Unhedged

Unhedged is on a break over the holidays, so we wanted to share an episode from our fellow FT podcast, Behind the Money. When international private equity groups first entered Japan at the turn of the 21st century, newspapers criticised them as vulture funds and politicians steered clear of public contact. Today, it’s a different story. Dozens of buyout groups have set up in the country and the establishment is courting them. The FT’s Tokyo correspondent David Keohane and Tokyo bureau chief Leo Lewis explain why there’s been a shift, and how private equity’s presence may rejuvenate Japanese corporates.Subscribe to Behind the Money. This is a repeat of an episode published on Behind the Money, a sister podcast of Unhedged, on Nov. 26, 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie Martin spent a restful 20 hours on a plane coming up with some devilishly hard questions for her colleagues, Rob Armstrong and John Foley. Today on the show, we find out who is the best at making wild guesses. Also, all three unveil their new year’s resolutions. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer.You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at [email protected] a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s another podcast we think you’ll enjoy, The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules, hosted by bestselling author Michael Lewis. Lewis’ popular book The Big Short is 15 years old, and to mark the occasion, Lewis is looking back on how the 2008 financial crisis still affects the world today. Investor Michael Burry was one of the first to see the subprime housing market crisis coming, and now, he’s back in the headlines, this time for betting against a very different kind of boom: he’s taken short positions in tech titans Nvidia and Palantir. In this episode, Michael Lewis sits down with Burry for a rare interview. Find The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules wherever you get podcasts and The Big Short audiobook wherever you get audiobooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do companies care about their share price so much? Is Switzerland in danger of losing its banks? What would regime change in Venezuela do to global oil markets? Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong answer listener questions. Or try to. Also, they go short gift cards and long crypto islands. For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer.You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at [email protected] a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong take a look at some revealing numbers about jobs, inflation and borrowing against the Treasuries market. Also they go short “funny” videos from private equity and short Wham! For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer.You can email Robert Armstrong and Katie Martin at [email protected] a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.