Why Elizabeth Warren is worried about SpaceX
FT News Briefing
Forhecz Topher
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 June 2026
⏱️ 12 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
US Senator Elizabeth Warren discusses SpaceX’s initial public offering and what she sees as its potential risk to investors. Plus, traders are betting on AI to underpin the strength of the US dollar, and the FT’s Alice Hancock explains why ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz may take weeks to reach pre-conflict levels.
Mentioned in this podcast:
SpaceX leapfrogs Amazon to become world’s fifth-most valuable company
Shipping groups hit by Middle East conflict-induced fuel shortages
Investors pile into bullish dollar bets as ‘US exceptionalism’ trade returns
Oil falls on US-Iran deal but Hormuz backlog may last weeks
Want to get in touch? Email us at podcasts@ft.com
Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts
The FT News Briefing is produced by Victoria Craig, Sonja Hutson, Saffeya Ahmed, Katya Kumkova, and Fiona Symon. Our editor is Marc Filippino. Our show is mixed by Kelly Garry and Alex Higgins. Additional help from Michela Tindera, Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello, Peter Barber and David da Silva. Our intern is Cole van Miltenburg. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Flo Phillips 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. Today is Wednesday, June 17th. This is your FT News briefing. |
| 0:08.7 | Investors are back in love with the U.S. dollar, and there are concerns that the Strait of Hormuz won't return to its old self anytime soon. |
| 0:16.8 | Plus, a sneak peek of our interview with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's got a lot to say about SpaceX. |
| 0:23.0 | This particular IPO has enough red flags on it that it should stop anyone in just thinking about it. |
| 0:33.5 | I'm Mark Filipino, and here's the news you need to start your day. |
| 0:46.5 | Music I'm Mark Filipino, and here's the news you need to start your day. Investors are flocking back to the U.S. dollar. |
| 0:49.1 | They're betting that the AI boom will keep the American economy strong, |
| 0:52.6 | and that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high. |
| 0:55.8 | Wagers on a stronger dollar rose last week by the most since 2018. That took the green back to its |
| 1:01.0 | highest level in more than a year. The currency began its rise with the start of the Iran war. |
| 1:06.3 | Investors believed that the U.S. was able to handle a jump in oil prices better than other countries. |
| 1:11.4 | And the dollars remained high despite news of a possible end to the conflict. |
| 1:16.2 | Now, we could be seeing a stronger dollar for a while. |
| 1:18.8 | The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates steady during its first meeting with Kevin Warsh's chair. |
| 1:24.7 | As far as interest rates go, the FT put out a poll this week. It found that a majority |
| 1:28.6 | of leading economists say that the Fed will need to raise rates by at least a quarter point by the end of |
| 1:33.3 | the year to combat inflation. |
| 1:41.4 | Last week, SpaceX's initial public offering was the largest in history, and on the morning we're recording this, Tuesday, it briefly passed Microsoft as the fourth largest company by market capitalization. |
| 1:52.5 | All the while, Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, has become the world's first trillionaire thanks to his shares in the AI-to-Rock its business. |
| 1:59.9 | But for some, the SpaceX listing and its |
| 2:02.0 | blockbuster valuation is a reason to worry, not celebrate. In the run-up to the IPO, U.S. Democratic |
| 2:07.1 | Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission asking the |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 15 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
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.