Bloomberg Businessweek

Carlsmed is a commercial-stage medical technology company pioneering AI-enabled personalized spine surgery solutions with a mission to improve outcomes and decrease the cost of healthcare for spine surgery and beyond. They are focused on becoming the standard of care for spine fusion surgery. They've been using technology and AI-enabled 3D surgical planning and implants personalized for each patient.

Mike Cordonnier is the co-founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Carlsmed, he also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on the company's earnings and commercial & growth strategy.

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US employers unexpectedly cut jobs in February and the unemployment rate rose, raising doubts about the health of the labor market. Nonfarm payrolls decreased 92,000 last month after a strong start to the year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Friday. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.4%. The decline in payrolls partly reflected a decrease in health care employment due to strike activity.

Bloomberg Surveillance broke the numbers and got instant reaction from:

• Claudia Sahm, Chief Economist at New Century Advisors
• Nadia Lovell, Head of Global Equity Strategy at UBS Global Wealth Management
• Jennifer Lee, Senior Economist at BMO Capital Markets

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Women who go on to develop postpartum depression (PPD) may have characteristic levels of neuroactive steroids, molecules derived from the hormone progesterone, in their blood during the third trimester of pregnancy, according to a new study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. These molecules influence the brain’s stress response and emotional regulation.

Dr. Lauren Osborne is Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of OBGYN at Weill Cornell Medicine and she discusses how postpartum depression affects many families, how common is it, and why has it historically been underdiagnosed or overlooked.

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

President Donald Trump’s war with Iran threatens to deal a severe blow to a global economy still grappling with the impact of his historic tariff hike.

For Europe, sustained higher energy prices would take the economy to the brink of recession. For the US, they would place the Federal Reserve in an impossible position — stuck between a war that pushes inflation higher and a president demanding that interest rates come down. For China, the end of discounted Iranian oil imports adds to strain from Trump’s tariffs and a real estate collapse.
In the first days of the fighting, the intensity is high and the endgame uncertain. Bloomberg Economics has modeled scenarios for what lies ahead, and what they mean for oil prices, major economies, and the future of Iran.It is, of course, possible that Washington and Tehran find an off-ramp, oil settles back at its pre-escalation average of $65 a barrel, and the global economy dodges a blow.

The latest signs, though, suggest there’s worse to come. Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery is closed. Qatar has shuttered the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas facility. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively paralyzed. Oil and gas prices have already rocketed higher. Stocks have taken a hit. Treasury yields have risen as traders curb bets on Fed cuts.

In a severe scenario, Bloomberg Economics assumes that with Trump warning of a “big wave” of attacks, Israel aiming at the fall of the Islamic Republic and Tehran betting it can outlast its adversaries, the fighting grinds on. Intensified Iranian strikes set refineries and ports ablaze or knock out pipelines, bringing energy production to a halt.
Today's show features:

• Jennifer Welsh, Bloomberg Economic Chief Geoeconomics Analyst, on Iran War Oil Shock Threatened to Unleash Wave of Global Inflation
• Jeff Mason, Bloomberg News White House Correspondent on Trump Replacing Kristi Noem as Homeland Chief After Rocky Tenure
• Bloomberg News Chief Correspondent for Private Capital Davide Scigliuzzo on latest developments in private credit
• Drive to the Close with David Busch, CEO and CIO of Trajan Wealth

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A few weeks ago, traders on the two major prediction market platforms, Kalshi and Polymarket, were furiously debating whether Cardi B’s dancing onstage at the Super Bowl constituted a “performance.” Now the sites’ traders—and some outside observers—are up in arms over the markets that allowed users to bet on Iran’s future. Another day, another moral, legal and philosophical minefield for these businesses.

Chris Beam, Bloomberg Businessweek Contributor writes how the Iran-related controversies generated by Kalshi and Polymarket say a lot about how the two companies are positioning themselves in the sector, as well as in the debates over what role prediction markets should play in our society. Chris speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.
Sebastian Escobar

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Traders were on Wednesday awaiting further details of President Donald Trump’s plan to guarantee the free flow of energy shipments through the Persian Gulf, as the shipping industry warned the proposal may struggle to restore confidence after attacks effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz.

The disruption threatens to sever seaborne energy trade between some of the world’s largest producers and key consuming nations, heightening risks for global markets. Brent crude was little changed after jumping more than 10% this week, while European gas prices slipped following the biggest rally in four years.

Trump said Tuesday the US would offer insurance backstops and naval escorts for commercial vessels transiting the region, seeking to reassure markets rattled by a spiraling conflict involving Iran. Multiple attacks on vessels in recent days have choked off traffic through the narrow waterway.
The world’s largest shipping industry association said it was seeking clarification on how the US-led convoy system would operate, warning that protecting every tanker in the region would be “unrealistic.” Officials at two major commodity trading houses said they doubted the measures would materially reduce the danger of attack, even with military escorts in place.

“Nothing is sure and we need immediate clarity,” said Khalid Hashim, managing director of Precious Shipping Pcl, a Thai firm that owns bulk carriers. “Lives are at risk, cargoes are at risk, ships are at risk. We need immediate cover that protects us from all this,” he said.

Today's show features:

• Bloomberg News National Security Team Leader Nick Wadhams on whether Iran is seeking an onramp to the ongoing war
• Steve Moore, Co-Founder of Unleash Prosperity and a former Trump Economic Advisor, on the US economic and monetary policy outlook
• Bloomberg News Consumer Tech Reporter Samantha Kelly on Apple’s latest product launch event and new low-priced laptop
• Bloomberg News Economic Editor Molly Smith with instant reaction to the latest Federal Reserve Beige Book release

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MongoDB shares tumbled 22% Tuesday after the database software company gave weaker-than-expected forecasts for full-year revenue and first-quarter adjusted earnings. The figures are reviving concern about expansion amid an intensifying product race and signaling rising competitive intensity and slower expansion of customer wallets, according to research from Bloomberg Intelligence. MongoDB's 2027 revenue guidance implies a roughly 600-bp deceleration vs. 2026, while the operating-income view trails consensus. 
 
Chirantan “CJ” Desai is the President and Chief Executive Officer of MongoDB, a position he assumed in November. He discusses the company’s latest earnings report and the impact of artificial intelligence as he looks to allay investor fears following the stock price's biggest drop since last March. CJ speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

A selloff in stocks and bonds was trimmed as assurances on American action to secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war pared what had been an over 9% surge in oil.

Following an earlier slide in the S&P 500 that reached 2.5%, the equity benchmark dropped less than 1%. President Donald Trump said the US will escort and insure tankers and other vessels through the world’s most-critical energy chokepoint. Oil prices waned in post-settlement trading, with Brent trading near $80 a barrel.

The war in the Middle East reverberated across the region, with Israel bombarding Tehran in a fresh wave of strikes. The Islamic Republic fired missiles at Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, with Doha saying targets weren’t limited to military interests. Qatar and Iraq halted production at major energy sites.

With the conflict disrupting shipments, fuel costs have been on the rise. A sustained surge in prices for diesel — used in freight, power and heating — could add to the cost of transportation — a key inflation component. Gasoline has also surged, intensifying those risks.

Today's show features:

• Connor Teskey, CEO of Brookfield Asset Management, on the company’s expansion in infrastructure and transition investing
• Lynn Martin, President of the New York Stock Exchange, on the IPO pipeline, issuer readiness, and broader market valuation
• John Rogers, Founder and CEO of Ariel Investments, on value investing strategies and the debate over US exceptionalism vs. market concentration risk
• Alex Rodriguez, Chairman & CEO of A-Rod Corp, on sports as an institutional asset and rising valuations, as well as the latest season of The Deal

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Money manager Danny Moses, immortalized in The Big Short, said last week that private credit and private equity firms’ push into retail products reminds him of the years preceding the subprime mortgage crisis. The comments, made during a panel at the iConnections Global Alts conference in Miami Beach, Florida, came as business development companies — funds that pool direct loans — face a surge in redemptions amid growing concerns over lending standards. Private capital firms have begun to more aggressively court individual investors in recent years, fueling worries that a wave of withdrawals from mom-and-pop savers could strain a market built on hard-to-sell assets.

Moses, the Founder of Moses Ventures, LLC, expands on his credit market commentary and delves into the business of prediction markets, while also reacting to expansive remarks from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon about the investing environment amid renewed military conflict in the Middle East. Danny speaks with Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec and Bloomberg News Equities Reporter Alexandra Semenova on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Oil surged as the Iran war threatened to snarl shipping lanes, stoking inflation fears that pummeled bonds amid diminishing odds for a rate cut. The dollar rose. Stocks erased losses.
Also weighing on Treasuries were figures showing manufacturing expanded, with input prices jumping. Ten-year yields headed toward their biggest advance since April. The S&P 500 was little changed after a slide that earlier topped 1%. Energy and defense shares gained. Several tech firms with solid balance sheets rallied. Airlines sank. Gold topped $5,300.

The near halt to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and disruption at a big refinery in Saudi Arabia underscored the threat to oil supplies. West Texas Intermediate jumped 6.3% to settle at $71.23. European natural gas prices soared as Qatar shut the world’s largest LNG export plant.

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran reverberated across the Middle East, President Donald Trump called on the nation’s leaders to capitulate, while the Islamic Republic’s security chief ruled out negotiations. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected the idea of an “endless” war.

Today's show features:

• Michael Contopoulos, Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Richard Bernstein Advisors, on the equity and fixed income market reaction to the latest armed conflict in the Middle East
• Mona Yacoubian, Director and Senior Adviser, Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, on the major Middle East escalation as the US and Israel battle against Iran and its proxies
• Marcelo P. Lima, Founder and Managing Partner at Heller House, on the threat of AI to fintech jobs following Block’s 40% staff reduction
• Cole Smead, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of Smead Capital Management, on the energy market reaction to the military action across the Middle East

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