Bloomberg Businessweek

The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
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Carol and Tim speak with Dr. Bea Bakshi, co-founder and CEO of C the Signs, an early cancer detection platform that uses AI as part of our weekly women's health segment.
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Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Charles Schwab is likely to launch prediction markets linked to financial events as competitors including Robinhood Markets Inc. expand their presence in the space.Schwab is “taking a hard look” at prediction markets, Chief Executive Officer Rick Wurster said on a conference call Thursday, but would stay away from allowing customers to place wagers on sports or pop culture given the firm’s focus on building clients’ long-term wealth.
“Prediction markets that are not aligned to that are not something we want to pursue,” Wurster said on the call with analysts to discuss first-quarter results.
Retail investors can already access prediction markets via a number of platforms, including Robinhood, Kalshi, Polymarket and Interactive Brokers Group. The majority of event-based wagering centers around sports, which Wurster said Schwab won’t offer.
This episode features:
Schwab CEO Rick Wurster on earnings, prediction markets, financial sector health
Verena Ross, European Securities and Market Authorities Chair
Margi Murphy, Bloomberg News Cyber Reporter on Anthropic's race to assess the dangers of its new AI-model Mythos
Eric Clark, Accuvest Global Advisors CIO and LOGO ETF Portfolio Manager
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There are many different narratives around travel uncertainty and issues, stretching from TSA staffing to storms to the war in Iran and its impact on the airline industry. Many of them are false or at least as it relates to business travel. Navan's agentic-AI tools, which ease the customer experience and can deliver up to 15% median savings on travel budgets, should continue to disrupt legacy providers in the corporate-booking space -- as evidenced by the company turning free-cash-flow positive on the back of 4Q's 42% gross bookings volume growth. Management noted no current impact on the business from the geopolitical environment or TSA disruptions.

Ariel Cohen is CEO at Navan. He discusses the data into the health of the corporate traveler.
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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

US economic activity continued to increase at a slight-to-modest pace across most regions as the war with Iran generated a new wave of uncertainty and higher energy costs, the Federal Reserve said.

Price growth remained moderate overall, but energy and fuel costs rose sharply in all 12 Fed districts, the central bank reported in its Beige Book survey of regional business contacts released Wednesday.

“The conflict in the Middle East was cited as a major source of uncertainty that complicated decision-making around hiring, pricing and capital investment, with many firms adopting a wait-and-see posture,” the Fed said.
The report featured information compiled by the New York Fed and collected through April 6, capturing the early effects of the war on the US economy.The report also noted that price pressures were bleeding beyond energy.

“Energy and fuel costs rose sharply in all districts, attributed to the Middle East conflict, leading to higher freight and shipping costs and higher prices for plastics, fertilizers and other petroleum-based products,” the Fed said. “Input cost pressures beyond energy-related increases were also widespread.”

The oil shock spurred by the conflict has sent gasoline prices in the US to their highest level since 2022, leading US inflation to jump in March. Several Fed policymakers have signaled a preference to keep borrowing costs steady for quite some time while they evaluate the economic data. Officials are expected to leave their benchmark rate unchanged when they meet on April 28-29, according to pricing in futures contracts.

Today's show features:
Michael McKee, Bloomberg TV and Radio International Economics & Policy Correspondent on Fed's Beige Book
Nicola Willis, New Zealand Finance Minister, on how inflation will go 'much higher' if Iran war drags on
John Roberts, analyst at Mizuho, on the global chemicals market
Jennifer Rie, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Antitrust Litigation Analyst on Live Nation Illegally monopolized ticketing market.
Michael Ha, Baird Senior Research Analyst and Avalon Pernell, Bloomberg News Equities Reporter on UnitedHealth’s Last Bear Stands Pat After Medicare Rate Hike
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As credit card companies with lofty fees compete for affluent consumers, the hottest new perks are wearable devices for tracking health, fitness and sleep. After lifting annual dues for their top-tier cards, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and American Express Co. rolled out typical benefits like hotel, dining and travel credits. But there were also more unexpected bonuses: American Express added a $200 credit toward an Oura Health Oy smart ring to the Platinum Card, while Chase included a $359 rebate for Whoop Inc.’s fitness bands for Sapphire Reserve holders. The promotions are generating results, pushing users to sign up for the latest credit cards and join the wearables craze for the first time.

Cam Baker, Bloomberg News Breaking News Editor discusses with Bloomberg's Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.
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