China analyst Clifford Coonan talks about the recent deal between the US and China and how much of it is diplomacy vs real economic change. Then retail guru Phil Lempert breaks down why food prices in the US continue climbing. We also hear from Buenos Aires where Argentina’s President Javier Milei is pursuing severe austerity and reform amidst deep economic pain.

Hosts Steven Beardsley and Kassandra Sundt dig into listener questions about the global money landscape, from the rise of AI and the energy demands driving it, to Europe’s struggle to scale tech innovation, and the dilemma facing German automakers against the backdrop of an evolving electric vehicle era.

Quantum computing could revolutionize business as we know it, but does the EU have deep enough pockets to fuel growth? We start off talking to Haim Israel from Bank of America about what he sees as the potential for quantum computing. Then, we talk to the European Investment Bank’s Nadia Calviño about how Europe can keep growing startups within the bloc.

In this week’s Q&A edition, we look at how Ukraine’s economy has been able to function after three and a half years of war. For answers, we turn to DW’s Kyiv Correspondent Rebecca Ritters. Then, listeners wanted to know whether American and Chinese actions are being judged unfairly, DW’s China Analyst, Clifford Coonan, puts the messaging from Beijing in the spotlight.

Beijing tightens export controls on rare earths while Donald Trump threatens additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports. DW's Rick Glauert explains what leverage China can draw upon. Then James Andrew Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies talks about how ransomware is hammering firms and why basic cyber defenses still matter, plus a look at looming quantum threats.

Kassandra and Daniel tackle listener questions in our Q&A edition: how to read markets when official data is delayed, why Germany’s economy keeps stalling, whether Chinese EVs are outpacing German carmakers, and what Ukraine’s drone strikes mean for Russia’s fuel output.

The German auto industry is dragging down the country’s economy, but politicians and individual companies are pointing fingers while claiming to buckle down. Another drag on the German auto sector? US President Trump’s tariffs. But despite “the flood the zone” economic policies from the Trump administration and the government shutdown, gold, bitcoin and the markets are all on a tear.

We answer your questions about the TikTok deal between the US and China, as well as respond to your criticism that we are too harsh on the world’s number two economy. We turned to DW’s East Asia Correspondent for insight on the Chinese economy, and Geopolitical Risk Advisory’s Elizabeth Stephens for more on the TikTok deal.

Parts of the US government have shut down as politicians fight over spending, leaving millions of workers and businesses in limbo. At the same time, Wall Street is buzzing about whether the boom in AI stocks is the start of a new era or just another bubble ready to burst.

We answer your questions about tariffs, trade wars, and tech investing, including why governments use tariffs, how they hurt consumers, and when they might be politically tempting. We also dig into whether AI firms could just "mint" their own crypto to fund themselves, and why Nvidia’s planned $100 billion investment in OpenAI is more than just a headline-grabber.