A crunchy week for chipmakers

A crunchy week for chipmakers

Author: Financial Times February 6, 2026 Duration: 12:55

Amazon’s new AI spending blitz sent shares tumbling, chipmakers got swept up in a wider tech equities sell-off, Sir Keir Starmer has apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US, and American snack companies are lowering prices ahead of the Super Bowl. Plus, can Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi win this weekend’s election on star power alone? 


Mentioned in this podcast:

Amazon stock slumps as it prepares $200bn AI spending blitz

Arm CEO says AI software sell-off is ‘micro-hysteria’

Nvidia AI chip sales to China stalled by US security review

Keir Starmer apologises to victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Food and drink companies suffer as US shopper sentiment sinks

Can Sanae Takaichi govern Japan on star power alone?


Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts 


Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Victoria Craig and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Michael Lello. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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


Start your morning with the essential context for the day ahead. FT News Briefing, directly from the Financial Times newsroom, cuts through the noise to deliver a concise, authoritative overview of the global business and political developments that truly matter. Each episode is a focused, ten-minute digest designed for the time-pressed, offering clarity on complex market movements, geopolitical shifts, and economic policy decisions. You’ll hear the FT’s expert analysis woven into the reporting, providing not just the headlines but the underlying forces at play. This daily podcast serves as an efficient primer, whether you’re commuting or preparing for your first meeting, ensuring you’re informed on the stories that will define conversations in boardrooms and beyond. Released every weekday morning, it’s a reliable filter for the overwhelming flow of information, built on the FT’s legacy of rigorous journalism. Tune in to transform the way you catch up on world events, turning a few minutes into a strategic advantage for your day.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

FT News Briefing
Podcast Episodes
Netanyahu’s rivals try to outdo him over Iran [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:08
Sources tell the FT that Pakistan is positioning itself as the lead mediator trying to broker an end to the US’s and Israel’s war against Iran, and the US ambassador to the EU says the bloc must implement its trade deal…
Strait of Hormuz crisis poses fresh threat to global food, energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:11
The World Food Project warns millions more could be pushed into acute hunger if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Plus, energy executives meet in Houston as war in Iran rages, and China pitches itself as a “harbour of…
The ‘Armageddon scenario’ for gas markets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:34
Investors sounded the alarm on Thursday after a major Qatar gas facility took serious damage, and amateur traders are going wild for five-minute bets. Mentioned in this podcast:‘Armageddon scenario’ for gas markets as Qa…
Federal Reserve holds steady as inflation fears mount [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:58
The US has relaxed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil group Petróleos de Venezuela and the Federal Reserve has stuck with plans to cut rates later this year. Plus, Walmart won patents to give algorithms more sway o…
How Saudi Arabia’s bet on Iran backfired [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:35
The EU wants to make mergers a bit easier, Wall Street banks are offloading $18bn of debt tied to video game maker Electronic Arts, and investors are piling into cash at the fastest rate since the Covid-19 pandemic. Plus…
Iran war tests China’s oil stockpile [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:47
The FT’s Gideon Rachman explains what the Strait of Hormuz’s closure means strategically for Iran, Italy’s UniCredit has launched a €35bn takeover offer for Commerzbank and China’s oil stockpile is put to the test as the…
US shale producers not yet tempted by $100 oil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:18
Donald Trump warned Nato faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz, and though oil prices have breached $100 per barrel, America’s shale producers aren’t celebrating. Plus,…
Artificial intimacy: How to fall in love with AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:02
Introducing Artificial intimacy from Tech Tonic. For the next episodes in this season go to the Tech Tonic feed.Calder Quinn has fallen into a relationship with a chatbot called Sara. She’s kind, emotionally intelligent…
US-Iran war boosts Russian oil revenues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:59
Gulf oil producers have lost billions of dollars in energy revenues since the start of the US-Iran war, but there is one country benefiting: Russia. It is earning as much as $150mn a day in extra budget revenues from its…
Hold on — tech stocks are a safe haven now? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:12
The International Energy Agency has launched the largest release of strategic oil reserves in its history, investors have sought shelter from the turmoil of the war in Iran in US tech stocks and US inflation held steady…