Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

On today's podcast:
1) A leading candidate to replace Jay Powell as Fed Chair sees a quarter point rate cut in September. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller called for lower interest rates, saying he would support a reduction in September. Waller anticipates additional cuts over the next three to six months, with the pace driven by incoming data. Waller said the chances of an undesirable weakening in the labor market have increased, and proper risk management means the FOMC should be cutting the policy rate now.
2) President Trump's bid to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook is headed for a showdown in court. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte sent a new criminal referral against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook is seeking to block President Trump's move to fire her, filing a lawsuit that labels the president's bid to oust her as “illegal” and casting it as a bid to seize control of the Fed.
3) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. names his top deputy to replace the fired head of the CDC. The Trump administration is tapping Jim O'Neill as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The move follows the firing of Susan Monarez, who was ousted after a confrontation with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy. Kennedy said in a message to CDC staff that he and President Trump are aligned on a vision for the CDC to strengthen the public health infrastructure by returning to its core mission.

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On today's podcast:
1) Nvidia shares drop after the chip giant signals a slowdown in A-I spending. Meanwhile, markets shrug off the Nvidia disappointment and trade near record highs. Stocks shook off an initial drag from Nvidia Corp.’s sales outlook missing lofty expectations, indicating that momentum behind the record-breaking rally remains intact. The yield on 30-year Treasuries fell four basis points to 4.89% as pressure on long-dated debt eased, and European bonds staged a broad advance.
2) US companies plan to buy back shares at a historic pace, a sign of Corporate America’s confidence in the economy. Announced buybacks surpassed $1 trillion on Aug. 20, marking the shortest amount of time needed to reach that level, according to data compiled by Birinyi Associates.
3) The head of the CDC is fired in a dispute over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine policy. The Trump administration fired CDC Director Susan Monarez just weeks into her tenure, and at least three senior CDC leaders, including Demetre Daskalakis, Deb Houry, and Dan Jernigan, told coworkers they were resigning, citing reasons such as the "weaponizing of public health." The removal of Monarez and the resignations of senior leaders have intensified concerns about scientific integrity at the public health agency and underscore the growing distrust between many longtime agency scientists and Secretary Kennedy.

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Nvidia, the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, gave a tepid revenue forecast for the current period, fueling concerns that a massive run-up in artificial intelligence spending is slowing. Sales will be roughly $54 billion in the fiscal third quarter, which runs through October, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Though that was in line with the average Wall Street estimate, some analysts had projected more than $60 billion. The forecast excluded data center revenue from China, a market where it has struggled with US export restrictions and opposing pressure from Beijing.

The outlook adds to concern that pace of investment in artificial intelligence systems is unsustainable. The difficulties in China also have clouded Nvidia’s business. Though the Trump administration recently eased curbs on exports of some AI chips to that country, the reprieve hasn’t yet translated into a rebound in revenue.

For instant reaction and analysis, hosts Tim Stenovec and Isabelle Lee speak with:

• Bloomberg Intelligence Global Head of Technology Research Mandeep Singh
• Bloomberg News Big Tech Team Leader Sarah Frier
• Jay Goldberg, Senior Analyst, Semiconductors & Electronics with Seaport Research Partners

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On today's podcast:
1) The Trump administration is reviewing options for exerting more influence over the Federal Reserve’s 12 regional banks that would potentially extend its reach beyond personnel appointments in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter.
2) SpaceX’s Starship rocket launched to space and deployed satellites for the first time before surviving most of its journey to Earth, achieving new technological milestones after a year of fiery setbacks.
3) European stocks gained as investors await Nividia Corp.’s update on the artificial intelligence boom that has powered equity gains this year.

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On today's podcast:
1) President Trump moves to fire Lisa Cook, but the Fed Governor says she's not going anywhere. It follows allegations that she falsified mortgage documents, citing "sufficient cause" to fire her. Cook said Trump has no authority to fire her, and she won't quit, with her lawyer planning to take "whatever actions are needed to prevent" Trump's "illegal action."
2) The president issues a new trade threat against countries with digital services taxes. President Trump threatened to impose fresh tariffs and export restrictions on advanced technology and semiconductors in retaliation against other nations’ digital services taxes. Trump said these taxes "are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology" and give a pass to China's largest tech companies.
3) French stocks fall as the country's Prime Minister calls a confidence vote. F2rench assets are under pressure due to concern the government will fall in a showdown over proposed budget cuts, according to Bloomberg.

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President Donald Trump moved to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her post at the US central bank in the wake of allegations from a White House ally that she falsified documents on mortgage applications.

“The American people must be able to have full confidence in the honesty of the members entrusted with setting policy and overseeing the Federal Reserve,” Trump wrote in a letter sent to Cook on Monday, which he posted on Truth Social. “In light of your deceitful and possibly criminal conduct in a financial matter, they cannot and I do not have such confidence in your integrity.”

Presidents can remove Fed governors from office, but only for cause. Laws that describe “for cause” generally define the term as encompassing three possibilities: inefficiency; neglect of duty; and malfeasance, meaning wrongdoing, in office.

For instant reaction, host Doug Krizner speaks with Enda Curran, Bloomberg global economy reporter. 

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On today's podcast:
1) The Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium was a tense affair, with Chair Jerome Powell signaling an interest-rate cut as soon as the next policy meeting in September, despite clear divisions among policymakers.
2) Traders are breathing easier heading into this week after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated that interest rate cuts are coming. The next test for the stock market will be a read on what’s been driving gains for the past few years: artificial intelligence euphoria.
3) SpaceX delayed a critical test flight of its massive Starship rocket roughly half an hour before liftoff on Sunday, saying it needed to troubleshoot an unspecified problem with its ground systems. 

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

• In the US – a look ahead to personal spending data and earnings from Nvidia.
• In the UK – a look at the upcoming Medef Conference.
• In Asia – a look at the next Bank of Korea decision and the HK IPO market.

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Bloomberg's Tom Keene, Lisa Abramowicz and Michael McKee discuss remarks from Fed Chair Jay Powell following his speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.
They speak with:

• Jim Bullard, Former St. Louis Fed President
• Kate Moore, Citi Wealth CIO
• Rich Clarida, Former Fed Vice Chair
  
  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell carefully opened the door to an interest-rate cut in September, pointing to rising risks for the labor market even as worries over inflation remain.“The stability of the unemployment rate and other labor market measures allows us to proceed carefully as we consider changes to our policy stance,” Powell said in remarks prepared for the Fed’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday. “Nonetheless, with policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance.” 
  Following Powell’s remarks investors boosted bets that the Federal Open Market Committee would cut rates at their Sept. 16-17 meeting.
  
  

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On today's podcast:
1) US stocks are set to extend this week’s string of losses as investors stay risk-averse ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole address, with markets scaling back bets on imminent rate cuts.
2) Meta Platforms Inc. is hiring another key Apple Inc. artificial intelligence executive, even as the social networking company prepares to slow its recruitment, according to people familiar with the matter.
3) Nvidia Corp. has instructed component suppliers including Samsung Electronics Co. and Amkor Technology Inc. to stop production related to the H20 AI chip, the Information reported, citing unidentified sources.

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