Banks in Lebanon are to close for three days next week following a series of hold-ups by customers demanding money from frozen accounts. Lebanese banks imposed severe restrictions on withdrawals when the country’s economic crisis began three years ago. We hear from Nada Homsi, a journalist for The National in Beirut. China reports better-than-expected figure ... Show More
Today
Trade, not aid, for Africa
As the UK government targets developing nations with new trade measures, we hear from trade minister Douglas Alexander on whether it can prove to be a workable lifeline for African countries affected by western states cutting their international aid budgets. David Harper speaks t ... Show More
26m 27s
Yesterday
Trump plans to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil
The US president, Donald Trump, has made public the tariffs he intends to slap on imports from another group of countries, including Brazil, from the start of August. The chipmaker Nvidia has become the first company in the world to reach a market value of $4tn on Wednesday. Davi ... Show More
27m 12s
Dec 2023
The ‘Ponzi scheme’ behind Lebanon’s economic collapse
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 ... Show More
21m 39s
Apr 2022
The Bank of Japan Is Playing a Dangerous Game
Prices for assets of all kinds were up Wednesday, including stocks, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. The U.S. dollar continued to strengthen, and global bond yields marched higher. That’s despite the emergence of still more signs of underlying weakness, including Robinhood layi ... Show More
38m 27s
Jun 2023
How Lebanon’s economy collapsed
Protests, power cuts and bank hold-ups – Lebanon was already struggling before the 2020 port explosion that devasted its capital, Beirut, but now it’s in a desperate economic collapse. The Lebanese people are struggling to buy basic food and medicine. And the country also hosts t ... Show More
18m 56s
Mar 2023
Why the Banking Crisis Isn’t Over Yet
In the past week, as spooked customers frantically withdrew $42 billion from Silicon Valley Bank, the U.S. government stepped in to craft a rescue operation for the failed lender.But efforts to contain the crisis have met resistance, and the fallout of the collapse has already sp ... Show More
29m 4s
Jun 2021
Episode 107 - Fall into financial chaos
Discussion on Lebanon's finances begins at 07:19. After a week packed with financial news, Ben and Timour are joined by Omar Tamo, journalist at L'Orient Today focused on banking and finance, to discuss the latest array of confusing decisions and negotiations between Lebanon's ce ... Show More
47m 13s
Aug 2023
Debt Markets Ready for Sales Rush; Cruise Comeback
Banks are readying about $15 billion of leverage buyout debt for sale starting in September, stepping back into M&A after losses piled up on their books last year, Bloomberg News’ Paula Seligson, says. Also on this episode of the Credit Edge podcast, Bloomberg News corporate fina ... Show More
31m 21s