Business

The US Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates by a quarter percentage point, bringing its benchmark rate to a range of 4.00 to 4.25 percent. All but one of the 12 members of the monetary policy committee voted in favor of the decision, with the sole dissent coming from newly appointed governor Stephen Miran, a trusted ally of President Trump. And, Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has quit the company, accusing its parent firm, Unilever, of silencing the brand’s social activism.

On Wednesday, the US central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percent amid growing concerns about job creation in the country. In this edition, we’ll explore the challenging political context behind this decision and examine its potential impact on a US housing market that many find unaffordable. Also in today’s show, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveils new AI-powered smart glasses.

As US President Donald Trump makes his unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom, we take a look at the economic stakes at play. While finalising and improving the trade deal reached between the two countries back in May is on the agenda, the visit has so far mostly led to a host of investment pledges from US tech firms like OpenAI, Microsoft and Nvidia. The Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping these investments will boost the UK's sluggish economic growth.

One year after releasing a far-reaching report on European competitiveness, former ECB chief Mario Draghi has warned the EU is falling further behind its peers and sharply criticised member states for their slow response and complacency. With US President Donald Trump's tariffs biting and the bloc's trade deficit with China widening, Draghi says that every challenge he had pointed out in his report has worsened, with no clear path to financing the necessary investments. 

A US court has ruled that Federal Reserve board governor Lisa Cook can stay in her job in spite of the president's attempts to fire her, meaning she should be able to attend the central bank's September meeting. Meanwhile, Trump appointee Stephen Miran has been confirmed by the Senate to fill a vacant seat on the board. Investors are predicting the Fed will cut interest rates by 0.25 basis points on Wednesday. Also in this edition, we report on how protests in Nepal could threaten the country's vital tourism sector.

The United States and China have reached a framework deal for the ownership of TikTok, following the latest round of trade talks held in Madrid. It's unclear what the final deal will look like, but US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says it involves switching the app to US-controlled ownership. The deal is set to be finalised by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Friday. This comes on the same day that China accused US chip giant Nvidia of violating the country's antimonopoly laws. 

France faces a series of credit rating tests, with political chaos raising the risk of a downgrade. Also, US consumer prices rise at annual rate of 2.9 percent in August. Plus, the surge in Oracle's share price adds fuel to the AI boom debate.

Larry Ellison, the 81-year-old co-founder of US business software company Oracle, briefly became the world's richest man on Wednesday after shares in Oracle surged over 40 percent. The company is predicting that its cloud infrastructure business will grow from $10 billion to $144 billion by 2030, thanks to AI-driven demand for its services. Also in this edition: Cuba suffers another island-wide blackout – the fifth in the past year.

Protests gripped France nationwide on Wednesday as the newly appointed prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, assumed office. Protesters demonstrated their anger at potentially massive spending cuts, as opposition lawmakers defended their counter-proposals to tackle France's debt and deficit. So what's in their plans? Plus, Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk announces a plan to cut 9,000 jobs as the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic struggles to turn its fortunes around. 

As grassroots "Block Everything" protests take place all across France, we examine the economic conditions that are partly fuelling the discontent. While the country has seen steady wage growth over the past 30 years, job insecurity is on the rise and the poverty rate has hit a new record: 15.4 percent of the population of mainland France. Also in this edition: the immigration raid against a Hyundai plant in Georgia is ringing alarm bells among foreign businesses looking to invest in the US.