Finance

The ex-spy chief on the risks of Trump’s operation in Venezuela, what the US gets wrong about regime change — and why Putin badly misjudged Ukraine

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world This winter, an essay by an Australian investor called Craig Tindale, with the ugly title “The Return of Matter: Western Democracies’ material impairment”, has caused a frisson in some financial circles — and … Read more

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has restricted the use of its controversial AI image generator Grok to paying subscribers, following a growing outcry over its use to spread sexualised deepfakes of women and children. The … Read more

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Chris Rokos paid himself almost half a billion pounds last year as his macro hedge fund soared in a highly volatile period for markets. Rokos Capital Management paid £477mn in profits to its highest-paid partner … Read more

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Pharmaceuticals sector myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. US pharmaceutical group Merck is in talks to buy Revolution Medicines, a cancer drugmaker with a market capitalisation of more than $20bn in what would be the latest big deal in the red-hot biotechnology sector. … Read more

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Russia used a hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile against Ukraine in an attack on Thursday night, Moscow said, as Kyiv warned of a “grave threat” to the region as a whole. Ukraine’s air force confirmed that … Read more

Trump’s military actions in Venezuela show how US foreign policy has become geared towards securing access to energy and critical minerals

US shale bosses have warned Donald Trump that his mission to seize Venezuela’s oil sector and drive down crude prices will put American output on the chopping block. Trump is set to meet US Big Oil chiefs on Friday, but executives at large independent drillers — who are not on the attendee list — are … Read more

Wall Street banks are positioning themselves to profit from the US ousting of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro, betting regime change could eventually unlock tens of billions of dollars in investment related to energy and infrastructure in the South American nation. Lenders have been talking to consultants and bankers about the funds needed to unlock Venezuela’s … Read more

US president lurched from kidnapping Maduro to criticising private equity firms in a tumultuous start to 2026