Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.   

On today's podcast:   

1) Just days ahead of the Midterm elections, President Trump canceled appearances in Kansas and Iowa and will instead hold "a large number of tele-rallies." The Republican National Committee said the tele-rallies "can reach more voters in the limited time left before polls close." The president has been campaigning nonstop — chiefly in states where Republicans are usually assured of victory — but this year faces robust challenges from Democratic candidates who have taken advantage of voter discontent over rising costs as well as the war in Iran.   

2) Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has suffered the industry’s biggest-ever hack, with $6.3 billion worth of funds affected and $3 billion in crypto frozen. The company will cover all losses and “user funds are safe,” it said, and withdrawals are expected to resume by Sunday as it works with law enforcement and completes a security revamp. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs said North Korea was behind the heist, which it called “the largest crypto theft on record,” and attributed the attack to North Korea’s elite hacking unit, TraderTraitor.   

3) Amazon shares dropped after the company reported greater capital spending than anticipated and the slowest growth in the core e-commerce business in three years. Intel shares also fell after its revenue forecast missed analysts' estimates, hurt by demand for PC processors and supply-chain problems with data center components. Overall, disappointing tech earnings accelerated a rotation out of the tech sector.

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Intel plunged in late trading after its revenue forecast missed analysts’ estimates, hurt by sputtering demand for PC processors and supply-chain problems with its lucrative data center components. The shares plunged in extended trading as much as 17%. The stock had gained 5.6% this year through Thursday’s close.

Meanwhile, Amazon shares dropped after the company reported greater capital spending than anticipated and the slowest growth in the core e-commerce business in three years.

For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with Bloomberg Intelligence senior semiconductor analyst Kunjan Sobhani and Bloomberg Intelligence senior tech analyst Anurag Rana from Schwab IMPACT in Boston.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.   

On today's podcast:   

1) There are five days before the Midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. President Trump was campaigning in Ohio last night, where Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is facing controversy over a political ad that features his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton's, estranged mother. While President Trump rallied Republicans in Ohio, former President Barack Obama hit the campaign trail for Democrats in Atlanta, Georgia. Meanwhile, the Democrat running for Senate in Alaska is facing a controversy. The New York Times is reporting Mary Peltola's team secretly recruited spoiler candidates to peel votes from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, which includes a retired teacher with the same name. Peltola's campaign denies she was involved.   

2) The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history. The Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 on to clinch the franchise's first title.    

3) Flávio Bolsonaro landed in the US after fleeing Brazil, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, and made a statement painting himself as a victim of a "politically motivated witch hunt." Bolsonaro's arrival in the US may add new strains to relations between Brasilia and Washington, and raises questions about his family's future as a force on the Brazilian right. The senator's departure from Brazil also raises questions about whether the Bolsonaro family can retain its leadership of the conservative movement Jair Bolsonaro built over the past decade.

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Alphabet reported quarterly sales and profit in the third quarter that fell short of expectations, a sign that the firm is failing to generate enough return to justify its massive investments in AI. The stock fell in late trading. Google’s parent company said sales, excluding partner payouts, were $111.2 billion for the three months that ended Sept. 30, just below the $111.3 billion that analysts had projected on average. Alphabet reported net income of $2.12 a share, falling far below Wall Street’s estimate of $2.99.

The company’s shares were down as much as 8.5% in after-hours trading.

For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with Bloomberg Tech host Ed Ludlow.

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Bloomberg's Tom Keene, Jon Ferro and Lisa Abramowicz discuss remarks from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh following the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.

Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged and reiterated their commitment to containing inflation without offering a clear signal they might raise rates at their next meeting in December.

But Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, in a press conference that followed the decision, said officials have “made clear our readiness to act as circumstances require, and we have shown our willingness to act.”

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.   

On today's podcast:   

1) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu edged past opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot in the country’s tight election with more than 70% of the votes counted. Netanyahu’s bloc was projected to win 54 seats and Eisenkot’s 47 in the 120-member Knesset, with 19 going to Israeli Arab parties. The outcome of the election is still uncertain, with neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot yet having a clear path toward forming a government.   

2) Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami after fleeing his country following a defeat in its presidential election, O Globo reported. A senior State Department official said the US would grant visas to Flávio and his family, as he faces multiple criminal investigations in Brazil. Flávio Bolsonaro was ordered to surrender his passports to Federal Police but failed to do so, amid concerns he posed a flight risk, according to a police official familiar with the situation.   

3) The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday despite inflation data for September coming in hotter than expected. Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh could face pressure to explain policymakers' rationale for not acting now after they voted unanimously last month to raise rates to address burgeoning inflation. The Fed will release a post-meeting statement and Warsh will hold a press conference to discuss the decision and potentially address concerns about inflation and future rate hikes.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) Israel is holding its first election since the 2023 Hamas attack, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking reelection, saying his military campaigns have improved security. Polls forecast a razor-thin outcome, with neither bloc likely to secure enough votes to claim a parliamentary majority, potentially leading to complex negotiations and a possible second election. The Israeli Arab minority may end up as kingmakers, with the two Israeli Arab parties offering to support a government led by former armed forces chief Gadi Eisenkot, who is leading the opposition against Netanyahu.
2) The US Midterm election for control of Congress is now just seven days away. President Trump was in Mississippi last night urging Republicans to turn out and vote for incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Today, President Trump continues his red state campaign blitz in Texas. He's set to hold rallies this afternoon in Corpus Christi and tonight in Lubbock for Republican Ken Paxton, who's locked in a tight Senate race with Democrat James Talarico. The president has been trying to ease voter concerns about higher fuel costs from the wars in Ukraine and Iran. While in Texas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to join President Trump in Port Arthur to show off a newly-arrived oil tanker with Venezuelan crude. It also comes as the average price Americans are paying for gasoline under President Trump has overtaken the average during the Biden administration.
3) Flávio Bolsonaro abandoned plans to challenge the result of Brazil’s presidential election, while his Liberal Party formally conceded defeat to reelected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Liberal Party recognized the election result in a statement, while criticizing the increase of public spending in the run-up to the vote and its potential impact on the race. Bolsonaro said he would now seek to have Lula’s ticket disqualified, citing what he described as false information and the use of public funds for measures announced in the final weeks of the campaign.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:
1) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s runoff election with 51.8% of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro who received 48.2%. Lula's victory will likely lead to market uncertainty and a potential selloff of assets, as investors had been expecting a Flavio Bolsonaro win to fix the country's fiscal accounts. Early indications pointed to a major rout, with an ETF tracking Brazilian equities in New York sinking 27% in pre-market trading, and a currency derivatives contract showing the real at 5.55 per dollar. Bolsonaro called for the annulment of Brazil’s presidential runoff after losing the election to Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro accused the Supreme Court of changing the rules mid-game when it mandated a last-minute extension of voting hours on Sunday.
2) President Trump said it's "getting to be decision time" on whether he will make a deal with Tehran or resume attacks as Iranian and Houthi threats against Americans continue to grow. The US is reducing diplomatic and military staffing in parts of the Middle East amid growing threats from Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. Iran is preparing to retaliate across the Middle East, including against Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in the event of a fresh US bombing campaign.
3) Democrats are preparing to launch congressional investigations into the administration's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein if they regain power after the midterm elections. Representative Robert Garcia said the Epstein investigation is going to be one of the top priorities, alongside probes into the Trump family's business dealings and allegations of corporate corruption. Any probe would ripple well beyond Washington, with Wall Street and corporate America already bracing for a wave of Democratic investigations, and major banks that had ties to Epstein's financial dealings could be called to testify.

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Kayla faces down her harasser in court. In New Zealand, an investigator summons a global army of hackers.

For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittown

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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve, along with U.S tech earnings.
• In the UK – a look ahead to the UK's annual budget.
• In Asia – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Bank of Japan.

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