Behind the Money

This week, we’re revisiting an episode from last November, about a Wall Street saga that lost shareholders more than $10bn. In 2007, when Dan Och took his hedge fund public, he was making a bet that his company would stand the test of time. More than 15 years, a bribery scandal, and a feud with his protégé later, the FT’s Ortenca Aliaj and Sujeet Indap explain how things did not work out as planned.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Sculptor Capital: grey areas cause grey hairs in messy bidding war Fight over Sculptor hedge fund sale entwined in Daniel Och’s tax affairs Sale of Sculptor Capital on cusp of approval after hedge fund brawl - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Ortenca Aliaj (@OrtencaAl), Sujeet Indap (@sindap) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.  Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 mins

Episode description:  Audit firms are supposed to put a company’s books under the microscope. But these days, regulators are finding an increasing number of flaws in the audits that they inspect. The FT’s US accounting editor Stephen Foley explains what’s going wrong, and how regulators around the world plan to fix these shortcomings.  Clips from CNN, NBC News  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Why don’t auditors find fraud? Auditors failed to raise alarm before 75% of UK corporate collapses Big Four firms rethink governance after year of mis-steps and scandals  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Stephen Foley (@stephenfoley) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 mins

Introducing Power for Sale, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. In Untold: Power for Sale, host Valentina Pop and a team of FT correspondents from all over Europe investigate what happened in the Qatargate scandal, where EU lawmakers were accused of accepting payments from Qatar to whitewash its image. Subscribe and listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 mins

Late last year, Warren Buffett’s close business confidant Charlie Munger died at 99. Munger’s death and Buffett’s upcoming 94th birthday have renewed questions about the future of Berkshire Hathaway. What will the empire he’s built look like after he’s no longer at the helm?  Behind the Money and the FT’s senior corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt travel to Omaha, Nebraska for Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting, to get a better sense of how the next generation will lead America’s “last great” conglomerate.    Clips from CNBC - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Berkshire after Buffett: is Greg Abel up to the top job? Berkshire after Buffett: prized energy business faces upheaval Berkshire after Buffett: the risk ‘genius’ pulling the insurance strings Berkshire after Buffett: can any stockpicker follow the Oracle? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Eric Platt (@ericgplatt) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 mins

In a new season of Tech Tonic, longtime FT China reporter Jame Kynge travels around the world to see how China is pushing towards tech supremacy. Will China be able to get an edge in crucial technological areas? What does China’s attempt to leapfrog the west look like on the ground? A 6-part series looking at China’s tech industry. Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 mins

Three years ago, chaos struck Wall Street. Companies saw their share prices tumble, seemingly out of nowhere. Major banks lost billions of dollars in the fallout. Eventually, that chaos was linked to a family office, Archegos Capital Management, and its founder Bill Hwang.  This week, Hwang heads to trial in New York, where he faces charges including racketeering, and securities and wire fraud. The FT’s US legal correspondent Joe Miller examines the “novel” case prosecutors plan to pursue.   Clips from CNBC, Fox Business - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: ‘To what end?’: the murky question of Bill Hwang’s motive in Archegos trial Archegos founder’s charity was financial ‘escape pod’, suit alleges Hedge funds and brokers take aim at post-Archegos trading reforms - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Joe Miller (@JoeMillerJr) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 mins

For decades, countries in the Middle East have dominated the oil market, pumping large quantities of the world’s supply. Along with that has come a pattern: when there’s conflict in the region, oil prices rise. The pattern seems to be breaking though, mainly because of one thing: US shale. The FT’s Myles McCormick explains how production in the country shifted oil’s epicentre away from the Middle East, and how long that may last.  Clips from Al Jazeera, CBS, CNN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: How US shale keeps sheltering America from the next oil price surge On markets and geopolitics, it is a mistake to forget about shale Why oil prices remain steady even as Middle East tensions escalate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Myles McCormick (@mylesmccormick_) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.  Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 mins

When a company is sold there tends to be a standard playbook: There’s some tough negotiations. Then, the buyer gets a business and the seller gets a check. Everyone’s happy. That’s not what happened when a private equity firm recently bought a California grocery store chain. The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap explains how the deal went off the rails, and how the supermarket’s owners might end up paying millions of dollars to sell their company.  Clip from KCRA  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: The inequity method of accounting Opposition shadows Cerberus windfall from Albertsons supermarket deal  The pool is closed, part 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Sujeet Indap (@sindap) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 mins

A few years ago, four men went on a hunting trip to Wyoming. That trip would end up changing their lives — and possibly, the future of the public’s access to millions of acres of land in America's western states. The FT’s Oliver Roeder expands on the saga that’s played out since 2021 inside courtrooms and within thousands of pages of legal documents.   Clips from KGWN, Ludlow Music and The Richmond Organisation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Battle for the American West Seven states, 3,000 miles: a trip across the US energy divide Wyoming’s Carbon Valley aims to turn ‘coal into gold’ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Oliver Roeder (@ollie) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 mins

Introducing Money Clinic’s Five Minute Investor, a miniseries hosted by Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor. In each episode, Claer challenges top financial commentators to break down financial jargon in just five minutes, making you a smarter, and hopefully richer, investor. Tune in every Tuesday, and subscribe to Money Clinic wherever you get your podcasts. If you would like Claer to demystify an investment term, email the team at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 mins

WeightWatchers is struggling. Launched in the early 1960s, the brand grew by helping members shed pounds through behavioural change programmes. Then, GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs hit the market, long-time spokesperson and board member Oprah Winfrey announced her departure, and the company’s credit rating was downgraded. FT reporter Anna Mutoh examines whether WeightWatchers’ latest strategy can produce the turnaround investors are hoping for.   Clip from Lionsgate Television - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: WeightWatchers faces an era when weight loss comes in a syringe Behold the Ozempic effect on business  The race to develop the next generation of weight-loss drugs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Anna Mutoh (@anna_mutoh) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.  Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 mins