The Hot Market for Jobs No One Wants
After a period characterized as “low-hire, low-fire,” the American labor market is seeing a surge of layoffs from companies like Amazon, Starbucks, UPS and Target. And that’s pushing more job applicants towards traditionally less-desirable occupations, like substitute teaching, traffic flagging and waste management. Today on the Big Take, Sarah Holder is joined by economic reporter Mike Sasso to discuss what’s happening in this often-overlooked corner of the labor market and what it means for the economy overall. Read more: The Job Market Is Heating Up — for Jobs That People Usually Don't WantSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
19 Nov 14min
China Tests the Limits in the Race for Biotech Power
China is investing heavily in cutting-edge genetic experiments. It’s part of their quest to become a biotech superpower. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha, Bloomberg’s Karoline Kan and Oxford University geneticist Andy Greenfield discuss China’s pharmaceutical ambitions and the loose regulatory environment that allows the animal testing industry to thrive. Read more: China Pushes Boundaries With Animal Testing to Win Global Biotech RaceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
18 Nov 19min
How Private Equity Got Its Hands on Billions in Americans’ Retirement Money
Apollo Global Management reinvented how pensions could be managed and paid out — by taking them over and moving the risks offshore. Other firms have followed suit and ushered hundreds of billions of dollars in American retirement savings into accounts that retirees and economists say are exposed to higher risk. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg reporters Alex Rajbhandari and Tom Schoenberg, who investigated this phenomenon and explain what it means for the people whose nest eggs ended up on private equity’s opaque balance sheets. Read more: The Offshoring of America’s Retirement Savings When Wall Street’s Insurance Playbook Goes Wrong See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
17 Nov 19min
They Voted for Trump. His Tariffs Took Down Their Family-Owned Sawmill
For years, Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in North Carolina relied on exporting its goods to China and Vietnam after a dip in domestic demand for high-quality hardwood. But President Donald Trump’s trade war with China dealt a blow that the mill’s owners say they couldn’t come back from. In July, just months after the president announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, they decided to shut it down. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg economics reporter Shawn Donnan goes to the “Old North State” to understand the ripple effect of tariffs on one of the oldest industries in America and how the mill’s owner feels about Trump and his policies, one year after voting for him in the ballot booth. Listen more: The Most Worrying — and Reassuring — Signals in the US EconomySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
14 Nov 20min
The Most Worrying — and Reassuring — Signals in the US Economy
In recent weeks, a number of economic warning signs have put investors on edge, from growing skepticism over the possibility of an AI bubble to bankruptcies that have rocked the private credit market. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Opinion columnist and senior markets editor John Authers and host David Gura tackle the question: How worried should we be about the US economy?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
13 Nov 17min
Trump Promised Revenge. He’s Using the DOJ to Make It Happen
When President Trump took office in January, he made it clear that retribution against his perceived political enemies was a key part of his second-term agenda.He’s used a variety of tools at his disposal — and with his encouragement, the Department of Justice has indicted former FBI Director James Comey, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder is joined by Bloomberg senior national political reporter Nancy Cook and Department of Justice reporter Chris Strohm to talk about how these cases are playing out and the new precedent they could set for future administrations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12 Nov 18min
Wall Street Speeds Up India Expansion
Wall Street banks are on a hiring spree across India, recruiting workers for everything from software engineering to risk management as part of a decades-long shift away from support roles toward high-skill positions. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg’s Siddhi Nayak to look at India’s changing job landscape. What to expect as Wall Street continues to expand into its tech hubs – and how Donald Trump’s H1-B visa crackdown could accelerate that push. Further listening: Trump’s H-1B Visa Fee Dashes Indian Workers’ American DreamsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11 Nov 18min
Why a K-Shaped US Economy Is Raising Red Flags
The US economy appears remarkably resilient right now, but if you look closer, you’ll see a different picture emerge: a growing divide between America’s wealthiest consumers and everyone else. Economists call this kind of bifurcated economy “K-shaped.” And as the top and bottom of the K have diverged, the overall economy has also become more top-heavy and more fragile. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder is joined by Peter Atwater – the economist who popularized the idea of a “K-shaped economy” during the pandemic – and Bloomberg reporter Catarina Saraiva, who covers the federal reserve and labor market. They examine why this gap is widening, how it’s showing up in company earnings reports and what it means for the country’s overall financial health. Read more: ‘Jenga Tower’ US Economy Teeters as Middle Class Pulls Back SpendingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10 Nov 14min
