Behind the Money – Details, episodes & analysis

Private credit took Wall Street by storm. But at a software company called Pluralsight, recent loan troubles are now highlighting risks that could be hidden in the sector. The FT’s senior US corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt and Due Diligence reporter Amelia Pollard walk through what went wrong with Pluralsight, and how that could shape private credit’s future. 

Clips from Bloomberg, CNBC

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For further reading:

A messy loan restructuring highlights risk lurking in private credit

Private credit is even larger than you think

A buyout gone wrong creates fireworks in the private credit market

Vista and co-investors lose $4bn in Pluralsight restructuring

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On X, follow Eric Platt (@ericgplatt), Amelia Pollard (@ameliajpollard) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Register now for the FT Weekend Festival, and claim £24 off your pass using promo code FTPodcast at: ft.com/festival

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hundreds of companies have moved their headquarters to Texas in recent years, including big names like Tesla, HP and Charles Schwab. They’ve been enticed by low taxes, light regulation and the promise to run their businesses on their own terms. But the FT’s Houston correspondent Myles McCormick explains that there might be limits to that message of economic freedom.

Clips from ABC News, CBS, Fox 26, KHOU 11

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For further reading:

Will US companies keep faith in the ‘Texas miracle’?

Beware the Texas advance on Wall Street

Texas group plans stock exchange to compete with NYSE and Nasdaq

For further listening: 

Why Elon Musk is breaking up with Delaware

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On X, follow Myles McCormick (@mylesmccormick_) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

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Register now for the FT Weekend Festival, and claim £24 off your pass using promo code FTPodcast at: ft.com/festival

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Banks in the US are locked in a bitter fight with regulators. It’s all about a proposed set of rules with an unusual name, Basel III Endgame. Regulators say the rules will help avoid future banking crises. Banks say they’re overkill and could hurt everyday Americans. The FT’s US banking editor Joshua Franklin explains how the industry is pushing back.

Clips from Bloomberg, CNBC

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For further reading:

The US pushback against ‘Basel Endgame’

The bank argument on the Basel III endgame is bunk

EU to delay Basel bank trading reforms as US revisits plans

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On X, follow Joshua Franklin (@FTJFranklin) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dollar dominated last year as the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates quicker than other countries to tame inflation. But the so-called “king dollar” has shifted recently. FT Capital Markets Correspondent Kate Duguid dives into how the greenback has been toppled from its throne and what that means for the rest of the world. 

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For further reading:

US dollar hits reverse gear as Fed cedes rate-rise ‘driver’s seat’

Dollar touches 7-month low as Fed rate rise expectations slide

The downturn in the dollar is not just about rates

Emerging market governments raise $40bn in January borrowing binge

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On Twitter, follow Kate Duguid (@kateduguid) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Several Big Tech companies have recently announced job cuts - and they pinned their decisions on a pandemic-induced hiring spree. But is that actually what’s driving the cuts? We sat down with the FT’s US financial commentator Robert Armstrong to get the full picture. 

Clips from Reuters, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance

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BTM listeners, we want to know what you think of the show and what you want to hear more of. Visit ft.com/btmsurvey to submit your feedback. 

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For further reading:

Slimming down Big Tech

Is Big Tech flabby?

Bye-bye massages and free food: Big Tech cuts back perks

The shock of mass lay-offs is only the beginning for companies

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On Twitter, follow Robert Armstrong (@rbrtmstrng) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, we talked about China needing to find a mechanism to fix its economy. It looks like it may have found it - by abruptly ending its zero-Covid policies. The FT’s Shanghai correspondent Tom Hale and Global China Editor James Kynge break down what President Xi Jinping’s main goals are and whether it’s enough to jumpstart the country’s economy.

Clips from CNN, BBC

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BTM listeners, we want to know what you think of the show and what you want to hear more of. Visit ft.com/btmsurvey to submit your feedback. 

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For further reading:

Xi Jinping’s plan to reset China’s economy and win back friends

China’s economy begins to reopen after 3 years of Covid isolation 

China’s Covid generation: the surging inequality behind Xi’s U-turn

I spent 10 days in a secret Chinese Covid detention centre

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On Twitter, follow Tom Hale (@TomHale_), James Kynge (@JKynge) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Electric vehicle giant Tesla took the automotive industry by storm with its innovative technology, but the company’s stock price has slid significantly since last year. And its chief executive Elon Musk has some Tesla fans rethinking their support given Musk’s moves as the new owner of Twitter. But the FT’s Richard Waters says that Tesla faces a challenge much bigger than Musk’s latest tweets. 

Clips from CBS, ABC News, NBC, CNBC

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BTM listeners, we want to know what you think of the show and what you want to see more of. Visit ft.com/btmsurvey to submit your feedback. 

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For further reading:

Trouble at Tesla: the end of a golden age of growth?

Tesla cuts electric car prices across Europe and US to bolster demand

OK, 2022 was a disaster for Tesla. What next?

Musk/multitasking: the cost of being thinly stretched

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On Twitter, follow Richard Waters (@RichardWaters) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07) 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The global economy has been hit hard in the past few years by the Covid-19 pandemic, high inflation and Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, there’s one emerging economy that’s managed to succeed in spite of that - Indonesia. So, what’s its secret? We sat down with the FT’s Mercedes Ruehl to understand how the country got to where it is now, and whether that success will be permanent.

Clips from Associated Press

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For further reading:

Indonesia’s unexpected success story

Indonesia’s president steps on to world stage as G20 host

Bauxite: holding resources hostage will impede Indonesia’s growth

Indonesia’s growth outlook dims as Jokowi begins final term

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On Twitter, follow Mercedes Ruehl (@mjruehl) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07) 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to a new year with Behind the Money! We’re starting off by paying a visit to the New York Public Library to take a peek into the past. Some 300 years ago parts of Europe were in the middle of a financial revolution that quickly turned into a financial frenzy and then — a fallout. With help from the FT’s US markets editor Jennifer Hughes, we’ll learn more about the Mississippi and South Sea Company Bubbles, and what they tell us about today. 

Clips from: NBC, CNBC, CBS News

Music: Georg Philipp Telemann’s Overture-Suite in B-flat Major performed by Tempesta di Mare / The Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra

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Learn how to visit the New York Public Library’s exhibit, Fortune and Folly in 1720. 

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Further reading:

Business trends, risks and people to watch in 2023

FT writers’ predictions for the world in 2023

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On Twitter, follow Jennifer Hughes (@JennHughes13) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07) 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our last episode of the year, so that means we’re looking ahead to 2023 with the help of the FT’s chief economics commentator Martin Wolf. He sat down with Michela to discuss some of 2022’s biggest stories — inflation, the war in Ukraine, climate change — and how they might impact events in the new year. 

Clips from NBC News, AP, Sky News, Channel 4 News, Al Jazeera, CNN, TRT World, Yahoo!

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For further reading:

How to think about policy in a polycrisis

Delay only makes climate action more urgent

Xi Jinping’s third term is a tragic error

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On Twitter, follow Martin Wolf (@martinwolf_) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07) 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.