Viktor Orbán, Europe's chief disrupter, discusses his motivations as the Prime Minister of Hungary and his alignment with powers like Russia. The podcast also covers Boeing's delayed forecast and their focus on safety after the MAX9 incident. It explores investor optimism and the upcoming report on the cause of the recent plane incident.
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Quick takeaways
The US Federal Reserve has decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate, indicating that rate cuts are unlikely in the near future.
Viktor Orban's refusal to back an EU economic aid plan for Ukraine raises concerns about the EU's ability to handle countries that don't adhere to its values and rule of law.
Deep dives
Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged
The Federal Reserve has decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate in the range of 5 to 5.25%. Fed Chair Jay Powell indicated that rate cuts are unlikely in the near future, citing the need for further evidence of inflation decline. The news negatively impacted the market, causing Treasury yields to rally and the S&P 500 to decline 1.6%.
The European Union's struggle with Viktor Orban
Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary has been a longstanding challenge for the European Union (EU) due to his political control over institutions, blocking EU decisions, and aligning with powers that the EU perceives as rivals. Currently, Orban's refusal to back an EU economic aid plan for Ukraine has sparked an emergency summit to resolve the issue. If Orban continues to veto the plan, it raises questions about EU's ability to deal with countries that don't respect its values and rule of law.
The US Federal Reserve held interest rates at a 23-year high, the EU’s battle with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán could come to a head on Thursday, and Boeing withheld its usual financial guidance for the coming year while vowing to focus on the safety of its operations.
The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.