Big Take

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Latest Episodes:

The Plumber Shortage Clogging Up the US Economy Mar 15, 2024

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The US has a plumber shortage. And as more and more baby boomer plumbers reach retirement, there aren’t enough young people coming in to fill the gap.

On today’s Big Take podcast, we talk to Bloomberg’s US Economy reporter Enda Curran about why there’s a shortage and what it means for America’s infrastructure and economy. Plus – we hear from Chris Biondi, a plumber struggling to clear the way for future generations in the industry.

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The Federal Reserve's Tricky Economic and Political Terrain, Explained Mar 14, 2024

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is trying to navigate a tricky economy – stubborn inflation and persistent fears of a recession. Now, two men hoping for a second term in the White House are drawing the central bank into the political fray.
“We can expect that things are going to get a little spicy,” Bloomberg’s Kate Davidson, who covers the Fed, joins the Big Take DC podcast to talk about the battle to maintain the central bank’s independence in the glare of 2024.

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The Vicuñas and the $9,000 Sweater Mar 13, 2024

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On today’s Big Take podcast, we trace the origin of Loro Piana’s $9,000 vicuña sweaters to the Andes mountains. Bloomberg’s Marcelo Rochabrun joins host Sarah Holder to unspool what it all means for the Indigenous communities that harvest the wool.

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The Big Business of Catastrophe-Betting Mar 12, 2024

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Today on the Big Take podcast, we visit the hedge fund with one of the world’s largest collections of catastrophe bonds, Fermat Capital Management, to see how they place their bets to get record returns. And we hear how the growing industry is helping fill a need in the global insurance market.

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What a Cease-Fire in Gaza Would Look Like Mar 11, 2024

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Israeli and Hamas officials failed to come to a cease-fire agreement before the start of Ramadan this past weekend. That’s adding to the difficulty of getting aid into war-torn Gaza and the dire situation on the ground.
Today on The Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Fares Alghoul and Ethan Bronner report on what a cease-fire would mean and why reaching an agreement has been so challenging.

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How Much Does it Cost to Buy an Oscar? Mar 08, 2024

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When the 96th Academy Awards airs this Sunday, the year’s biggest films will face off to compete for the highest honor in the movie industry.

For a movie studio, winning an Oscar is a big deal — and it’s become big business. Studios spend millions on marketing, screeners and advertising in the lead-up to the Academy’s votes for a race not unlike a political campaign. It wasn’t always this way. On today’s Big Take podcast, author Michael Schulman and Bloomberg entertainment industry reporter Chris Palmeri take us to the sweet, Shakespearean rom-com that started it all and map how it led to the overheated, multimillion dollar ad blitzes we see today.

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91 Felony Counts and a Campaign to Run Mar 07, 2024

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Donald Trump faces four criminal trials amounting to 91 felony counts, and three civil cases. None of this has fazed his base as he runs for election. “If he was in jail, I sure would vote for him,” said Ralph Hunter, a South Carolina resident. He told the Big Take DC podcast that while he doesn’t like Trump “as a person,” he was impressed with his presidency.
Trump’s electability is intact – but his finances are another story. Today on the Big Take DC: How Trump’s legal woes are hitting his wallet and his re-election bid.

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Inside Microsoft’s Censorship of Bing in China Mar 06, 2024

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Microsoft’s Bing is the second most popular search engine in China, a market that Google exited years ago. Today, Bing remains as the only Western search engine accessible there. But success has meant having to make significant compromises on issues such as censorship.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Ryan Gallagher gives us one of the first comprehensive, inside accounts of Bing’s sophisticated censorship system in China, and how it’s centered on an expanding blacklist of websites, words and phrases.

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The Biden-Trump Race is On Mar 06, 2024

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Fifteen states voted in the presidential primary contest on Super Tuesday, marking a decisive point in the election cycle. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign notched a clear victory as he marches down the path to clinching the Republican nomination. For President Joe Biden, between Super Tuesday and his State of the Union on Thursday, it’s officially the beginning of campaign season.
Is Trump’s grip on the GOP’s future solidified? Will Biden be able to rekindle Trump angst to compete with Trump nostalgia?
Host Saleha Mohsin and Bloomberg politics editor Mario Parker talk about the vulnerabilities each candidate faces, and what lies ahead in 2024.

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A New Housing Crisis Is Brewing In Places Prone to Climate Disasters Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

As climate risks grow, some private home insurance providers are retreating from US regions most vulnerable to catastrophe. And homeowners who can’t get coverage through the private market are increasingly turning to insurance “plans of last resort,” created by states.

The amount of liability taken on by these types of insurance plans is staggering, and growing: by some estimates, they’re holding more than $1 trillion of risk.

On today’s Big Take podcast, climate reporter Leslie Kaufman and California reporter Nadia Lopez share an investigation into how skyrocketing enrollment in state-created plans could create the conditions for a financial crisis.

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