Bloomberg - Evening Briefing - Failure of leadership

Weekend Reading
Bloomberg

Covid-19 is a stress test many world leaders are failing. U.S. President Donald Trump is gambling with people’s lives and livelihoods, China’s President Xi Jinping feels cornered, and the World Health Organization is stuck in the middle. Beijing promises to share any effective coronavirus vaccine with the world, and wants to get on with the partial U.S. trade deal, a move Alabama desperately favors. But whatever happens in Asia, any recovery may be doomed before it begins.

What you’ll want to read this weekend

Vaccine nationalism is growing. Trump barged his way to the front of the line for a drug being developed at Britain’s University of Oxford. His much-favored unproven treatment, roundly dismissed by experts, also apparently kills. As for U.S. health care, private equity is ruining it. 

Americans are emerging from lockdown with a mix of trepidation and joy. Some retail workers are scared to ask customers to cover their faces. Even Trump masked up, though he tried to hide it from the cameras. His urging of states to reopen (and help his election chances) may actually cost him Republican votes, as well as thousands more U.S. lives.

WFH4EVER: Mark Zuckerberg says 50% of Facebook could be working remotely in 10 years. But home video conferencing needs to improve.

Believe it or not, it’s vacation season. For anyone going on a trip, here’s how to reduce risk and have fun while staying socially distant. Some beaches though may be worth avoiding.

Bloomberg Businessweek provides a post-lockdown rundown on what high-end dining will look like. Fancy a cheeseburger? The world’s best restaurant has your back.

What you’ll need to know next week

What you’ll want to read in Bloomberg Features

Disease Ravages the $25 Billion Banana Industry

The banana can claim to be the modern world’s original globalized product: much of the supply chain put in place in the 19th century is still used today. But now, the industry is under siege from disease, climate change and the rise of retailer power. Its workers, historically mistreated and brutalized, are demanding their due as well. How the banana industry adapts could be key to understanding the post-pandemic era .

A worker records the age and weight of banana bunches in Milagro, Ecuador, on May 13.

Photographer: Vicente Gaibor/Bloomberg

Like Bloomberg’s Weekend Reading?  Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more. You’ll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.

The global economy is at an inflection point.  Sign up for the Bloomberg New Economy’s  Turning Points  newsletter and receive weekly insights—and solutions—on climate, tech and trade.

Download the Bloomberg app:  It’s available for iOS and Android.

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. Learn more.

Older messages

The hero America deserves

Friday, May 22, 2020

Bloomberg Follow Us Get the newsletter Top US officials warned Friday that China's push to introduce new security laws in Hong Kong could jeopardize the city's special trade status and spark

Trump’s big gamble

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Bloomberg Follow Us Get the newsletter Hong Kong lawmakers warn that its status as an international financial center is in jeopardy after China announced dramatic plans to crush dissent by writing a

Powell walks the line

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Bloomberg Follow Us Get the newsletter Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who testified along with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at a virtual hearing of the Senate Banking Committee on

Sounding the alarm on stocks

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Bloomberg Follow Us Get the newsletter Some of Wall Street's biggest names are sounding the alarm on stocks, while Fed Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted unprecedented risks to the US economy and

‘Controlled’ infections

Friday, May 15, 2020

Bloomberg Follow Us Get the newsletter A group of US East Coast states is coordinating the opening of beaches for Memorial Day weekend. Italy had the fewest new coronavirus cases in four days while the

You Might Also Like

Text and Telos

Monday, March 10, 2025

Plus! Diff Jobs; Scaling; Retail Investors; Comparative Advantage; Transaction Costs and Corporate Structure; DeepSeek Governance Text and Telos By Byrne Hobart • 10 Mar 2025 View in browser View in

Longreads + Open Thread

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Personal Essays, Lies, Popes, GPT-4.5, Banks, Buy-and-Hold, Advanced Portfolio Management, Trade, Karp Longreads + Open Thread By Byrne Hobart • 8 Mar 2025 View in browser View in browser Longreads

💸 A $24 billion grocery haul

Friday, March 7, 2025

Walgreens landed in a shopping basket, crypto investors felt pranked by the president, and a burger made of skin | Finimize Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for March 8th in 3:11 minutes.

The financial toll of a divorce can be devastating

Friday, March 7, 2025

Here are some options to get back on track ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌

Too Big To Fail?

Friday, March 7, 2025

Revisiting Millennium and Multi-Manager Hedge Funds ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

The tell-tale signs the crash of a lifetime is near

Friday, March 7, 2025

Message from Harry Dent ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

👀 DeepSeek 2.0

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Alibaba's AI competitor, Europe's rate cut, and loads of instant noodles | Finimize TOGETHER WITH Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for March 7th in 3:07 minutes. Investors rewarded

Crypto Politics: Strategy or Play? - Issue #515

Thursday, March 6, 2025

FTW Crypto: Trump's crypto plan fuels market surges—is it real policy or just strategy? Decentralization may be the only way forward. ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌

What can 40 years of data on vacancy advertising costs tell us about labour market equilibrium?

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Michal Stelmach, James Kensett and Philip Schnattinger Economists frequently use the vacancies to unemployment (V/U) ratio to measure labour market tightness. Analysis of the labour market during the

🇺🇸 Make America rich again

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

The US president stood by tariffs, China revealed ambitious plans, and the startup fighting fast fashion's ugly side | Finimize TOGETHER WITH Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for March