A wave of repression in Venezuela
FT News Briefing
Forhecz Topher
4.4 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 7 January 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Leading asset managers are positioning for a sharp sell-off in US technology stocks, Venezuela’s government has launched a crackdown after the US captured Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration is meeting with executives from US oil majors to discuss its strategy for Venezuela. Plus, the FT’s Joe Leahy explains how US involvement in Venezuela could affect China.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Fund managers prepare for ‘reckoning’ in US tech sector
Venezuela launches wave of repression after US seizure of Nicolás Maduro
US oil tankers sail towards Venezuela as risk of production ‘collapse’ looms
China’s influence in US backyard tested by Nicolás Maduro’s downfall
Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts
Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Fiona Symon, Victoria Craig and Sonja Hutson. Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann and Michael Lello.The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good morning from the Financial Times. |
| 0:04.2 | Today is Wednesday, January 7th, and this is your FT News briefing. |
| 0:08.4 | It's a new year, but concerns about overvalued AI stocks are not going away. |
| 0:14.2 | And the Venezuelan government's crackdown on dissent is widening. |
| 0:18.6 | Plus, China is watching what is happening in South America with great interest. |
| 0:23.9 | Venezuela was one of its staunchest allies in the region. |
| 0:28.0 | And I think it's really more that geopolitical impact that's more important in this case than the |
| 0:33.5 | economic impact. |
| 0:35.2 | I'm Mark Filipino, and here's the news you need to start your day. |
| 0:46.8 | Leading asset managers are preparing for the risk that the AI bubble bursts. |
| 0:51.6 | A bunch of investors told the F.T. |
| 0:53.2 | They're either reducing their positions in |
| 0:55.3 | U.S. tech stocks or betting against them. There are worries that U.S. tech shares have become |
| 1:00.5 | overvalued. For example, the chip giant Nvidia is clocking it at 46 times its earnings. |
| 1:07.5 | People are concerned about the huge investments in AI and its infrastructure without a clear idea on how to actually profit from the technology. |
| 1:21.4 | Things in Venezuela are deteriorating in the days after the U.S. ousted President Nicholas Maduro. |
| 1:27.0 | The Venezuelan government is being temporarily led by Maduro's vice president, and the government's been cracking down on any show of support for the authoritarian leader's removal. Michael Stad is the F.T.'s Latin America editor, and he joins me now. Hi, Michael. Hi, Mark. So, Michael, what is the situation on the ground like now? I'd say there's a sort of tense |
| 1:46.0 | calm, Mark, at the moment in Caracas. It's maybe only half the level of normal activity. |
| 1:51.8 | People are still very frightened to go out and about in their business. They were obviously |
| 1:56.1 | very scared by the US strikes on Saturday night, but they're also scared by the repression that's come afterwards. |
| 2:02.4 | So they're quite uncertain about what's going to come next. |
| 2:05.4 | And then you've got the regime's security forces deployed, some of these gun-toting, motorcycle riding, paramilitaries who are going around, intimidating people. |
... |
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