Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:
1) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s runoff election with 51.8% of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro who received 48.2%. Lula's victory will likely lead to market uncertainty and a potential selloff of assets, as investors had been expecting a Flavio Bolsonaro win to fix the country's fiscal accounts. Early indications pointed to a major rout, with an ETF tracking Brazilian equities in New York sinking 27% in pre-market trading, and a currency derivatives contract showing the real at 5.55 per dollar. Bolsonaro called for the annulment of Brazil’s presidential runoff after losing the election to Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro accused the Supreme Court of changing the rules mid-game when it mandated a last-minute extension of voting hours on Sunday.
2) President Trump said it's "getting to be decision time" on whether he will make a deal with Tehran or resume attacks as Iranian and Houthi threats against Americans continue to grow. The US is reducing diplomatic and military staffing in parts of the Middle East amid growing threats from Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. Iran is preparing to retaliate across the Middle East, including against Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in the event of a fresh US bombing campaign.
3) Democrats are preparing to launch congressional investigations into the administration's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein if they regain power after the midterm elections. Representative Robert Garcia said the Epstein investigation is going to be one of the top priorities, alongside probes into the Trump family's business dealings and allegations of corporate corruption. Any probe would ripple well beyond Washington, with Wall Street and corporate America already bracing for a wave of Democratic investigations, and major banks that had ties to Epstein's financial dealings could be called to testify.
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Kayla faces down her harasser in court. In New Zealand, an investigator summons a global army of hackers.
For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittown
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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.
In the US – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve, along with U.S tech earnings.
In the UK – a look ahead to the UK's annual budget.
In Asia – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Bank of Japan.
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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Trump traveled to Iowa on Thursday to boost Ashley Hinson, the Republican Senate candidate locked in a tight race with Democrat Josh Turek. Trump’s visit is the first of two he is expected to make to the state before Election Day on November 3rd. After reliably voting Republican for the past decade, Iowa has become competitive territory once again thanks to high fertilizer and fuel costs wrought by Trump’s war on Iran and shrinking export markets for farmers due to his tariffs.
2) With a fresh infusion of cash to his super political action committee in the first two weeks of October, Elon Musk has now given more than $445 million in the current election cycle and become one of the biggest-ever contributors to such groups. The world’s richest person put $77 million into America PAC, Federal Election Commission filings show, in an effort to elect Republicans in November midterm contests.
3) Stocks steadied at the start of the European session, offering global investors some respite after a rout in the artificial intelligence trade, while further gains in oil prices kept sentiment cautious. Meantime, a gauge of the inverse relationship between US government bonds and AI-focused stocks has strengthened to levels last seen a year ago. It’s a sign the deepening tech selloff is sending investors back into bonds for safety, reviving a haven role that had faded as inflation worries and higher interest rates weighed on Treasuries.
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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Trump returned to South Carolina on Wednesday to bolster Darline Graham, whose campaign for a 6-year US Senate term representing the conservative state has become unexpectedly tight ahead of US midterm elections on November 3rd. Elsewhere, final debates were held in two of tighest Senate contests - Michigan and Kansas. Meantime, the Senate contest in the historically Republican state of Mississippi is drawing fresh attention in the final stretch of the election cycle, with Trump planning a rally to boost the GOP candidate and control of the chamber.
2) The US ordered some diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia because of the threat from Houthi militants, as the Iran-backed group carried out more strikes from Yemen. At least four people were killed by attacks on an Aramco oil site and an eastern airport on Wednesday. The moves come as tensions escalate across the Middle East, with the US and Israel drawing up plans for renewed strikes on the Islamic Republic, according to the New York Times, and Tehran saying it struck more tankers going through the Strait of Hormuz.
3) Barclays Plc said it’s cutting 5,000 jobs, or about 5% of total headcount, as part of a “technology-enabled” effort to reduce costs as it adopts artificial intelligence across the bank. The bank reported third-quarter earnings Thursday that missed several key estimates. Barclays’ bond traders suffered the biggest slump on Wall Street during the quarter, taking the shine off a strong performance on the equities desk.
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