logo
episode-header-image
Jul 31
11m 19s

Making sense of a wonky GDP reading

Financial Times
About this episode

Meta’s shares jumped more than 10 per cent off the back of better than expected second-quarter earnings, and the Federal Reserve held rates steady despite calls to lower borrowing rates by US President Donald Trump. Plus, American copper prices fell after Trump exempted refined materials from a 50 per cent tariff on the metal, and HSBC profits declined by 29 per cent. 


Mentioned in this podcast:

Meta shares jump on strong results as Zuckerberg sets out ‘superintelligence’ goals

Fed holds rates steady despite Trump’s calls for lower borrowing costs

US copper prices fall after Trump exempts refined metals from tariffs 

HSBC profits slide 29% on hit from China and restructuring


Today’s FT News Briefing was produced by Henry Larson, Sonja Hutson, and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Blake Maples, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. Our intern is Michaela Seah. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Quantitative easing is under the microscope
Donald Trump has said Israel and Hamas have agreed the first step in his plan for a Gaza ceasefire, and Washington wants its companies exempt from EU climate rules. Plus, Chinese customs agents are going after a wide range of US semiconductor tech, and central bankers around the ... Show More
10m 46s
Oct 8
Carmakers are falling back in love with petrol
A UBS fund has 30 per cent of its portfolio tied to the failed First Brands Group, and carmakers across much of the world are scaling back on electric vehicle plans. Plus, international investors are returning to China’s start-up scene, in addition to assets across emerging marke ... Show More
11m 25s
Oct 7
OpenAI’s circular deals
EU governments have agreed to limit the travel of Russian diplomats, analysts are worried about a flurry of circular AI deals, and France lost another prime minister after less than a month in office. Plus, why the weaker dollar is helping big US exporters, while domestic-focused ... Show More
10m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Trump’s victory sparks US equity rally
With Mr Trump confirmed as the next US President and a Republican sweep priced in as a 94% probability, US equities, especially those likely to benefit from his policy changes, took off yesterday. The rally was echoed by the US dollar and Bitcoin. US Treasuries sold off on expect ... Show More
17m 36s
Aug 29
Fed independence in the spotlight as markets await key inflation gauge
Yesterday saw a flurry of economic data releases, accompanied by significant political developments. The US economy demonstrated stronger-than-expected resilience in the second quarter, expanding at a revised annualised rate of 3.3%, while recent labour market figures suggest a s ... Show More
16m 25s
Sep 26
Markets rattle as data surprises and tariffs return
Markets hit some rough patches yesterday, with all major European indices closing lower, followed by similar losses across the three main US benchmarks. Revised US data revealed an upward adjustment to second-quarter GDP, while jobless claims came in below expectations. This prom ... Show More
13m 31s
Apr 2025
Comeback Kid: Mark Carney Wins Canada Election
A.M. Edition for April 29. Former central bank governor Mark Carney leads his Liberal Party to a fourth term in office following a remarkable political turnaround. In a victory speech, Carney said Canadians were over the betrayal of Donald Trump’s tariffs, but that he was ready t ... Show More
14m 48s
Oct 3
Shutdown drags on, AI fuels record highs, Trump eyes farmer bailout
US stocks edge higher as Wall Street extends its record run despite the government shutdown entering day three. Economic data remains frozen, with the September jobs report delayed, but investors continue to ride the AI wave as Nvidia (NVDA) and OpenAI unveil new partnerships. Pr ... Show More
21m 49s
Apr 2025
Trump Considers Slashing China Tariffs
P.M. Edition for April 23. We exclusively report that President Trump is considering cutting steep tariffs on Chinese imports, a move that could de-escalate the trade war. WSJ chief China correspondent Lingling Wei tells us what that means for the broader relationship between the ... Show More
13m 30s
Mar 2025
Special Report: Global Market Selloff Easing with Mike Wilson and Mohamed El-Erian
Bloomberg's Nathan Hager breaks down the recent market volatility with Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson and Bloomberg Opinion contributor Mohamed El-Erian.   Global stocks steadied from a selloff and US stock futures signaled a Wall Street bounce, as Bloomberg News reported President ... Show More
21 m
Sep 12
Markets rally as ECB holds rates and US data fuels Fed rate cut bets
marked a second consecutive pause following eight hikes since last year. In the US, data was mixed: inflation remains sticky but isn’t accelerating, and jobless claims unexpectedly surged. These developments have reinforced expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut next week. As ... Show More
14 m