Rahul Tandon is joined by Han Lin in Shanghai and Allison Schrager in New York to examine a set of stories where markets, politics and consumer behaviour collide. They begin with Donald Trump’s financial disclosures and what they reveal about the relationship between politics, markets, and wealth, before discussing the growing role of governments and billionaires in major technology firms, including OpenAI. And are billionaires heroes or villains? Plus, in China, some western consumer brands are finding strong demand among local consumers, including unexpectedly popular pancake chains. So why are companies such as Nike reporting weaker sales in the country?<br>Presenter: Rahul Tandon<br>Producer: David Cann<br>You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk<br>(Photo: US President Donald Trump raises a clenched fist to shoulder height after stepping off the new Air Force One, a plane gifted by the Qatari government, after arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, 1 July, 2026. Credit: Evan Vucci/Reuters)

Taking stock: Trump's money

Business Daily

I'm Rahul Tandon, welcome to Business Daily and I'm taking stock once again this week. And with me we have Han Lin, China Country Director at the Asia Group, speaking to us from Shanghai, the country's commercial capital and Alison Schrager who is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute joining us from New York City. And I want to get both of your thoughts on this.

It's not easy to captivate a city like New York but that is exactly what this pair was able to accomplish. Two people have climbed to the very top of the Empire State Building. That is 1,554 feet above the ground. And they didn't just kind of hang out when they got there. They flew a banner and there was also a marriage proposal? Now I'm going to ask you both a personal question. I don't know if you're both married but a proposal like that would have worked for either of you?

Well not for me but I think that it shows that these two people belong together. I mean good relationships are about common interests. They clearly share that. Interests most people don't have. So you know I'm rooting for them. I have two daughters and I imagine one of these days they'll be married but they're fascinated by it. I just hope it doesn't raise their expectations so much because I certainly can't afford such a wedding. There we go. Those two going up the Empire State Building in New York. Of course they did get themselves into a little bit of trouble.

Taking stock: Trump's money

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

Taking stock: Trump's money

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.