In the City

Karen Ward, J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s chief market strategist for EMEA, joins this week to explain why politicians are being punished for the sins of central banks. Ward, a former Bank of England economist and adviser to both UK Chancellors Philip Hammond and Jeremy Hunt, tells Stephanie Flanders, Allegra Stratton and Adrian Wooldridge about the damage done as a result of missteps when it comes to inflation. Plus, Bloomberg News editor Craig Trudell unpacks how Elon Musk is driving on both sides of the US-China relationship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode of In the City, Senior Executive Editor Will Kennedy and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas join to discuss the takeover bid that’s set the mining industry alight. We’re talking about BHP’s offer for Anglo American—how the offer came together, what happens next and what it means for the future of FTSE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the first episode of Voternomics. On this podcast, Stephanie Flanders, Bloomberg’s head of government and economics coverage, Allegra Stratton, author of Bloomberg’s The Readout newsletter and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge discuss how voters have the opportunity to affect markets, countries and economies like never before. Historian Niall Ferguson and Bloomberg Washington reporter Nancy Cook join our hosts to give their take on this unique moment in time. Ferguson explains why he believes the 2024 US presidential election isn’t about foreign policy, why Donald Trump is using his 2016 campaign strategy and why the second Cold War is escalating faster than the first. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bank of England has found itself caught in the middle of a global divide over who will cut interest rates first—and when. Senior UK economy reporter Phil Aldrick joins David Merritt, Francine Lacqua and Allegra Stratton on this week’s In the City to explain the two schools of thought, and their implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The deadly April 1 airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria and Iran’s retaliation against Israel with a drone and missile attack changed the “rules of engagement” right before our eyes, according to geopolitical strategist Tina Fordham. “This is the most significant uptick in Middle East risk for 20 years.” Fordham is the founder of Fordham Global Foresight, an independent consultancy dedicated to advising boards and C-suite executives on geopolitical, socio-economic and financial risks. She joins David Merritt and Francine Lacqua on this week’s In the City to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, the resulting carnage in Gaza and how long-standing tensions between Israel and Iran are coming to a head. She also addresses what happens next and what it means for stability in the region as well as global markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Britain’s biggest supplier of water is in trouble. The parent company of Thames Water is at risk of running out of money, having been forced to deal with a seemingly endless series of leaks and sewage spills while struggling to adapt to global warming and its effect on London’s future. So how did it get into this big of a mess, and is there a way out? Bloomberg reporter Jess Shankleman joins this week’s In the City with Allegra Stratton and Ailbhe Rea to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street veteran and former communications director in Donald Trump’s White House, joins Francine Lacqua and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge on this week’s In the City to explain why he thinks a second Trump presidency would be “dangerous.” He also talks about why he isn’t voting for his former boss and why he doesn’t think the majority of Americans will either. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder of the billion-dollar Chobani yogurt empire, is on a mission to convince companies everywhere that helping refugees is good business. It’s the guiding principle behind his nonprofit Tent Partnership for Refugees, a global network of companies committed to integrating refugees into the labor market. Ulukaya joins this week’s episode of In the City with hosts Francine Lacqua and Allegra Stratton to discuss the launch of the Tent UK coalition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says the bloc is “in a sense at a crossroad.” With European Parliament elections set for June and focus turning to the far right, which is forecast to make gains, deep concern is rising for many in Europe— including Barnier. On this week’s episode of In the City, he speaks with Francine Lacqua on the sidelines of the Bank of America conference in Rome. Also on this episode, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge joins to discuss Barnier’s comments. Wooldridge said he sees a surge in right-wing populism defining the European elections, and predicts it will “upend a lot of conventional wisdom of how politics should work in Europe.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I would be lying if I said anything other than 2023 was extremely difficult, personally,” says Erin Platts, the former chief executive of Silicon Valley Bank UK. A year ago this month, Platts oversaw the unit’s emergency takeover by HSBC amid a meltdown in the US regional banking sector. Platts, who now runs the rescued iteration of the bank, joins Francine Lacqua and Allegra Stratton on this week’s In the City to explain why she feels the episode showed the strength of the UK regulation regime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The In the City team analyzes the UK finance minister’s offerings and whether they’re enough to stave off defeat at the polls. Allegra Stratton, Francine Lacqua and Adrian Wooldridge host. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deal, hosted by Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, features intimate conversations with business titans, sports champions and game-changing entrepreneurs who reveal their investment philosophies, pivotal career moves and the ones that got away. From Bloomberg Podcasts and Bloomberg Originals, The Deal is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Bloomberg Carplay, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch The Deal on Bloomberg Television, and Bloomberg Originals on YouTube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is Jeremy Hunt’s plan for the UK budget this week? Where are tax and spending plans heading? Will any version of the budget make a dent in the Labour Party’s lead in the polls? UK government reporter Joe Mayes, creator of the UK budget game, joins this week’s In the City to explore those questions and outline what options he believes the Chancellor of the Exchequer has available to him. Hosts Francine Lacqua, Allegra Stratton and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge also ask about the Conservative Party’s attitude toward its election chances and what we might expect to see from a Labour budget should the party come to power in the next election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rishi Sunak is calling for the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to go to Ukraine. But concerns have been raised over whether such a maneuver would be legal. Stephanie Baker, a senior reporter on Bloomberg’s investigations team, joins to explain how “financial engineering” can address that. Check out Stephanie Baker's upcoming book Punishing Putin: https://rb.gy/34qik3 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Pickering, once the chief executive of former private British investment bank Cazenove, joins to discuss his book Blue Blood: Cazenove in The Age of Global Banking and reflect on London's banking landscape. He says that competitive pay is a big problem and that “too many regulations” are getting in the way of snaring top talent. Discussing the prospect of NatWest’s retail offer, Pickering says there’s an ethical dilemma at work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miles Celic, chief executive of TheCityUK, the trade body which represents financial and professional services in Britain, joins Francine Lacqua and David Merritt on In the City this week. They discuss what the business sector wants to see in the budget next month, what it expects from a Labour government and why holding regulators accountable can be more important than which party is in power. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The most undervalued real estate market in the world today, without a doubt, is the Middle East,” says property tycoon Nick Candy. Joining host Francine Lacqua on this week’s episode of In the City, Candy says he would be “running” to the region if he were in his twenties and starting up in real estate again. He also explains why when it comes to the UK government’s leadership, he thinks it’s time for a change, and why it'd be impossible for him to build a project like One Hyde Park in London now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Economic Secretary to the Treasury Bim Afolami says he wants to connect the public to equities and private markets. He shares his strategy for doing so with Allegra Stratton and Francine Lacqua. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A rematch between US President Joe Biden and Donald Trump is looking more likely since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the Republican race and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley came in second in New Hampshire. Coupled with recent polls pointing to Biden’s unpopularity with many Americans, politicians and business leaders all over the world are bracing for the possibility that the twice-impeached Trump could return to the Oval Office. On this week’s episode of In the City, Stephanie Flanders, Bloomberg’s Head of Economics and Government, joins Francine and Allegra to lay out what preparations may look like for another four years of Trump. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.