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Taylor Swift Wedding Predictions Are the Hottest New Trade Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

Gamblers on prediction sites like Polymarket and Kalshi are already trying to cash in on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement — betting on everything from their wedding timeline to her next single.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg personal finance reporter Francesca Maglione and wealth reporter Annie Massa to dig into what a high-profile engagement can teach us about the rapidly growing predictions industry, the challenges with regulating it and who’s investing in its future.
An earlier version of this episode included an incorrect reference to an investor in prediction markets.

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Trump Has a Shipbuilding Dream. Can South Korea Make It a Reality? Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

South Korean shipyards are busier than they’ve been in years. Seoul and Washington are working to finalize a new trade deal that will include a $150 billion commitment to help stimulate the US shipbuilding industry.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Weilun Soon about whether the US-South Korea shipbuilding alliance could help President Trump achieve his US shipbuilding dreams, what South Korea stands to gain from the investment – and if it will be enough to disrupt China’s maritime dominance.

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Why Trump Is Trying to Fire Lisa Cook Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

President Donald Trump shared a letter on social media Monday night, addressed to Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook stating he had made the decision to remove her from her position.

It immediately launched a legal fight over the validity of Trump’s move and raised concerns about the future of Fed independence.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg international economics and policy correspondent Michael McKee joins host Sarah Holder to discuss the immediate fallout — and the potential long term ramifications.

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What the End of the De Minimus Trade Loophole Means for Your Shopping Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

This Friday, a big change is coming for the more than 4 million inexpensive packages that enter the US daily from abroad: President Donald Trump is ending the de minimis exemption, a loophole that has allowed cheap goods to pass through customs tariff-free for nearly 90 years.

It’s a blow to millions of online shoppers, small businesses on platforms like Etsy and postal services worldwide — many of which have already paused small-package shipments to the US.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Laura Curtis joins host Sarah Holder to break down the demise of de minimis: Why ending the carve-out for goods deemed too small to matter is actually a big deal for consumers — and what happens next.

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What Powell Said About the Possibility of a September Rate Cut Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

In a speech at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, Fed Chair Jerome Powell left the door open for a possible interest rate cut in September, sending a positive signal to Wall Street that pushed markets higher.

This comes at a unique moment for the US Central Bank, which is under fire for how its handled rate decisions, threats to fire a sitting governor and a public inquiry into its building renovations.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Amara Omeokwe joins host Saleha Mohsin from Jackson Hole to discuss how central bankers and economic policy leaders are navigating the tensions between the White House and the Federal Reserve — and what we learned from Jay Powell’s last speech at Jackson Hole as chairman.

Listen more: Odd Lots: Lots More on What Just Happened With the Fed at Jackson Hole (Podcast)

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Welch’s Fruit Snacks Get a MAHA-Friendly Makeover Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

The Trump Administration wants to “make America healthy again” and one of its top priorities is removing artificial dyes from food. The company behind Welch’s Fruit Snacks has spent the past ten years doing just that.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Will Kubzansky takes us inside the Welch’s Fruit Snacks factory and explores the challenges America’s other food and drink companies could face as they try to meet the MAHA moment and make a similar change under a much faster timeline.

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What Does It Cost to Replace a CEO? Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

From Starbucks and Intel to Petco and Astronomer: top CEOs are getting replaced at record rates. And the costs of these ousters can spiral quickly, dinging a company’s stock price and costing us all in surprising ways in the process.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s management and work reporter Matthew Boyle joins host Sarah Holder to dig into the often murky, always steep cost of a CEO ouster.

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What Could Happen Next in the Russia-Ukraine Peace Process Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

After meeting with President Trump separately, Presidents Putin and Zelenskiy could be headed toward a pivotal face-to-face meeting to begin peace talks. But what each side is willing to give up to end the Russia-Ukraine war remains to be seen.

On today’s Big Take podcast, David Gura sits down with Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Justin Sink and Europe government editor Piotr Skolimowski to discuss Russia and Ukraine’s red lines and the role the US and Europe could play in guaranteeing a ceasefire.

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How The Hunger Crisis in Gaza Unfolded Despite Months of Warnings Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

At this point in the war between Israel and Hamas, it’s difficult to get more than anecdotal evidence out of Gaza. Almost every organization that once provided aid and monitored civilian welfare is no longer allowed in — or has ceased operations. Very few journalists are left there.
But reports of a civilian population facing a hunger crisis are widespread.

To understand the reality on the ground, host David Gura talked to Bloomberg’s Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner, UN reporter Magdalena Del Valle and Gaza reporter Fares Alghoul to understand how a hunger crisis unfolded there despite months of warnings.

How Gaza Descended Into a Hunger Crisis, Explained

Israel Intends to Fully Take Over Gaza Despite Global Isolation

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Hims Wants to Keep Mailing You Copycat GLP-1s. It’s Getting Trickier. Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

When a shortage of brand-name weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy cleared the way for companies like Hims to fill the gap with cheaper, compounded versions, customers came flocking. But in February, the US Food and Drug Administration announced the shortage was over, leaving the company's strategy in flux and some investors worried.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg healthcare reporter Madison Muller track how Hims became the king of copycat weight-loss drugs and what’s next for the company as it fights to hold onto the crown.

Cheap Ozempic Knockoffs Are Suddenly Everywhere. Are They Safe?

The Weight-Loss Drug Boom’s Prescription Problem

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