Bloomberg Businessweek

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US officials say the White House is sending hundreds of Marines to the Middle East as it weighs a plan to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. Deploying even a small number of troops on the ground in Iran carries huge risks for President Donald Trump.
Any effort to seize and hold Iran’s energy facilities would put US troops in far greater danger than they’ve already been exposed to so far in the conflict, which has seen 13 US fatalities to date. It would also add to the cost and scope of the conflict beyond an air campaign.
Just as charged would be the symbolism of American troops landing on Iranian soil and the accusation that Trump — who shot to popularity in part by criticizing the open-ended wars that dogged his predecessors — might be starting one of his own.
He said deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit there would have “substantial risk of casualties, and with no obvious next step as to how such an action really accelerates regime change or even Iran’s willingness to negotiate an end to hostilities.”
Today's show features:
Jeff Mason, Bloomberg News Washington and White House Correspondent
Adam Farrar, Economics Senior Geoeconomics Analyst for Asia-Pacific
David Woo, author of Merry-Go-Round Broke Down: A Novel of Guilt, Greed and Globalization and Founder of David Woo Unbound
Ian McGinley, Partner at Sidley Austin and former Director of Enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
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The sense of growing hostility toward business leaders and others in power is everywhere, coinciding with dueling populist political movements, and has been heightened by the refusal of many former Epstein pals to take responsibility for associating with him. The Epstein files have exposed a code of elite silence around a sex offender, and many of America's business icons and politicians must stop minimizing their roles in what happened and start making real amends to move forward.
Max Chafkin, Bloomberg Businessweek Senior Reporter and co-host of the Everybody’s Business podcast writes about how the Epstein files fallout is a crisis for elites —and an opportunity. He speaks with Bloomberg's Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.
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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Each week the world’s largest liquefied natural gas plant remains shut, the world loses the equivalent of enough energy to power Sydney’s homes for an entire year.
Qatar’s Ras Laffan plant closed earlier this month after an Iranian drone attack, the first interruption to supply in three decades of operation. Now, after further hits — in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the vast South Pars fields on Wednesday — the wider complex has suffered what Qatar describes as extensive damage.
The latest assault damaged t​​​​​​wo of the plant’s fourteen production trains, with repairs expected to take years, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. That will put severe energy strain on economies across the world. For emerging nations — vital growth markets for LNG — a second gas calamity in four years is already destroying industrial demand, perhaps irreparably.Three weeks of conflict in the Middle East have upended the entire energy supply chain. With the vital Strait of Hormuz all but closed, gasoline and jet fuel prices are surging, cooking gas shortages are triggering fistfights in India and farmers are fretting about diesel and fertilizer. But with virtually no spare capacity, no strategic reserves and no easy replacements, LNG may be one of the most acute pain points in an expanding crisis.
The longer this continues, the only solution is for the world to use less gas — and that’s a major setback for a fuel promoted by the industry as a reliable and affordable bridge from dirty coal to full reliance on renewable power. Without gas, power plants curtail output, fertilizer and textile factories shut. The ripple effect from a long-term shock could be even more significant than the 2022 energy crisis, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced dramatic changes in global gas flows.
Today's show features:
Ruth Liao, Bloomberg News Reporter covering Liquefied Natural Gas
Sheila Kahyaoglu, Managing Director in Equity Research at Jefferies
Matt Diczok, Head of Fixed Income Strategy for Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank
Drive to the Close with Mark Travis, CEO of Intrepid Capital
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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he plans to stay at the central bank until after the Justice Department’s investigation is complete.
“I have no intention of leaving the board until the investigation is well and truly over, with transparency and finality,” Powell said Wednesday at a press conference.
His comments marked the first time Powell has given any public indication that he intends to continue serving his term as a governor, which runs until 2028, after his term as chair expires in May. Speculation he would do so has increased in recent months amid a government probe into the US central bank.
The DOJ in January issued subpoenas to the Fed as part of an investigation into cost overruns in a building renovation project. In a statement at the time, Powell called the reasons for the investigation pretexts and said the probe was really triggered by the Fed’s refusal to set interest rates based on President Donald Trump’s demands.
The subpoenas were blocked by a federal judge earlier this month, but the DOJ said it would appeal that decision.
Today's show features:
Greg Peters, Co-Chief Investment Officer and PGIM Fixed Income
Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour and reaction from Bloomberg Cross Asset Reporter Denitsa Tsekova
Hendi Susanto, Portfolio Manager of Technology at Gabelli Funds on Micron Earnings
Jennifer Welch, Bloomberg Economics Chief Geoeconomics Analyst, on where China stands amidst the Iran War
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Bloomberg's Tom Keene and Jonathan Ferro discuss remarks from Fed Chair Jay Powell following the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.
Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged and continued to expect one rate cut this year as they acknowledged increased uncertainty due to war in the Middle East.
Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that to resume lowering rates, officials would have to see progress in reducing inflation, especially goods inflation that has been boosted by tariffs.
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