The creation story of the first exchange-traded fund is actually the best way to understand how they work. And it's not just educational, it's entertaining. Like the PC and the MP3, the story of the creation of SPY -- which turned 30 this year -- is full of characters, twists and turns, and subplots. In the end, the product launched an industry that's reshaping not just investing but the entire financial ecosystem. This six-episode miniseries will weave together interviews with the founding fathers and other key players that help investors better understand the ETF and how we got here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do some emerging markets consistently succeed while others flame out? Anu Madgavkar, partner at McKinsey Global Institute, shares the secret sauce with Bloomberg Opinion's Daniel Moss.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't fret too much about tariffs and trade deficits. The real competition between the U.S. and China will be in artificial intelligence and data, says Kai-Fu Lee, author of "AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order." Lee explores who wins in this struggle for influence, and how it affects workers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the third episode of this four-part series on China's Belt and Road initiative, we look at Kenya and how Chinese investment in cargo and commuter railways between Mombasa and Nairobi is impacting economic development in the region. Bloomberg TV producer Rosalind Chin and series host David Tweed discuss how strengthening ties between these two countries may play out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The job numbers are strong and GDP growth looks great, but is it really the "best economy" in U.S. history as President Donald Trump says? Robert Gordon, a Northwestern University professor and author of the 2016 book “The Rise and Fall of American Growth,'' dives into the history and discusses what's not so great about the current situation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For all the current strength of American economy, the country lacks the economic clout to bend the world to its liking. The U.S. lacks a foreign policy that truly reflects the shift in commercial gravity toward Asia, says Jeffrey Sachs, one of the world's most prominent economists. Sachs tells Bloomberg Opinion's Daniel Moss and Bloomberg News's Scott Lanman that it's time for a new brand of statecraft to match the retreat in U.S. economic muscle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second of this four-part series on China's Belt and Road initiative, we talk to Haslinda Amin, who hosts the second episode of Bloomberg's TV series on the initiative and has traveled extensively through Southeast and Central Asia for the project. She looks at the complex ways countries in the region view China's sprawling infrastructure investment. India, for example, has one of the world's largest rail networks, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has committed in excess of 3 billion dollars to the country's transportation system. This episode explores the political and strategic reasons China is interested in contributing to boosting India's infrastructure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can South America's largest economy get any worse? It may all depend on the outcome of next month's presidential election in Brazil. The campaign has already seen its share of drama, and investors are spooked about a return to heavy government intervention in the economy that could see banks forced to offer cheap credit. Scott Lanman and Daniel Moss discuss the election with Bloomberg editor Bruce Douglas in Brasilia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The force of the trade war unleashed by Donald Trump goes beyond peeved farmers and pricier gadgets. The entire economic model of modern corporations is up for grabs, just as China is undergoing a huge internal shift that's likely to upend supply chains. Frances Lim of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts shares with Daniel Moss of Bloomberg Opinion her conclusions from a recent trip to the epicenter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a special bonus, we’re bringing Benchmark listeners the first peek at a four-part series on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping calls it the project of the century: a massive infrastructure spending program that hopes to enhance trade and connectivity throughout Eurasia. Through a networks of projects that span the transportation, finance, telecom and power industries, the economic corridors and maritime roads that span Eurasia could fundamentally change the dynamics of global business. In the first of four episodes, we find out what Belt and Road is, and why it’s been described as everything from “an exercise in empire building” to “a new world order.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.