FT News Briefing

Reform UK mega-donors stir controversy

The Venezuelan government and the country’s opposition are close to reaching an agreement to transfer the central bank’s gold reserves, critics are scrutinising donations

Fed interest rate rises are back

The Federal Reserve has raised rates for the first time since 2023, and the EU has asked China to restrict exports of hybrid cars as part of a deal to prevent a trade war

US billionaires bankroll Republican election push

US and Chinese experts meet to discuss mitigating AI risks despite an ongoing tech rivalry, and US megadonors are largely backing Republicans in this midterm election sea

What an AI slowdown could mean for investors

Tech stocks fell yesterday as markets reacted to ongoing talk of an AI apocalypse, industrial America is contending with a fresh wave of supply chain inflation, and forei

Fed and BoJ expect rate hikes as US bond market flails

US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent’s interventions in the American bond market haven’t worked so far, but could interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and Bank

Oil hits $108 ahead of Iran’s meeting with Gulf states

US long-term borrowing costs surged to their highest level in more than two decades, and Gulf foreign ministers plan to meet their Iranian counterpart to negotiate a deal

AI rewrites the venture capital playbook

US government bond yields jumped to their highest level in almost three years, and the Japanese yen has strengthened this week. Plus, the IMF ditched a top candidate for

DeepSeek mania spawns shadow market

Anthropic declined to submit its latest model to Britain’s AI Security Institute for testing before release, Greece wants to become the next hedge fund hub, and crude pri

Is the global maritime order breaking down?

Chinese tech giant Huawei faces a US racketeering trial. Bankers for Anthropic and OpenAI push for top-tier credit ratings. Plus, the EU signals greater openness to mega

A foldable iPhone: John Ternus’s first test as Apple CEO

Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to surge to first place in regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, John Ternus faces his first test as Apple CEO, and the US and U

Extended chat: Top US trade official defends Trump’s record

US trade representative Jamieson Greer is President Donald Trump’s top trade official. He has played a critical role in negotiations between Washington and its trading pa

Top US trade official reveals ‘problem’ in UK negotiations

The US trade representative says the UK is choosing the EU over America and Deutsche Bank organised almost $1bn of loans to a Hollywood studio landlord now in default. Pl

Uber teams up with driver unions to fight robotaxis

Auditors warned Guggenheim Partners about weak controls within its business, and Uber is teaming up with driver unions to try to slow the rollout of robotaxis. Plus, US o

Russia secretly helping Iran develop supersonic missiles

An FT investigation found Russia has been secretly helping Iran develop advanced supersonic cruise missiles, the US launched fresh strikes on Iran, and the global bond se

How viable is Trump’s oil deal with Venezuela?

Wall Street banks are pushing large law firms to cut fees because of AI, and analysts say Donald Trump’s Venezuela oil agreement may not succeed in attracting investment

AI’s threat to consulting

Soaring demand for natural gas has pushed dealmaking to a decade high, the consulting industry is headed for an AI showdown with its own clients, and the Taliban wants to

EU policy could ice out closest trading partners

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has replaced the chief executive at one of the country’s flagship real estate mega-projects, and global issuance of zero-interest con

What Meta’s $18bn settlement means for social media

Nvidia reported strong sales, Meta has agreed to pay up to $18bn to settle its blockbuster social media addiction legal battle, and bond investors think that France is Eu

The risks of investing $7tn in AI data centres

Traders and analysts are warning oil prices could soon hit $100 a barrel again, Germany is becoming a magnet for international defence groups, and Canada has announced re

US threatens Iran’s economic partners

Scott Bessent said the US would expand the scope of secondary sanctions on Iran, and JPMorgan Chase is relaxing its approach to lending money against shares in companies