Behind the Money

The Boston-based biotech eschewed a traditional approach to vaccine development, instead pitching its use of mRNA technology to investors. That pitch paid off this year as the company stands to be one of the first to bring a Covid-19 vaccine to market. Hannah Kuchler, the FT’s US pharma and biotech correspondent, reports on Moderna’s race to find an immunisation for the novel coronavirus.  The FT is making key coronavirus coverage free to read for everyone. Go to ft.com/coronavirusfree to read the latest.Read more here: Moderna’s Covid vaccine offers vindication of its unconventional approachReview clips: Yahoo Finance, CNBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As protests following the killing of George Floyd in the US reverberated around the world this summer, Belgium, like many other countries, experienced its own reckoning: with a brutal colonial past, with the systemic racism that inhibits its black citizens today and with the question of what exactly it owes to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which it exploited for 75 years. The FT's Neil Munshi reports on the company at the heart of Belgium's colonial pursuit, the Union Minière.Read Neil's FT Magazine story here: https://www.ft.com/content/a17b87ec-207d-4aa7-a839-8e17153bcf51.Special thanks to Heleen Debeuckelaere, Elli Fernandes, Mohamed Barrie and Jeroen Laporte. Review clips: Deutsche Welle, CBS News, France 24, NBC News, Reuters, Al Jazeera English, Getty Images, British Pathé. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The IPO of Jack Ma's Ant Group would have been the largest in history: it was expected to raise $37bn at a valuation of $316bn. But just days before the stock market listing, China called it off. The FT's Ryan McMorrow and Hudson Lockett report on what led to Beijing pulling the plug, and what it means for China's private sector. Further reading: 'The party is pushing back': why Beijing reined in Jack Ma and Ant.Review clips: Reuters, World Economic Forum, CNA, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing are beginning to resemble a new cold war. Could the complex supply chains built up over a generation that produce Apple's iPhone and other electronics soon be untangled? In this episode Kathrin Hille, the FT’s greater China correspondent, and Richard Waters, the FT’s west coast editor, tell the story of how technology supply chains in the US and China became intertwined and the forces that are pulling them apart. Review Clips: CNBC, CSPAN, Washington Post, The Guardian, Reuters, Dallas Morning News, ZDF “Looking for Freedom” WMG (1989) Read more from Kathrin HilleThe great uncoupling: one supply chain for China, one for everywhere else Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no episode of Behind the Money this week. Here is a preview of what we are working on for next week. Review Clips: C-SPAN, CNBC, Dallas Morning News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pandemic docked Carnival’s cruise ships and grounded Bombardier’s planes. But when the companies were in need of cash, one went to the bond market and the other to a direct lender. Robert Smith, FT capital market correspondent and Nikou Asgari, FT corporate finance reporter, tell the story of the billion dollar private debt deals shaping who has the capital to weather the crisis. Review Clips: CNBC, Reuters, ABC NewsRead more from Nikou, Rob and the rest of the corporate finance teamCovid-linked debt rush ignites direct lending marketAsset managers in $300bn drive to build private lending funds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The market volatility of the past few months has been a boon for the trading divisions of many Wall Street banks, including Morgan Stanley. Laura Noonan, the FT’s US banking editor, explains how success in trading, and a focus on wealth management has positioned Morgan Stanley to make gains during the pandemic - and whether this trend is likely to last. --Review clips: CNBC, PBS, Federal ReserveRead more on Laura’s Noonan reporting on Morgan Stanley - https://www.ft.com/content/22d7c870-870d-4423-bd6f-6e384961f997Find out what the latest polls say about U.S. voter sentiment towards the economy with FT Washington correspondent Lauren Fedor, Peter Spiegel, the FT’s US managing editor and Michael Peterson of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. The event takes place Monday, October 26 at 12 pm ET. Register here - https://nerpreelectioneconomy.live.ft.com/?segmentId=8f3615ce-4cbc-7122-a54d-8ed636f79675 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast discusses the ambitious acquisition strategy of Bernard Arnault and the challenges faced in the LVMH-Tiffany deal due to the pandemic. It explores the legal battle and implications for future M&A engagements.

While reporting on the coronavirus crisis in northern Italy this year, Rome correspondent Miles Johnson discovered an equally concerning story in the country’s south. Italy’s most powerful organised crime group, the ‘Ndrangheta, had infiltrated local hospitals and packaged millions of plundered euros into global investment funds and portfolios. In the first episode of Behind the Money’s fourth season, Miles follows the money trail in a cautionary tale for the era of ultra-low interest rates. Read Miles’ full investigation here: https://www.ft.com/content/8850581c-176e-4c5c-8b38-debb26b35c14. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes will be released weekly starting Wednesday October 7. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.