Israel & Hamas Finalize Ceasefire, China Hits Growth Target, and Nigel Farage speaks to Bloomberg

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast: (1) Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said “the answer can’t always be no” when it comes to approving major infrastructure works and planning decisions, her latest indication that she’ll push ahead with controversial projects in a bid to grow Britain’s economy. (2) Debt interest costs pushed up UK government borrowing more than predicted last month, putting Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves on course to overshoot official forecasts this year.  (3) The UK government has ousted the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, Britain’s antitrust watchdog, as ministers seek to reinforce the message that they want regulators to do more to facilitate economic growth. (4) President Donald Trump said his threat to hit China with 10% tariffs on all imports was still on the table and indicated it could come as soon as next month. (5) SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle are forming a $100 billion joint venture to fund artificial intelligence infrastructure, an effort unveiled with President Donald Trump aimed at speeding development of the emerging technology. (6) President Donald Trump says he’s likely to impose sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t come to the table to negotiate on Ukraine, during remarks at the White House.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 said his threat to hit China with 10% tariffs on all imports was still on the table and indicated it could come as soon as next month. (2) SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle are forming a $100 billion joint venture to fund artificial intelligence infrastructure, an effort unveiled with President Donald Trump aimed at speeding development of the emerging technology. (3) President Donald Trump says he’s likely to impose sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t come to the table to negotiate on Ukraine, during remarks at the White House. (4) Netflix closed 2024 with its biggest quarterly subscriber gain in history, buoyed by its first major live sporting events and the return of Squid Game. (5) The UK government has ousted the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, Britain’s antitrust watchdog, as ministers seek to reinforce the message that they want regulators to do more to facilitate economic growth.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 said he planned to impose previously threatened tariffs of as much as 25% on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1, reiterating his contention that America’s two immediate neighbors are letting undocumented migrants and drugs flood into the country.(2) President Donald Trump held off unveiling China-specific tariffs on his first day in office, instead ordering his administration to address unfair trade practices globally and investigate whether Beijing had complied with a deal signed during his first term.(3) President Donald Trump temporarily halted a ban on TikTok in the US, granting the company and its Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd. more time to reach a deal for the popular app that would resolve long-standing US national security concerns.(4) Donald Trump pardoned almost all of the people convicted for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and ordered charges dropped in any pending cases, fulfilling a controversial campaign promise just hours after he returned to the White House.(5) President Donald Trump wasted little time taking action on two culturally controversial issues he campaigned on, signing executive orders ending federal diversity programs and restricting gender definition to two sexes — male and female.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) US President-elect Donald Trump will sign close to 100 executive orders within hours of taking office, he says at a pre-inauguration dinner in Washington DC.(2) A long-delayed ceasefire in the Gaza war began taking hold as Hamas released three hostages on Sunday in exchange for 90 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. (3) Donald Trump pledged to delay enforcement of a national security law that threatened to ban TikTok. Yet it’s not clear whether the app’s Chinese parent is able — or willing — to secure a US backer in time to avoid a permanent shutdown.(4) Hedge funds have long been regarded as notoriously expensive. New research reveals just how costly they truly are for their clients.(5) Asking prices for UK homes jumped by the most in over one-and-a-half years at the start of 2025, a sign of resilient confidence in the property market, according to Rightmove.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 what comes next for the U.S economy when Donald Trump takes office, and Netflix earnings. In the UK – a preview of the World Economic Forum in Davos. In Asia -  a preview on whether Donald Trump will make good on his threats toward China. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast: (1) Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an agreement with Hamas to pause the war in Gaza has been finalized, suggesting it’s on track to begin on Sunday. (2) China’s economy hit the government’s growth goal last year after an 11th hour stimulus blitz and export boom turbocharged activity, although looming US tariffs threaten to take away a key driver of expansion. (3) Nigel Farage said Reform UK isn’t anti-immigration and advocated a mixture of tax and spending cuts as he sought to put a more moderate face on his insurgent party in a bid to take it from the political fringes to challenge for power.  (4) Rio Tinto and Glencore have been discussing combining their businesses, which if successful would rank as the largest-ever mining deal and create a behemoth to rival longstanding leader BHP. (5) Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent is on track to be confirmed following a confirmation hearing Thursday lacking the theatrics some of his would-be Trump administration colleagues have faced, with questions largely keeping to policy issues like the federal budget and 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) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on parts of a ceasefire agreement that looked set to pause more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, risking completion of the long-awaited deal.(2) Britain’s economy narrowly returned to growth in November but fell short of expectations as the UK struggles to shake off concerns that the country is in the grip of stagflation.(3) Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief after a surprise slowdown in inflation spurred a stock rally and a plunge in bond yields, reinforcing bets the Federal Reserve is on track to keep cutting rates this year.(4) President Joe Biden warned Americans of a “dangerous concentration of power” in the hands of a “very few ultra-wealthy people” and the impact he feared it would have on the country’s democracy as he delivered a farewell address Wednesday from the Oval Office.(5) The dry, dangerous winds that have kept fire-scarred Los Angeles on edge for days are finally forecast to end — but a lack of rain and another round of winds forecast next week already has officials worried.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that calls for releasing dozens of hostages and bringing a temporary halt to the war in the Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands of people in the last 15 months and touched off broader turmoil across the Middle East.(2) Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief after a surprise slowdown in inflation spurred a stock rally and a plunge in bond yields, reinforcing bets the Federal Reserve is on track to keep cutting rates this year.(3) Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has emerged relatively unscathed from a series of high-stakes public tests this week in the UK. Her next challenge will be proving to investors that she can shore up her battered economic agenda.(4) President Joe Biden warned Americans of a “dangerous concentration of power” in the hands of a “very few ultra-wealthy people” and the impact he feared it would have on the country’s democracy as he delivered a farewell address Wednesday from the Oval Office.(5) The dry, dangerous winds that have kept fire-scarred Los Angeles on edge for days are finally forecast to end — but a lack of rain and another round of winds forecast next week already has officials worried.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) South Korean investigators arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday after launching a pre-dawn operation to bring the impeached leader in for questioning over his short-lived martial law declaration.(2) The UK’s City minister Tulip Siddiq resigned from the government following an ethics review into allegations around her use and receipt of properties linked to the ousted Bangladeshi regime.(3) Forecasters expect a monthly report on US consumer prices to show a fifth month of firm increases, bolstering the case for an extended pause in Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.(4) The European Central Bank is pushing back against investors who reckon firmer inflation, a surprisingly sturdy US jobs market and Donald Trump’s economic disruption will narrow the scope to lower interest rates.(5) Hot, dry winds are pummeling Los Angeles and surrounding areas of Southern California, raising wildfire risks through at least Wednesday as the region reels from blazes that have killed at least 24 people and burned neighborhoods to the ground.(6) The Biden administration is planning to impose tough new rules on exporting advanced chips to China. Bloomberg has learned the White House intends to announce the measures in the last few days of the current presidency.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) The UK is set to get an indication of investor appetite for gilts, with its first bond sale since turmoil gripped the market last week.(2) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he has “full confidence” in Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and stressed that his government would stick to its fiscal rules in response to a surge in UK borrowing costs.(3) Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring the US operations of TikTok if the company fails to fend off a controversial ban on the short-video app, according to people familiar with the matter.(4) The European Union is considering expanding its investigation into whether Elon Musk’s X social network breached its content moderation rulebook, the bloc’s top digital official said.(5) Southern California is facing another round of dangerous fire weather, as crews struggle to contain wind-driven blazes that have paralyzed Los Angeles for nearly a week and killed at least 24 people.(6) Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming economic team are discussing slowly ramping up tariffs month by month, a gradual approach aimed at boosting negotiating leverage while helping avoid a spike in inflation, according to people familiar with the matter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.