Here's Why

In 2020, it took almost four days to find out who had been elected US President. In 2000, the decision from the Supreme Court didn't come until mid-December. This year, a high number of mail-in ballots, the closeness of the race and new election processes in some states may mean it takes longer to determine a winner. Our Washington DC editor Magan Crane joins host Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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The popularity of nuclear power has seen major swings since the first reactor went into commercial operation some 70 years ago. As countries look for ways of securing their future energy supplies, interest in nuclear has been revived. Could power-hungry artificial intelligence be another catalyst? Our reporter Jonathan Tirone joins host Stephen Carroll to explain.

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Every earnings season, investors keenly watch to see whether companies are meeting, beating or missing expectations. But how are these expectations set, and is anyone able to accurately predict what companies will say? Bloomberg Intelligence's Chief Equity Strategist Gina Martin Adams joins host Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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The war in Ukraine, the rise of China and the possible return of Donald Trump have all highlight the risks to Europe and how the lack of defense spending over years has left the continent perilously exposed. How big is Europe's fighting force and does it have the capability to act were it to face a real threat? Bloomberg's Executive editor Flavia Krause-Jackson joins host Caroline Hepker to discuss. 

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Government borrowing jumped during the pandemic, but big stimulus plans like the Inflation Reduction Act have added to the mountains of public debt. How worried should we be about how much each country owes, and are austerity policies inevitable to bring it under control? Bloomberg's Head of Economics and Government Stephanie Flanders joins host Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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 Investors in Chinese shares are used to seeing wild swings in prices. The market rally on September 30 was the biggest one-day gain since 2008, but it came after months of declines. Why are Chinese equity markets so volatile? Our Managing Editor for Asia Equities, Lianting Tu, joins host Stephen Carroll to explain. 

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CPI, PCE, GDP, PMIs and JOLTS are all data points closely monitored by markets. They help us understand where the economy is, can give us hints on where it's going. But are all of these numbers equally important? Our global economy reporter Enda Curran joins Stephen Carroll to discuss how to separate the signal from the noise.Anchor, Bloomberg Radio 

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The village of Schengen in Luxembourg lends its name to one of Europe's most ambitious agreements - creating a free travel area that now extends to 29 countries. But increased worries over migration, and other crises including Covid-19, have led to the return of border checks, and a quiet fizzling of the dream of a borderless Europe. Is it in terminal decline? Our Germany Correspondent Oliver Crook joins Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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 The world runs on dollars. It's the most commonly used currency in international transactions, an important reserve for central banks around the world, and a safe haven in troubled times. There are, however, some countries trying to move away from King Dollar, so what effect is it having? Bloomberg's Senior Washington Correspondent Saleha Mohsin wrote a book on the subject, called 'Paper Soldiers'. She joins Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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Like the weather, the markets have seasonal trends. January is usually good; September is bad. So how do money managers trade around these periods, and what could upset the usual expectations? Our Markets Live Managing Editor Kristine Aquino joins Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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Two and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Europe's energy woes still aren't resolved. Current prices are much lower than the all-time high of €300 per megawatt-hour in 2022 but are still double what they were before Putin's invasion. Our senior energy reporter Stephen Stapczynski joins to explain why there are concerns about supplies of gas in the coming months, even though the continent has filled stockpiles to 90 per cent capacity.

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Central bankers are like celebrities in the finance world: every word they say gets closely scrutinised. Did their comments always elicit such interest, and do they ever tell us anything they shouldn't? Bloomberg Opinion columnist and avid central bank watcher, Daniel Moss, joins Stephen Carroll to discuss. 

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 It's a trading strategy that was at the heart of the market turmoil in early August: investors have been ditching the carry trade as the value of the Japanese yen fluctuates. Our Managing Editor for Foreign Exchange and Rates Rachel Evans explains what the carry trade is, and what its future looks like now. Hosted by Stephen Carroll. 

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 Since the Hamas attack on Israel on the October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, tensions in the Middle East have been running high. But in the background, there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity: negotiations over a truce in Gaza, and attempts to de-escalate the conflict among the various actors. Our head of Middle East and North Africa coverage Stuart Livingstone-Wallace explains to Stephen Carroll why diplomacy still matters in the Middle East. 

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A plan by conservatives to reshape the US government, known as Project 2025, has become a key talking point in the presidential campaign. Its architects see it as a resource for Donald Trump if he wins in November, but the Republican nominee has distanced himself from it. Democrats, meanwhile, are eager to tie Trump to its more controversial proposals. Our senior editor Wendy Benjaminson joins Stephen Carroll to explain what Project 2025 is, and why it's getting so much attention. 

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Notoriously volatile, cryptocurrency has long been seen as a niche investment on the verge of going mainstream.

But increasingly digital tokens are being integrated into traditional finance.

The US approved the sale of exchange traded funds linked to Bitcoin in January.

The industry also seems to have moved on from the collapse of FTX, the digital currency exchange, in 2022. Bitcoin, up some 50% in 2024, is even in focus in the US Presidential race.

Our cross asset reporter Emily Graffeo joins Caroline Hepker to explain why it's getting easier to invest in cryptocurrencies and who is buying them.

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China's economy has been having a tough time. The latest growth figures show the slowest pace of expansion in more than a year. Consumer spending is weak and the property slump is ongoing. The official target of growing the economy by 5% a year is still within reach - thanks to a boom in exports. But there are risks there too. Our Executive Editor for Greater China John Liu joins Stephen Carroll to help explain why China's outlook keeps getting worse. 

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The June 27th debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has become a watershed moment in the US Presidential race. Joe Biden's stumbles have raised concerns among donors and Democrats, but in the two weeks after the event, the President's poll ratings haven't shifted dramatically. Our US Money and Politics Czar Laura Davison joins Stephen Carroll to help explain why. 

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The European Union this week moved ahead with plans to impose provisional tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China that would raise rates to as high as 48%, a step likely to escalate trade tensions with Beijing. The EU move follows a US decision to impose a 100% duty on EVs from China, though shipments are currently close to zero. Canada last month said it’s weighing tariffs as well. While China has threatened to retaliate, the EU’s comparatively well-off consumers represent an important outlet for domestic EV makers battling overcapacity. So why are so many countries taking aggressive action to protect their electric vehicle industries? Craig Trudell, Bloomberg’s Global Automotive Editor joins Stephen Carroll to explain. 

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Nvidia's growth has stunned the market - even when compared to its artificial intelligence peers - riding high on this year's wave. The company took the title of the world's most valuable company earlier this month, but just days after reaching this milestone, Nvidia's stock price took a plunge losing £430 billion dollars from its market cap over just three days. So what was behind the decline of one of Wall Street's darlings and will it bounce back? Matt Turner, who leads Bloomberg's US equities coverage tells Stephen Carroll why the tech giant's worth is proving so elusive.  

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 Donald Trump picked Jerome Powell to lead the Federal Reserve, but their relationship soured soon afterwards, with the former President frequently criticising the Fed Chair. Ahead of November's election, some informal Trump advisers have floated ideas about possible changes to the Fed that would give him more power over the central bank. Our Federal Reserve reporter Amara Omeokwe tells Stephen Carroll what a re-elected Trump could and couldn't do to influence monetary policy.

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French bonds have continued to tumble as Marine Le Pen’s far right National Rally party leads polls ahead legislative elections later this month. The moves come after Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned that France would be plunged into a debt crisis similar to one sparked in the UK two years ago if far-right leader Marine Le Pen were to win and implement her economic program. But is he right? Our Managing Editor for FX and Rates, Rachel Evans joins Caroline Hepker to discuss if the warning is more than just political positioning.

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Three sets of recent elections have made waves on the markets. In South Africa, India and Mexico - we saw stocks sell off and currencies weaken as the results rolled in - even if they weren't a total surprise. Is there a common theme behind the market moves? Bloomberg's Markets Live Executive Editor Mark Cudmore joins Stephen Carroll to explain.

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The European Central Bank is set to cut interest rates for the first time since 2016, but Federal Reserve policymakers are still saying rates may need to stay higher for longer. Central bank divergence has caused market volatility in the past, but how big a deal is it this time? Bloomberg Opinion columnist Daniel Moss joins Stephen Carroll to explain.

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The US has dodged a recession and inflation is on track to normalise, so why don't people feel happier? Judging only by economic data, Joe Biden should be a shoo-in at November's election. But the polls don't seem to reflect that. Bloomberg's senior editor Wendy Benjaminson joins us from Washington to help explain. 

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There was a time in the not-too-distant past where more free trade was widely considered to be a good thing. Donald Trump, as US President, had a major hand in reviving the use of tools like trade tariffs, but they've continued to be used under Joe Biden too. Bloomberg's Trade Tsar Brendan Murray joins Stephen Carroll to discuss the past, present and future of this key instrument of international trade. 

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China's President Xi Jinping came to Europe with promises of investment and greater cooperation, but also an eye on rising trade tensions with the EU. What was Xi's goal on this trip? In this episode of Here's Why, we examine why China needs Europe right now with our Asia Government and Politics Correspondent Rebecca Choong Wilkins. Hosted by Stephen Carroll, produced by Christopher Pitt and James Woolcock. 

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On the first ever episode of Here's Why, host Stephen Carroll speaks to Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Daniel Moss about the recent dramatic moves in the Yen and why there could be more to come.

You can read Daniel Moss's full opinion piece on the Bloomberg website here: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-30/japan-should-leave-the-yen-bazooka-at-home?srnd=undefined

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