As Jay Powell’s Federal Reserve contemplates making the first interest rate cut in more than two years, we’re taking a step back with the FT’s US financial commentator Robert Armstrong. How did Powell tame inflation without crashing the economy? And how might history judge his leadership?

Clips from Associated Press

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For further reading:

Is Jay Powell lucky or good?

Remain calm

Martin Sandbu’s column: A self-congratulatory inflation narrative at Jackson Hole

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On X, follow Robert Armstrong (@rbrtrmstrng) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Want to hear more from Rob? Listen to the Unhedged podcast.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

This week, we’re revisiting an episode from last year. For decades, the global centre for oil trading has been Geneva, Switzerland. But Russia’s war in Ukraine changed that. Sanctions have made it harder for western traders to move Russian oil. Now, traders are flocking to a new trading hub that has no restrictions on oil from Russia: the United Arab Emirates. The FT’s Tom Wilson explains how this shift has helped the UAE replace Switzerland, and whether the global energy industry is shifting away from western economies.

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For further reading:

How Dubai became ‘the new Geneva’ for Russian oil trade

Switzerland questions oil trader over sidestep of Russian sanctions

Letter: Energy trading is opaque — and that suits Big Oil

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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

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On X, follow Tom Wilson (@thomas_m_wilson) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read the transcript of this episode which was first aired in August 2023

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

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.