Money Talks

Revenues and earnings for Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet have surged past already optimistic expectations, as demand for digital services and gadgets continues to soar. Some analysts believe the earnings boom is ending as the global economy emerges from the worst of the coronavirus crisis. But with billions of dollars being added to their cash reserves, Big Tech appears all set to expand its market even further. Mobin Nasir reports. For more on this, Daniel Ives joined us from New York. He's managing director at Wedbush Securities.

#TechStocks #Apple #Microsoft #Alphabet

Film and television production came to a halt last year in the early months of the pandemic but is now making a comeback, particularly around New York City and parts of New Jersey. As demand for original streaming content surges, the region's indoor movie sets and green screens are filling up. Kyoko Gasha paid a visit to a new soundstage in New Jersey to find out what's driving this production boom.

#NewYork #FilmIndustry #IndoorStudios

BioNTech aims to develop a more effective vaccine against malaria, one of the world's deadliest diseases. Nearly 230 million people are infected with the mosquito-borne parasite each year. The German firm is now seeking to follow up its successful COVID-19 vaccine, with a malaria jab based on the same messenger RNA technology. If successful, the shot could significantly reduce the mortality rate of the disease. Sibel Karkus has more.

#Malaria #BioNTech #mRNA

Sales of Tesla's electric cars bolted past market expectations in the second quarter as the company delivered more than 200,000 vehicles between April and June. That's helped its quarterly net profits surge beyond $1 billion for the first time. The company says it's on track to boost annual revenues by 50 percent this year. But the global microchip shortage could slam the brakes on some of the company's products. For more on this, Jim Holder joined us from London. He's editorial director of Autocar and WhatCar?

#Tesla #ChipShortage #Cybertruck

The International Monetary Fund says the global economy is recovering at an uneven pace, with the gap between rich and poor countries expected to widen this year. The lender says it's a result of rising coronavirus infections from the Delta variant and inadequate vaccine access. And that could slow the global economic recovery in 2022. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF says it expects global GDP to grow by 6 percent this year, unchanged from its April forecast. While next year's expansion will be slower at 4.9 percent. The fund says advanced economies are leading the recovery with the US and the UK both likely to grow by 7 percent. That's because they and other wealthy economies have had efficient COVID-19 vaccine roll-outs, and better fiscal support programmes. But the IMF has cut its growth forecast for emerging markets, where vaccine distribution has been slow. It says only 11 percent of people in developing countries are fully vaccinated. Many countries, including India, Indonesia, Brazil and Thailand, are also struggling to contain the the Delta variant.

#IMF #GlobalEconomicOutlook #Pandemic

We start in Vatican City, where the trial of a former senior leader of the Catholic Church for financial crimes has begun. Proceedings will be held in the Vatican Museums after a two-year investigation over a botched London property deal that led to millions of dollars in losses. It's part of Pope Francis' crackdown on corruption, and pledge to make the institution's historically opaque finances more transparent. Paolo Montecillo reports. Alessandro Speciale is Bloomberg News bureau chief in Rome and a former Vatican correspondent. He tells us about the significance of the trial, and what it means for Pope Francis's efforts to clean-up the Vatican's finances.

#Vatican #CorruptionCharges #CatholicChurch

In the doldrums since May, cryptocurrency prices have started this week with a surge. Bitcoin rallied beyond $39,000 on Sunday, its highest level in four weeks. As Mobin Nasir reports, investors are being encouraged by reports of rising acceptance for cryptocurrencies among some of the world's biggest companies. For more on this, Gareth Cleverly joined us from Oxford. He is a digital asset expert at Dacxi, which is a crypto exchange and wealth platform.

#Cryptocurrency #MarketAdoption #Bitcoin

The Olympics are under way after a rather subdued opening. Television ratings are down and the host nation Japan is taking a financial hit from the absence of spectators. But the Tokyo Games are still managing to produce some big winners. We spoke to Seijiro Takeshita in Shizuoka, Japan. He's a professor of management and information at the University of Shizuoka.

#Olympics #Japan #CoronavirusPandemic

Tunisia's president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament after violent protests broke out on Sunday. Although the move appears swift, President Kais Saied had warned of such action after more than a year of political disputes. The North African nation is grappling with an economic crisis, exacerbated by a failure to contain the coronavirus pandemic. As Liz Maddock reports, this is the biggest challenge Tunisia's young constitution has faced. Tarek Cherkaoui is Manager at TRT World's Research Centre and says leaders are exploiting economic struggles on the ground to do away with democracy in the country.

#TunisiaProtests #Democracy #TunisiaEconomy

Despite coronavirus restrictions being in place for the second Hajj in a row, Saudi authorities have made innovations they say will make the pilgrimage to Mecca easier. TRT World's Sara Firth reports on how Hajj is going hi-tech.

#SuadiArabia #Pilgrims #Hajj