarter, and hopefully richer, investor. Tune in every Tuesday, and subscribe to Money Clinic wherever you get…

WeightWatchers is struggling. Launched in the early 1960s, the brand grew by helping members shed pounds through behavioural change programmes. Then, GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs hit the market, long-time spokesperson and board member Oprah Winfrey announced her departure, and the company’s credit rating was downgraded. FT reporter Anna Mutoh examines …

The US and China’s battle for dominance in the semiconductor industry is having some surprising knock-on effects: Companies are looking to insulate their supply chains from rising geopolitical tensions. And many from around the world are setting their sights on Malaysia to set up or expand their chip factories. FT correspondent Mercedes Ruehl expla…

The past several years in the US Treasury market have not been what you’d call smooth sailing. Three crises in a decade recently pushed regulators to introduce important changes to the world’s largest and most liquid market. The Securities and Exchange Commission passed the most significant reform a few months ago. The FT’s capital markets correspo…

More questions — more answers! We’ve partnered with the FT’s Unhedged podcast for a special two-part episode, fielding questions you have submitted about markets and finance. The host of Unhedged, Ethan Wu, plus the FT’s US financial commentator Rob Armstrong and markets editor Katie Martin join Michela to traverse topics ranging from the longevity…

Penny stocks are having a moment. In recent months, little-known companies with names such as Bit Brother and Phunware have been among the most traded stocks in America’s public markets, surpassing companies like Tesla and popular exchange traded funds. The FT’s US markets editor Jennifer Hughes explores why this is happening, and whether retail in…

It’s been a year since Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse left everyone worried that the US’s banking sector sat on shaky ground. Despite that turmoil, one bank stands out: JPMorgan Chase. The largest bank in the country, JPMorgan took home record profits in 2023, and its dominance looks set to continue. The FT’s US banking editor Joshua Franklin walks…

OpenAI is one of the fastest-growing companies ever, thanks to its artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT. But costs to train and run the models that underpin that technology are steep. And chief executive Sam Altman has said he has even bigger aims. The FT’s Madhumita Murgia and George Hammond examine whether the start-up’s existing business mod…

Billionaire financiers such as Ken Griffin pioneered what’s known as the multi-manager model for hedge funds, where big spending begets big returns. In 2022, Griffin’s Citadel became the best-performing hedge fund of all time. But now, cracks in the sector are beginning to form. The FT’s Harriet Agnew and Ortenca Aliaj examine what a downturn could…

A Delaware court recently struck down Elon Musk’s $56 billion Tesla pay package. Soon after, Musk took to his social network X and offered some advice: “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware.” But will anyone take it? The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap explains how Delaware became the favourite place for big companies to inc…

Baidu made it big as China’s go-to search engine. But in the past decade the tech giant has struggled, while competitors such as Alibaba and Tencent have soared ahead. The FT’s China tech correspondent Ryan McMorrow looks at chief executive Robin Li’s latest venture, in artificial intelligence, and whether this will be enough to turn the company ar…

The nuclear power industry is receiving a lot of attention recently thanks in part to new technological advancements. That’s excited venture capital groups and private investors, such as Bill Gates and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. But the industry is also known for its boom-and-bust cycles. The FT’s US energy editor Jamie Smyth explains there are many chal…

If you have questions about this year's US presidential election, we have answers. Swamp Notes is a new podcast from the FT News Briefing. Listen every Saturday morning as our journalists analyse and discuss the latest happenings in US politics. We’ll go beyond the horse race for the White House and offer a global perspective on the election. You c…

BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink has been on the hunt for the money manager’s next “transformational” deal. Earlier this month, Fink revealed that he had finally found it with the acquisition of a private capital firm, Global Infrastructure Partners. The FT’s US financial editor Brooke Masters and US private capital correspondent Antoine Gara e…

In Silicon Valley, the promise of a massive payday for a start-up’s early employees and investors has hinged on those companies eventually going public or being sold off. But with the slowdown in initial public offerings and acquisitions, a different marketplace is set to heat up this year. It is called the venture secondary market, and it’s where …

Introducing Untold, a new podcast from the special investigations team at the Financial Times. In its first series, The Retreat, host Madison Marriage examines the world of the Goenka network, which promotes a type of intensive meditation known as Vipassana. Thousands of people go on Goenka retreats every year. People rave about them. But some peop…

The runaway success of diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have turned their maker, Novo Nordisk, into a juggernaut. Last year the Danish drugmaker claimed the title of Europe’s most valuable company. But the development of these drugs was a long, uphill battle.The FT’s global pharmaceutical editor Hannah Kuchler explains how the comp…

You asked us questions, we’ve got your answers. FT columnists and editors such as Martin Wolf and Robert Armstrong respond to listener questions about everything from finance to markets to the economy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: Five questions for 2024 The region at the heart of Germany’s economic stagn…

Who runs the world? Political scientist Ian Bremmer argues it’s not as simple as it used to be. With some eye-opening questions about the nature of influence, he asks us to consider the impact of the evolving global order — and our choices as participants in the future of democracy. This is an episode from TED Talks Daily. Every weekday, TED Talks …

Every year, the Financial Times selects the most outstanding business book of the year. For 2023, the top pick is a book about failure. The FT’s senior business writer Andrew Hill sits down with the winner, Amy Edmondson, the author of Right Kind of Wrong and “the world’s most influential organisational psychologist”. Edmondson’s book explores the …

For years, Riad Salameh was praised for his revolutionary financial policies as head of Lebanon’s central bank. But suddenly, the country plunged into an economic crisis. And Salameh left the central bank with a disgraced reputation and, investigators believe, a massive personal fortune. So what happened? The FT’s Middle East correspondent Raya Jal…

The UN climate conference COP28 is in full swing, and officials from around the world are discussing ways to combat climate change. The agenda includes questions around how to regulate a market that could soon take off — carbon credits. Right now, these credits serve as a way for private buyers, such as companies and individuals, to offset their em…

In 2007, when Dan Och took his hedge fund public, he was making a bet that his company would stand the test of time. More than 15 years, a bribery scandal, and a feud with his protégé later, things have not worked out as planned. The FT’s Ortenca Aliaj and Sujeet Indap go inside the saga that lost shareholders more than $10bn. - - - - - - - - - - -…

This week we’re revisiting an episode from earlier this year about the London Stock Exchange’s decline. The exchange once held the top spot in global financial markets, but that’s changed completely in recent years. The FT’s Harriet Agnew and Katie Martin explain how a yacht floating off the Canary Islands 30 years ago played a critical role in cha…

Introducing Life and Art, from FT Weekend. It's a new twice-weekly culture podcast from the Financial Times. On Monday, we talk about life, and how to live a good one, in a one-on-one conversation that explores everything from food and travel to philosophy and creativity. On Friday, we talk about “art” – in a chat show! Three FT journalists come to…