Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

US President Donald Trump is calling for an emergency wholesale electricity auction that, his administration says, will force technology companies to pay for the new power they need to run massive AI data centers under construction across the country.

The truth is Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., OpenAI and all the other major tech firms behind the AI data center boom are more than happy to shell out for more electricity generation. And they have been.

Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta collectively spend hundreds of billions of dollars on capital investments annually, far exceeding the budgets of the entire utility segment. Data center developers have in fact already said they’d like to buy electricity off the nation’s power grids as opposed to signing contracts directly with power generators. That’s because grid rates can be cheaper, grids are equipped with backup resources and such systems can help stabilize supplies during extreme weather events. Hyperscalers have also been signing contracts to help bring back nuclear or build new nuclear.

Either way, the reality is tech companies have been trying to secure power from every source they can find — both on and off the grids — with data center power demand set to triple by 2035.

Today's show features:
Bloomberg News Senior Editor for Technology & Strategic Industries Michael Shepard on the White House working with a group of Northeastern state governors on an emergency wholesale electricity auction to push technology companies to fund new power plants
Lesley Marks, Chief Investment Officer, Equities at Mackenzie Investments, on where investors should be seeking returns in 2026 and the biggest risks to markets
Maja Vujinovic, CEO of Digital Assets at FG Nexus, on recent volatility in the cryptocurrency sector and key indicators for 2026
David George, Senior Research Analyst at Baird, recaps big bank earnings and looks ahead to another big week for the financial sector

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
US President Donald Trump is calling for an emergency wholesale electricity auction that, his administration says, will force technology companies to pay for the new power they need to run massive AI data centers under construction across the country.
The truth is Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., OpenAI and all the other major tech firms behind the AI data center boom are more than happy to shell out for more electricity generation. And they have been.
Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta collectively spend hundreds of billions of dollars on capital investments annually, far exceeding the budgets of the entire utility segment. Data center developers have in fact already said they&rsquo;d like to buy electricity off the nation&rsquo;s power grids as opposed to signing contracts directly with power generators. That&rsquo;s because grid rates can be cheaper, grids are equipped with backup resources and such systems can help stabilize supplies during extreme weather events. Hyperscalers have also been signing contracts to help bring back nuclear or build new nuclear.
Either way, the reality is tech companies have been trying to secure power from every source they can find &mdash; both on and off the grids &mdash; with data center power demand set to triple by 2035.
Today's show features:
<ul>
<li>Bloomberg News Senior Editor for Technology &amp; Strategic Industries Michael Shepard on the White House working with a group of Northeastern state governors on an emergency wholesale electricity auction to push technology companies to fund new power plants</li>
<li>Lesley Marks, Chief Investment Officer, Equities at Mackenzie Investments, on where investors should be seeking returns in 2026 and the biggest risks to markets</li>
<li>Maja Vujinovic, CEO of Digital Assets at FG Nexus, on recent volatility in the cryptocurrency sector and key indicators for 2026</li>
<li>David George, Senior Research Analyst at Baird, recaps big bank earnings and looks ahead to another big week for the financial sector</li>
</ul>

Listen for reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead. 

Hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec bring you insight on the people, companies and trends shaping today's complex economy.  You can watch and listen to Businessweek LIVE on YouTube, weekdays from 2PM to 5PM ET: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. 

Listen for reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead. Hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec bring you insight on the people, companies and trends shaping today's complex economy.&nbsp; You can watch and listen to Businessweek LIVE on YouTube, weekdays from 2PM to 5PM ET: <a href="http://bit.ly/3vTiACF">http://bit.ly/3vTiACF</a>.&nbsp;

Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec bring together the latest news from the world of business and finance and the interesting stories of global technology, politics, economics and more by harnessing the power of Bloomberg Businessweek reporters and editors.

Bloomberg Businessweek

Trump Wants Tech Giants to Pay for Power. They’d Love To.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/556af610-7650-407e-9e3c-b3d401755245/transcript

The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

A key measure of US inflation was tame at the start of the year. But another metric is shaping up to paint a very different picture.Wednesday’s report on the consumer price index showed core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was mild in both January and February — a pleasant surprise as companies tend to raise prices at the turn of the year. Yet economists expect another gauge, one preferred by the Federal Reserve and set for release on Friday, was probably rather strong in both months.

The fact that the personal consumption expenditures price index has been outpacing the CPI is already unusual. Typically it’s been the other way around, as a higher weighting on housing costs in the CPI tends to keep that measure relatively elevated.
Now the wedge appears to be deepening. Should the core PCE rise 3.1% in the year through January as economists expect, it would exceed the annual core CPI by one of the widest margins in decades.

The divergence began before the Iran war, which has sent oil prices sharply higher and renewed risks of a broader acceleration in inflation. That puts the Fed in a tough spot. While policymakers are broadly expected to leave interest rates unchanged next week, a sustained pickup in price pressures would make it difficult for officials to justify resuming rate cuts in coming months to shore up a fragile labor market.

The PCE price index, a product of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, draws from the CPI for several price categories. In the wake of the latest CPI data, economists were quick to boost their forecast for the February core PCE price index, which is due April 9. Several projected it would rise 0.4% for a second month, with some penciling in a bigger pickup.

Today's show features:
Yelena Shulyatyeva, The Conference Board Senior US Economist, on today's CPI reaction as we count down to next Fed decision
Gerry Doyle, Bloomberg News Global Defense Editor on Iran’s Cheap, Plentiful Weaponry Puts US Military Under Strain
Gary Evans, US Antimony CEO on the company's $27M award from Dept of Defense under the Defense Production Act
Ellen Wald, Transversal Consulting & Atlantic Council Senior Fellow on the latest in the oil markets

The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy. Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: <a href="http://bit.ly/3vTiACF">http://bit.ly/3vTiACF</a>. A key measure of US inflation was tame at the start of the year. But another metric is shaping up to paint a very different picture.Wednesday&rsquo;s report on the consumer price index showed core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was mild in both January and February &mdash; a pleasant surprise as companies tend to raise prices at the turn of the year. Yet economists expect another gauge, one preferred by the Federal Reserve and set for release on Friday, was probably rather strong in both months. The fact that the personal consumption expenditures price index has been outpacing the CPI is already unusual. Typically it&rsquo;s been the other way around, as a higher weighting on housing costs in the CPI tends to keep that measure relatively elevated. Now the wedge appears to be deepening. Should the core PCE rise 3.1% in the year through January as economists expect, it would exceed the annual core CPI by one of the widest margins in decades. The divergence began before the Iran war, which has sent oil prices sharply higher and renewed risks of a broader acceleration in inflation. That puts the Fed in a tough spot. While policymakers are broadly expected to leave interest rates unchanged next week, a sustained pickup in price pressures would make it difficult for officials to justify resuming rate cuts in coming months to shore up a fragile labor market. The PCE price index, a product of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, draws from the CPI for several price categories. In the wake of the latest CPI data, economists were quick to boost their forecast for the February core PCE price index, which is due April 9. Several projected it would rise 0.4% for a second month, with some penciling in a bigger pickup. Today's show features:
<ul>
<li>Yelena Shulyatyeva, The Conference Board Senior US Economist, on today's CPI reaction as we count down to next Fed decision</li>
<li>Gerry Doyle, Bloomberg News Global Defense Editor on Iran&rsquo;s Cheap, Plentiful Weaponry Puts US Military Under Strain</li>
<li>Gary Evans, US Antimony CEO on the company's $27M award from Dept of Defense under the Defense Production Act</li>
<li>Ellen Wald, Transversal Consulting &amp; Atlantic Council Senior Fellow on the latest in the oil markets</li>
</ul>

 Tame CPI Still Spells Trouble for Fed’s Favored Inflation Gauge

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/41493d0f-22cb-4072-9854-b40a01532838/transcript

The son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will become Iran’s next supreme leader, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency announced, taking over after his father was killed in an attack by the US and Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the third person to lead the Islamic Republic and the first example of hereditary succession since the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in the 1979 revolution. Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the country’s next supreme leader in a “decisive vote,” according to Fars. The vote took place hours before the result was made public. Alex Vatanka, Middle East Institute Senior Fellow, joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss Mojtaba Khamenei's ascent and what it means for Iran and global relations.

The son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will become Iran&rsquo;s next supreme leader, Iran&rsquo;s semi-official Fars news agency announced, taking over after his father was killed in an attack by the US and Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the third person to lead the Islamic Republic and the first example of hereditary succession since the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in the 1979 revolution. Iran&rsquo;s Assembly of Experts elected the country&rsquo;s next supreme leader in a &ldquo;decisive vote,&rdquo; according to Fars. The vote took place hours before the result was made public. Alex Vatanka, Middle East Institute Senior Fellow, joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss Mojtaba Khamenei's ascent and what it means for Iran and global relations.

Iran Picks Khamenei’s Son as Next Leader

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8843d218-5f76-432b-a90d-b4090171c9f5/transcript

The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Energy markets whipsawed for a second consecutive day as investors raced to interpret rapidly shifting comments from the Trump administration over the war in Iran.

Oil prices plummeted after Energy Secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted — and then deleted — a message that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, only for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to subsequently concede no such operation had occurred. But, the spokeswoman said, the US military was “drawing up additional options” to address any attempt by Iran to constrain trade through the vital artery.

Later Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump posted his own flurry of messages on social media. First, Trump insisted the US had “no reports” of mines being placed, but then urged Iranian forces to remove any explosives they may have laid.

Next, Trump said the US was “using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers” to target mining ships. Minutes later, the president reported that the US had “hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats” and promised “more to follow.”
Today's show features:
Kevin Gordon, Schwab Head of Macro Research & Strategy as markets digest a flurry of geopolitical headlines
Bloomberg Balance of Power Co-host Joe Mathieu as the White House says the US Navy has not escorted a tanker through the Strait
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News Managing Editor for Global Consumer Tech on Apple's new $599 MacBook Neo
Anurag Rana, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst on Oracle's blockbuster earnings report

The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube:&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/3vTiACF">http://bit.ly/3vTiACF</a>.
Energy markets whipsawed for a second consecutive day as investors raced to interpret rapidly shifting comments from the Trump administration over the war in Iran.
Oil prices plummeted after Energy Secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted &mdash; and then deleted &mdash; a message that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, only for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to subsequently concede no such operation had occurred. But, the spokeswoman said, the US military was &ldquo;drawing up additional options&rdquo; to address any attempt by Iran to constrain trade through the vital artery.
Later Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump posted his own flurry of messages on social media. First, Trump insisted the US had &ldquo;no reports&rdquo; of mines being placed, but then urged Iranian forces to remove any explosives they may have laid.
Next, Trump said the US was &ldquo;using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers&rdquo; to target mining ships. Minutes later, the president reported that the US had &ldquo;hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats&rdquo; and promised &ldquo;more to follow.&rdquo; Today's show features:
<ul>
<li>Kevin Gordon, Schwab Head of Macro Research &amp; Strategy as markets digest a flurry of geopolitical headlines</li>
<li>Bloomberg Balance of Power Co-host Joe Mathieu as the White House says the US Navy has not escorted a tanker through the Strait</li>
<li>Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News Managing Editor for Global Consumer Tech on Apple's new $599 MacBook Neo</li>
<li>Anurag Rana, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst on Oracle's blockbuster earnings report</li>
</ul>

Admin's Mixed Messages on Iran Stoke More Volatility

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ec50702b-708a-4828-a01b-b409016d921a/transcript

Trump Wants Tech Giants to Pay for Power. They’d Love To.

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