Amex v. Chase: Who Will Win the Battle for America’s Top Shoppers?

We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. The global pet economy is expected to reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2030. After a pandemic surge in pet adoptions, more people are buying ever more expensive food and toys for their furry friends. But beyond these routine costs, a growing number of owners are also shelling out thousands for veterinary care to treat complex illnesses and keep their pets alive for longer.  Bloomberg reporters Brendan Case and Nacha Cattan join this episode to give an expansive view of the industry, including how new diagnostic tools and medications are extending pet lifespans—and wearing down owners’ wallets. Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net. This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producer: Rebecca Chaisson, Associate Producer: Sam Gebauer. Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Dec 202326min

Tensions continue to grow between China and the big economic powers in Europe and the United States. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas are adding global uncertainty. As new geopolitical fault lines form, some nations are emerging as winners, according to an analysis of trade and investment data by Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg’s Maeva Cousin and Shawn Donnan join Scarlet Fu to walk through the findings, discussing the five winners and what’s happening there. Read more: These Five Countries Are Key Economic ‘Connectors’ in a Fragmenting World  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.This episode was produced by: Federica Romaniello and Sam Gebauer. Sound Design/Engineer: Raphael Amsili.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Dec 202329min

If you’ve suffered the slights of US public transportation in recent years, brace yourself for more grief. Transit agencies across the country have been grappling with reduced ridership and revenues since the pandemic. By next year, billions of dollars in emergency aid is slated to dry up, making matters that much worse. Budget shortfalls are likely to affect millions of Americans who rely on public transportation every day.  Bloomberg reporter Skylar Woodhouse joins host Scarlet Fu to discuss overburdened and underfunded public transportation agencies—including some of the country’s largest—and the financial squeeze pushing them even closer to collapse. Read More: America’s Subways and Buses Face Deep Service Cuts as Federal Money Ends Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Dec 202320min

We here at The Big Take are big fans of our colleagues and friends over at the Elon, Inc podcast from Businessweek, hosted by David Papadopoulos. Please enjoy this episode, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear!---- When Elon Musk announced his new AI chatbot “Grok” last month, almost everything about it looked like a publicity stunt or a vanity project or both. The product was seemingly built over a matter of months, it was only available to a small group of X users and its chief selling point was Musk’s promise it wouldn’t be constrained by the “woke mind virus.” He boasted that Grok’s chatbot was “based”—a slang term meaning unapologetically right wing—and posted fratty memes meant to emphasize Grok’s dominance over market-leading competitor ChatGPT. None of this inspired confidence. But with Grok now available to paying users of Musk’s social media platform, the reviews are coming in. And they’re surprisingly positive. This week we are joined by Bloomberg reporter Shirin Ghaffary, who has been testing out the new chatbot and comparing it ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Dec 202330min

The past year has been relentless for news, with indictments of a former US president, wars in Europe and the Middle East, and Earth’s hottest year on record. It was a big year, too, for equality news in the US — including headlines that corporations made good on their 2020 vows to hire more people of color. But 2023 also saw challenges to affirmative action and access to abortion medication, and there are more questions for the year ahead. Will a diverse pool of workers hired in 2021, largely to entry-level jobs, be retained and promoted? How will working parents and especially mothers, who benefited from pandemic-era flexible work, weather shrinking childcare options? Bloomberg Equality reporter Kelsey Butler and Businessweek senior writer Claire Suddath join Nancy Cook to discuss these and other stories they’re watching. Read more: The Fight for Equality in 2023 Is a Very Long Game Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Dec 202331min

Bloomberg News Now is a comprehensive audio report on today's top stories. Listen for the latest news, whenever you want it, covering global business stories around the world.      on Apple: trib.al/Mx9TCh1     on Spotify: trib.al/T4BG8s4     Anywhere: trib.al/O4EX6BASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Dec 202351s

During its last two terms, the US Supreme Court and its six-member Republican-appointed supermajority showed its power to shape important policy issues that affect all Americans, bringing down significant and highly controversial rulings on abortion, student loan forgiveness and affirmative action. So what’s next? Bloomberg Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr looks ahead at which cases are likely to be of greatest consequence this term—spanning gun rights, reproductive rights, speech on social media and how much power federal agencies should have. And later, we look at Donald Trump’s federal prosecutions, one of which is already before the court thanks to an extraordinary request from Special Counsel Jack Smith. Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Dec 202327min

Michigan is a key swing state for next year’s presidential election – and despite Democrats controlling the state’s legislature and holding the governor’s seat, former President Donald Trump is ahead in polls. The latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll revealed that 46% of voters in the state said they would vote for Trump, and 42% backed President Joe Biden. The Big Take podcast sits down with Bloomberg’s Wendy Benjaminson and Jeff Green to dig into the data and understand what’s happening on the ground in this key swing state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Dec 202313min