The spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are beginning in Washington - the major global financial institutions are gathering at a time of profound concern about the problem of persistent inflation, and concern about the health of the banking system after a number of failures of regional banks and wobbles in giant finance hous ... Show More
Yesterday
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
Jul 9
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
Mar 2023
A Great Recession bank takeover
Earlier this month, we saw the largest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. For many of us, seeing Silicon Valley Bank's meltdown brought us right back to that time 15 years ago, at the beginning of what would become the Great Recession. In early 2009, one or two banks ... Show More
18m 42s
Apr 2022
Money Talks: Breaking the bank? Part two
Thirty years ago, rich-world central banks started winning the fight against inflation. More recently, they have begun to fight new battles, including against climate change or inequality. As the old enemy of inflation returns, in this two-part series, host Soumaya Keynes asks if ... Show More
34m 44s
Apr 2022
Money Talks: Breaking the bank? Part two
Thirty years ago, rich-world central banks started winning the fight against inflation. More recently, they have begun to fight new battles, including against climate change or inequality. As the old enemy of inflation returns, in this two-part series, host Soumaya Keynes asks if ... Show More
34m 44s
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
Aug 2022
Is the IMF Still Relevant?
As countries grappled with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, many turned to global financial agencies for support, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But in some cases, at least, the agencies’ playbook of reforms and auste ... Show More
27m 23s
Mar 2023
Should I be worried about all the bank failures?
Are we in the middle of a financial crisis? Today’s show breaks down the latest bank crises — from Credit Suisse to First Republic.
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Another week, another banking calamity.
On Sunday, Swiss banking giant UBS came to the rescue of its rival, Credit Suisse. It was the fi ... Show More
18m 31s
Feb 2023
UK endures biggest strikes in a decade
The European Central Bank and the Bank of England have raised interest rates again, one day after a similar move by the US Federal Reserve. But amid those big players, Britain seems in particular trouble, with the International Monetary Fund warning it will be the only major econ ... Show More
54m 44s