FT News Briefing

Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell tempers fears over a corporate debt meltdown, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban steps up the campaign for the country’s Fidesz party in the days leading up to the European parliamentary elections and the UK’s financial watchdog says the number of crypto and forex fraud claims has more than tripled in the past financial year.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US intelligence chiefs have held a series of classified briefings with American companies and other groups to warn them of the dangers of doing business in China, a small group of US farm operators have received more than half the money from a federal bailout designed to offset the cost of US trade battles and India exit polls point to a clear election victory for prime minister Narendra Modi. Plus, the FT’s Brussels bureau chief, Alex Barker, explains why Europe’s centrist parties might be in trouble in this week’s parliament elections.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shares in the image sharing platform Pinterest tumble as much as 19 percent after the company’s first earnings report since going public, Starbucks’ China rival Luckin Coffee raises $561m in its IPO gaining a valuation of $4bn and UK Prime Minister Theresa May tells her MPs she will set out a timetable for her resignation and the election of a new leader. Plus, the FT’s Australia and Pacific correspondent Jamie Smyth explains why there’s so much bad blood in Australia and what it means for Saturday’s Federal election.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US President Donald Trump issues an executive order effectively banning telecoms companies from using equipment manufactured by China’s Huawei, Cisco systems is slashing its manufacturing in China in anticipation of higher import tariffs levied in the US and office space group WeWork tries to rein in losses before a possible IPO. Plus, the FT’s Paris Bureau Chief Victor Mallet explains what the European Parliament could have in store for France’s president Emmanuel Macron and why his vision for a united Europe might be in jeopardy.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Intel reveals a vulnerability in its chips that could let hackers steal data, Wall Street recovers as trade war fears ease, a dispute between the US and Mexico sours the market for fruits and vegetables, and UK Prime Minister Theresa May challenges Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to make up his mind on her Brexit compromise plan. Plus, the FT’s Buenos Aires correspondent, Benedict Mander, explains how the IMF’s $56bn bailout is playing out in Argentina.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The heightened trade war with China hands US stocks their biggest one-day drop in months, Uber shares lose more than a tenth of their value in the ride-hailing app’s second day of trading and a California court orders Bayer to pay more than $2bn in damages to a pair of cancer patients who claimed that their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was caused by the German group’s weedkiller, RoundUp. Plus, the FT’s pharmaceutical and biotech reporter, Hannah Kuchler, explains why a lawsuit backed by 44 US states alleges that some generic drugmakers, including Teva and Pfizer, have been fixing prices of more than 100 drugs.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, raises the prospect of a face-to-face encounter between the US president and China’s Xi Jinping, three influential advisory groups encourage Volkswagen shareholders to vote against the stewardship of all but one member of the German automaker’s board at the annual meeting on Tuesday and Boeing expects “far reaching” changes to the way aircraft are certified safe across the global aviation industry. Plus, the FT’s private equity correspondent in London Javier Espinoza explains why private equity firms have shunned the UK for Europe.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US President Donald Trump breaks the silence on escalating tensions with North Korea, US-China trade talks kick off in DC and a London-based boutique advisory firm stands to make $27m in fees for its work on Barbados’s $7bn debt restructuring. Plus, the FT’s Shannon Bond sets the stage for Uber’s New York Stock Exchange debut.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US has imposed new sanctions on Iran’s metal sectors after Iran said it would cease to comply with parts of the 2015 nuclear deal, Disney writes down $353m from its stake in Vice Media and Tokyo prosecutors relied on a laptop acquired in Lebanon to help build a case against former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn. Plus, the FT’s US managing editor Peter Spiegel explains what happened on Wednesday regarding the White House, the Mueller report and the US attorney general being held in contempt of Congress.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Global equities suffered one of their biggest declines of the year on fears about a US-China trade war, Lyft shares slip even further below their $72 IPO price after the company said warns about slowing revenue growth and Google unveils plans for a smart display that would use facial recognition to make personalised recommendations. Plus, the FT’s Gregory Meyer tells us about the super weeds that are causing new trouble for Bayer and its blockbuster herbicide, Roundup.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Senior US officials accuse China of backtracking on its pledges in negotiations to end the trade war, Anadarko Petroleum’s board of directors backs Occidental Petroleum’s $55bn bid, and former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng is released under house arrest on $20m bail by a US court over the 1MDB case. Plus, the FT’s Alistair Gray explains the serious accounting problems that have forced Kraft Heinz to restate nearly three years of earnings.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US president Donald Trump threatens to raise tariffs on all Chinese imports to 25 per cent, Occidental Petroleum adds more cash to the structure of its $55bn offer to buy Anadarko Petroleum and the European Union prepares to launch a formal antitrust investigation into Apple. Plus, the FT’s economics editor Chris Giles explains why the global economy looks stronger than the “delicate moment” the IMF had expected this spring.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Investors flock back to a complex debt-derivatives product blamed for amplifying losses in the financial crisis, thousands of US screenwriters take on their private equity-backed agents, and the billionaire founder of drugmaker Insys is among those found guilty of bribing doctors to prescribe an addictive painkiller. Plus, the FT’s banking editor David Crow explains what is next for Barclays after activist investor Edward Bramson suffered a heavy defeat in his bid for a seat on the investment bank’s board.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Federal Reserve rules out immediate rate moves, vegan start-up Beyond Meat raises $240.6m from an initial public offering, and US attorney-general William Barr hits back at criticism of his handling of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Plus, the FT’s political editor George Parker explains why Boris Johnson looms large over the Brexit endgame.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Apple forecasts an improvement in depressed iPhone sales, Donald Trump drops a central demand from trade negotiations with China in order to end a long-running tariff dispute and Crown Prince Naruhito becomes Japan’s first modern monarch. Plus, the FT’s Gideon Long explains what Juan Guaidó’s call for an uprising in Venezuela means for the country and Nicolás Maduro.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.