Fresh challenge for US Treasuries dominance
FT News Briefing
Forhecz Topher
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2026
⏱️ 12 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
President Donald Trump said Lebanon and Israel had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, the US Treasury’s status as the world’s lowest-cost dollar borrower is facing a fresh challenge, and Netflix’s chair and founder is stepping down. Plus, Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite that has helped it target US military bases across the Middle East during the war, and shares in the world’s biggest chocolate maker aren’t looking so sweet.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Israel and Lebanon agree 10-day ceasefire, Trump says
US’s status as lowest-cost dollar borrower challenged as investors shun Trump risk
Netflix founder Reed Hastings to step down from board
Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US bases
Shares at world’s biggest chocolate maker Barry Callebaut plunge as cocoa prices collapse
Credit: BBC
Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts
Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted by Sonja Hutson, and produced by Saffeya Ahmed, Victoria Craig, and Fiona Symon. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, David da Silva, and Michela Tindera. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Good morning from the Financial Times. |
| 0:05.2 | Today is Friday, April 17th, and this is your FT News briefing. |
| 0:10.1 | There's been progress towards a longer-lasting truce in the Middle East, |
| 0:15.0 | and there's something more appealing to investors than U.S. treasuries right now. |
| 0:20.7 | Plus, an FT exclusive on a Chinese satellite that helped Iran target American bases. |
| 0:27.1 | I'm Sonia Hudson, and here's to a 10-day ceasefire yesterday. |
| 0:50.2 | The two countries started negotiations in Washington earlier this week. |
| 0:53.9 | They were the first direct talks between the neighboring nations in over 40 years. |
| 0:59.9 | But many analysts thought it wouldn't really lead to anything. |
| 1:04.0 | The truce raises hopes that a more lasting peace between Washington and Tehran could be on the way. |
| 1:10.1 | Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has been a |
| 1:12.3 | big sticking point in negotiations. But the U.S. and Iran have not resumed talks yet. Trump |
| 1:19.5 | yesterday said they could restart over the weekend. And it's looking very good that we're going to |
| 1:24.5 | make a deal with Iran. And it's going to be a good deal. It's going to be a deal with no nuclear weapons. |
| 1:31.1 | Trump's comments come as his defense secretary said the Pentagon will restart military |
| 1:36.3 | operations against Iran if they don't agree to a deal. |
| 1:50.3 | Development banks are giving the U.S. Treasury a run for its money. |
| 1:56.9 | The Treasury holds the title of the world's lowest cost dollar borrower, but dollar bonds issued by the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, and others are growing in popularity. |
| 2:02.6 | And that's threatening the Treasury's status. The Trump administration's erratic policymaking |
| 2:08.0 | has made these alternative safe haven assets look a whole lot safer and more appealing. |
| 2:14.4 | I'm joined now by the FTs, Electra Articino, to explain. Hi, Aletra. Hi, Sonia. |
| 2:19.6 | So tell me about these dollar bonds that are issued by SSA institutions, and that stands for |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Forhecz Topher, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Forhecz Topher and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.