FT News Briefing

Opec and its allies are preparing emergency cuts to oil production after the economic fallout of the coronavirus pushed the price of crude into a bear market on Monday, the pace of revenue growth at Google parent Alphabet slowed more sharply than expected in the final quarter of last year, and the German government has drafted a bill to clamp down on anti-competitive behaviour from the likes of Google and Amazon. Plus, results out of the Iowa caucus were delayed Monday night as the state Democratic party cited “quality control” issues. The FT’s Lauren Fedor reports.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to set out his vision for future relations with the EU in a speech today, Beijing is poised to pump extra cash into China’s financial system as part of a way to shield the economy from the effects of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, and American voters in Iowa will kick off the US Democratic presidential primary race. Plus, the FT’s Patrick McGee explains why Germany fears being left behind by Silicon Valley and Big Tech.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

IBM has named Arvind Krishna as the new chief executive to take over from Ginni Rometty, Amazon’s one-day shipping delivered a bumper holiday sales season, and the World Health Organization has declared an international emergency over the new coronavirus epidemic. Plus, as the UK prepares to leave the European Union tonight, the FT’s George Parker says the British population is split between a state of vindication and of sadness.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shares in Facebook dropped by more than 7 per cent on Wednesday after the company posted the slowest pace of growth since 2012. Plus scientists race to develop a vaccine for the deadly coronavirus, the Federal Reserve leaves its main policy rate unchanged, and Tesla and Microsoft post better than expected quarterly revenues. Then, Claire Bushey reports on Boeing’s first annual loss in more than 20 years.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Apple recorded new records for both revenue and income for the holiday sales period, Starbucks has closed more than half of its 4,300 outlets in China over the coronavirus, Senate Republican leaders put pressure on colleagues to block witnesses in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, and Mr Trump unveiled his long-delayed Middle East peace plan. Plus, Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon is taking a gamble on consumer banking. The FT’s Laura Noonan reports on the bank’s overhaul, and what has led to its first-ever investor day.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Airbus is on the brink of settling a bribery and corruption probe with regulators in the UK, France and the US, Boris Johnson feels increasing heat over Huawei’s role in the UK mobile phone network, and Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to shift the focus of his Senate impeachment trial away from revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton. Plus, global equity markets and oil prices fell sharply on Monday over concerns that the Coronavirus would slow China’s economic growth. The FT’s Tom Hancock reports from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An internal probe showed that Deutsche Bank paid $1.1m to secure the wealth management business of a senior Saudi royal, Beijing has warned that the spread of the deadly coronavirus is expected to accelerate, and the Trump administration has warned that it would “react” with possible punitive measures against the EU for a carbon tax plan. Plus, more than three years after the Brexit referendum, the UK will leave the EU this week. The FT’s George Parker breaks down how the relationship might look after the separation.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A powerful rebound in Intel’s data centre division drove a stronger than expected recovery in the final quarter of 2019, former Wells Fargo chief executive John Stumpf has agreed to pay $17.5m as part of a settlement with US regulators over the bank’s fake accounts scandal, and the European Central Bank begins its first strategic review in 16 years. Plus, the founder of the opioid maker Insys has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison. The FT’s Hannah Kuchler explains what this means for other US pharmaceutical executives.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chinese authorities have shut down Wuhan transport networks in its efforts to contain the outbreak of a deadly Sars-like virus. Plus, the stock market value of Tesla topped $100bn for the first time on Wednesday, and Boeing’s new chief executive, David Calhoun, insists the 737 Max will fly again. Plus, the FT’s Tim Bradshaw takes a look at the competitive market for food delivery apps, and which companies are fighting to take your order.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US Senate rejected Democratic bids to subpoena documents on the first day of the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, a slowdown in the US continues to weigh on Netflix’s subscriber growth, and the UK is set to go ahead with plans to introduce a new digital tax against US companies despite the threat of tariffs. Plus, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in a hack involving Jeff Bezos’s phone, Boeing has told customers and suppliers that the 737 Max will now stay grounded until the middle of 2020, and US health officials have confirmed the first US case of the Sars-like coronavirus.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins today. Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell proposed rules on Monday evening that outraged Democrats.  Plus, lawyers for Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou told a Canadian courtroom that the US extradition case against the executive amounted to “fiction”, France signals a breakthrough in talks to resolve a spat over digital taxes with the US, and the UK could be fined or lose preferential access to the European market if it violates the terms of a future relationship deal with the EU.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US government-funded technology companies have recorded an increase in the use of circumvention software in Iran in recent weeks, the UK’s pledge to diverge from EU rules after Brexit has provoked alarm in Brussels, and a successful emergency escape simulation puts SpaceX on track for a launch with Nasa astronauts. Plus, the FT’s Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson explains how climate change and Big Tech will drive the agenda at this year’s World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Investors catapulted Alphabet’s stock market value above $1tn for the first time on Thursday, Comcast’s NBCUniversal unveils a new streaming service that will be free to many customers, and Italy’s collapsing birth rate raises alarm bells. Plus, a non-partisan government watchdog said the White House violated the law by withholding US military aid to Ukraine last year. The FT’s Kadhim Shubber explains what this means for Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US and China have signed an agreement to pause the trade war that has weighed on the global economy for nearly two years, flying taxi start-up Joby Aviation secures $590m in a new funding round led by Toyota, and legal costs from the 1MDB bribery scandal hit Goldman Sachs earnings. Plus, the FT’s Lionel Barber shares the highlights from his exclusive interview with German chancellor Angela Merkel.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US House of Representatives will vote today on sending articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate, Boeing has ceded the crown as the world’s biggest plane maker to rival Airbus, and investment in UK-based tech start-ups exceeded £10bn for the first time last year. Plus, JPMorgan Chase kicked off the Wall Street earnings season by posting a record profit. The FT’s Rob Armstrong will unpack the figures.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.