Trump Defends Tariffs, Attacks Chips Act & German Defense Game-Changer

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a preview of U.S CPI and PPI data, along with earnings from Oracle and Adobe. In the UK – a preview of European Central Bank Chief Christine Lagarde addressing central bankers. In Asia – a recap of China’s NPC and outlook for its’ economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast: (1) China’s top diplomat accused Donald Trump of taking a hypocritical approach to bilateral ties and denounced tariffs, as tensions rise between the world’s largest economies. (2) President Donald Trump exempted Mexican and Canadian goods covered by the North American trade agreement known as USMCA from his 25% tariffs, offering major reprieves to the US’s two largest trading partners.  (3) Wall Street traders continued to navigate intense, quick and sharp market swings amid a slew of tariff headlines, with stocks getting pummeled after almost wiping out their losses. (4) Millennium Management, Citadel and other top hedge funds posted lacklustre returns in February, as market gyrations reversed momentum on key trades and clobbered popular stocks. (5) The European Union agreed to begin discussions on a long-term reform of its fiscal rules to allow member states to spend more on defense, following a push from Germany.  (6) European Central Bank officials are bracing for tough negotiations over whether to cut interest rates further or hold fire when they next set borrowing costs in April, according to people familiar with their thinking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) Japan’s government bond yields reached their highest levels in more than a decade and yields in Australia and New Zealand also surged as the rout in German bunds reverberated through global debt markets. (2) The European Central Bank is about to lower interest rates for the sixth time since June, though a volatile economic backdrop is sowing divisions over where to take borrowing costs from here. (3) President Emmanuel Macron said he’ll enter into talks on using France’s nuclear capabilities to defend European allies. (4) Financial markets are signaling that the risk of a recession is growing as tariff-related uncertainty and indicators of economic weakness spread fear across Wall Street.  (5) Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey says US President Donald Trump’s tariff war poses a large risk to the world economy and will not fix the trade imbalances he hopes to address. (6) President Donald Trump is exempting automakers from newly imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month, the White House said Wednesday, as a temporary reprieve following pleas from industry leaders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) President Donald Trump took the lectern Tuesday for his primetime address beset by warning signs about the US economy, and acknowledged to Americans there could be more discomfort ahead. (2) The Trump administration could announce a pathway for tariff relief on Mexican and Canadian goods covered by North America’s free trade agreement as soon as Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. (3) President Donald Trump said he received an “important letter” from Ukraine’s leader looking to smooth over a clash that erupted during a contentious Oval Office meeting, but held back from lifting a US pause on military aid or announcing a revived minerals deal.  (4) Germany will unlock hundreds of billions of euros for defense and infrastructure investments in a dramatic shift that upends its ironclad controls on government borrowing. (5) China set a forceful economic growth goal at about 5% for 2025, raising expectations for officials to unleash more stimulus later this year as they confront a trade war with Donald Trump.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) President Donald Trump delivered on his threat to hit Canada and Mexico with sweeping import levies, imposing one of the largest increases in US tariffs since the 1930s in a dramatic escalation of a trade war that stands to upend ties with major economic partners.(2) China imposed tariffs as high as 15% on US goods and banned exports to some defense companies in retaliation for the Trump administration’s new levy, escalating a trade war between the world’s two largest economies.(3) President Donald Trump said the US would impose tariffs on “external” agricultural products starting on April 2, adding another layer of threats to impose trade barriers on imported goods.(4) Equities fluctuated as President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China went into effect. Oil extended losses.(5) President Donald Trump ordered a pause to all military aid to Ukraine, turning up the heat on Volodymyr Zelenskiy days after an Oval Office blowup with the Ukrainian president left support from his country’s most important ally in doubt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders used a security summit in London to demonstrate broad support for Ukraine. Behind the scenes, though, they were scrambling to get Volodymyr Zelenskiy back to the table with US President Donald Trump. (2) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he’s willing to meet Donald Trump if the US president invites him again “to solve real problems,” adding his country is ready to accept a minerals deal that was put on hold last week. (3) President Donald Trump is on the verge of slapping new tariffs on Canada and Mexico while doubling a levy on China, moves that would dramatically expand his push to reshape the US economy, tap new revenues and upend ties with the biggest US trading partners. (4) President Xi Jinping heads into China’s biggest political huddle of the year with his economy finally getting back some swagger. Donald Trump’s rising tariffs will test Beijing’s ability to sustain that momentum.  (5) Jes Staley’s legal showdown over his career-ending friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will bring in some of the most prominent names in the City of London. (6) Zoe Saldaña took home the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in the Netflix Inc. film Emilia Pérez at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood Sunday evening.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a preview of the February jobs report and a look at earnings from Macys and Gap. In the UK – a preview of the 'Special European Council.' In Asia – a look ahead to economic data in Australia, and a discussion on China’s tech rally. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) A global selloff in equities worsened in Asia, while the dollar strengthened and Treasury yields edged lower as investors shunned risky bets with President Donald Trump ratcheting up tariffs. (2) China threatened to hit back at Donald Trump’s trade threats after the US president unveiled additional tariffs on Chinese imports, raising the risk of tensions spiraling between the world’s largest economies. (3) President Donald Trump said he would restart long-stalled negotiations on trade with the UK, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer heralded a “new economic deal” between the two countries. (4) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer left his meeting with Donald Trump with much to be satisfied about despite falling short of his top objective — obtaining an American security “backstop” to protect Ukraine from further attacks after an end to Russia’s war. (5) President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at the White House on Friday with a personal appeal to persuade Donald Trump not to sell out his country in the rush to make a peace deal with Russia. (6) Paris’s oldest chocolate shop has occupied a street corner in the ninth arrondissement since 1761. Ownership of À la Mère de Famille has changed hands from family to family over the centuries, but it has endured through occupation and revolution thanks to the Parisian appetite for confectionery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) Nvidia, the chipmaker at the center of an AI spending boom, delivered good-but-not-great quarterly numbers on Wednesday, drawing a muted response from investors accustomed to blowout results.(2) President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave a series of apparently contradictory answers about his plans to enact tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as the European Union.(3) At home, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has framed his trip to meet Donald Trump as a bid to save Ukraine and the trans-Atlantic alliance. At the White House, he’ll argue that the US president needs Europe to come out a winner.(4) US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called for an investigation and expressed concern after the UK government ordered Apple Inc. to build a backdoor into the global data of its customers.(5) Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said the British government wants to boost commerce with the US, its biggest single-country trading partner, even as President Donald Trump threatens widespread trade tariffs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast: (1) Ukraine has agreed with the US on a deal to jointly develop its natural resources, people familiar with the matter said, a move that could ease recent tension with President Donald Trump and advance his administration’s goal of a ceasefire with Russia. (2) Prime Minister Keir Starmer swept to power promising to raise living standards and grow the British economy. But now his premiership has an urgent and altogether different focus: preserving European security in a volatile world order upended by US President Donald Trump. (3) President Donald Trump has signed an executive action directing the Commerce Department to examine possible copper tariffs, the latest in a string of measures aimed at imposing sector-specific levies that could reshape global supply chains. (4) Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials to stay composed amid domestic and global challenges, signaling Beijing will take a measured approach to the Trump administration’s new trade and investment restrictions (5) President Donald Trump said he is starting a program to offer residency and a path to citizenship to investors who pay $5 million, offering a new avenue for legal immigration even as he carries out a sweeping crackdown on undocumented migrants. (6) Foxtons is often seen as an entry point for aspiring real estate agents. Junior employees described unwanted touching, drunk-driving — and senior staff who either ignored inappropriate behavior or were complicit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.