No Ukraine Breakthrough, Global Stocks Record High, China Holds Taiwan Drills

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) President Donald Trump said he made “a lot of progress” in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over a possible peace deal, but that it might take a few weeks to get it done and there’s no set timeline.(2) Global stocks held at record highs, while silver rallied to a new peak before turning sharply lower as trading winds down heading into year-end.(3) In the UK, opposition parties are calling for British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah to be deported, after it emerged that he had posted social media messages over a decade ago, calling for Zionists to be killed.(4) Thierry Breton, the former European Union official who was sanctioned last week by the Trump administration, said the bloc must resist US attempts to influence its legislation aimed at regulating social media platforms.(5) China kicked off military maneuvers around Taiwan that will include live-fire drills, a move that comes after the US announced one of its biggest arms packages ever for the self-run democracy.Podcast Conversation: What Happens When We Insist on Automating Our Fun?: EssaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. John Authers, Bloomberg Opinion Columnist, discusses the five forces that broke Capitalism Tim Craighead, Bloomberg Intelligence Bloomberg Intelligence Global Chief Content Officer, describes the European stocks to watch in 2026 John Lee, Bloomberg Intelligence APAC content manager, looks at what we can expect from Asian stocks in 2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special Christmas edition of Bloomberg Daybreak, host Nathan Hager speaks with: Cameron Dawson, Chief Investment Officer at Newedge Wealth and Brian Levitt, Global Market Strategist at Invesco discuss what we should expect from markets in 2026 Amanda Agati, Chief Investment Officer at PNC, breaks down the cost of the 12 days of Christmas.  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 French National Assembly approved a stopgap budget law for 2026 to keep the state running into January after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on the full fiscal plan.(2) The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed visa sanctions on former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other people for trying to make American tech companies police political speech on their platforms.(3) Gold rose to an all-time high above $4,500 an ounce on escalating tensions in Venezuela and expectations for more US rate cuts. Silver and platinum also advanced to records.(4) The Justice Department’s long-awaited rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein files has been a chaotic spectacle that, so far, has largely turned the spotlight back to his previously known associates, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, while fueling frustrations.(5) Alan Howard, co-founder of Brevan Howard Asset Management, joined the ranks of wealthy individuals exiting the UK amid tax hikes, surfacing as a resident of Switzerland.Podcast Conversation: Five Top Tables: Where to Eat in Edinburgh for Business, ValueSee 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 warned President Nicolas Maduro not to challenge the US and vowed to keep oil seized from a supertanker but declined to say if he’s seeking to oust the Venezuelan leader. (2) Larry Ellison is throwing his personal fortune behind Paramount Skydance’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, aiming to give his son’s company an advantage in a fiercely contested takeover battle with Netflix. (3) Novo Nordisk won approval to sell a pill version of its blockbuster obesity shot Wegovy in the US, a crucial step in its effort to defend its market share from rival Eli Lilly (4) Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said that artificial intelligence is starting to have a bigger impact on the US economy. (5) UK businesses ended 2025 feeling more upbeat about the economy’s prospects after they were spared much of the tax pain at last month’s budget. Podcast Conversation: Restaurants Turn to Sweet Wines to Save Labor, Fatten the CheckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:(1) The US’s pursuit of a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela has intensified a blockade that the Trump administration hopes will cut off a vital economic lifeline for the country and isolate the government of President Nicolás Maduro. (2) Gold rose to an all-time high, as escalating geopolitical tensions and bets on further US rate cuts added momentum to the best annual performance in more than four decades. (3) US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump administration officials held “productive and constructive” meetings with Ukrainian and European counterparts in Florida as part of ongoing efforts to end the war. (4) Justice Department officials were protecting victims of Jeffrey Epstein when they removed several images from agency’s release of files tied to the notorious sex offender, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. (5) Uber Technologies and Lyft are each teaming up with Baidu to trial driverless taxis in the UK, as ride-sharing companies race to deploy autonomous services around the world. Podcast Conversation: Last-Minute Gift Guide for Whiskey, Wine and Spirits LoversSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a look ahead to U.S GDP data and a tech outlook for 2026. In the UK – a look at UK politics and what 2026 may hold in store for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In Asia – a look ahead to the challenges facing China’s economy in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) European Union leaders reached an agreement to loan Ukraine €90 billion ($106 billion) for the next two years, aiming to strengthen Kyiv’s hand at the negotiating table and keep the war-torn country afloat. (2) The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest in 30 years and said more increases are in the pipeline if conditions allow, in a sign of growing conviction that it can attain the stable inflation target it has pursued for more than a decade. (3) The Bank of England cut interest rates but joined a wave of other central banks in warning that the speed and scale of future reductions is now in the balance. (4) Officials have found the dead body of the suspected shooter in a Brown University rampage and the murder of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor in his Boston-area home.  (5) TikTok’s long-delayed plan to separate from Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd. was put in motion Thursday when the video sharing sensation said it’s being bought by a group of buyers led by Oracle. (6) Wells Fargo was sued by a former manager who says he was fired for pushing the bank to create a more diverse workforce and objecting to its practice of interviewing minority applicants for jobs that were already filled. (7) As shoppers at London’s renowned Selfridges department store soaked in the festive mood ahead of Christmas in 2021, the billionaire Weston family were closing in on the sale of the landmark. But instead the family got caught up in the collapse of Benko’s €23 billion empire less than two years after the Selfridges deal. Podcast Conversation: Blackstone Parodies ‘Midlife Crisis’ in Annual Holiday VideoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says it's a "crucial" moment for Ukraine's future, as European leaders meet in Brussels to decide on how to financially support Kyiv. "Putin is banking on us to fail, and we shouldn't give them that," she told Bloomberg's Stephen Carroll in Brussels.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 Bank of England will likely deliver a pre-Christmas interest-rate cut on Thursday as concerns shift away from inflation and toward the UK’s struggling economy and jobs market. (2) Central banks hike when there is a risk of inflation re-accelerating or when policy is judged to be too loose. Neither condition applies right now, tilting risks to hawkish disappointment weighing on the euro. (3) BP appointed Meg O’Neill as its new chief executive officer, making her Big Oil’s first female leader, as the company struggles to revive its fortunes after a botched pivot toward renewable energy. (4) OpenAI has held funding talks with investors to raise tens of billions of dollars at a valuation of $750 billion, according to a report in the Information.  (5) Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that German troops could participate in a coalition to secure a demilitarized zone in Ukraine after a possible peace agreement with Russia.  (6) Driven by a funding vacuum caused by post-financial crisis banking regulations, private credit has evolved from a relatively niche form of financing to become an important part of Europe's property lending landscape Podcast Conversation: Where to Eat in Brussels from Business to ValueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.