Slip the surly bonds? Scott Bessent goes on a yield trip

About this episode

<p>Amid <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/08/19/why-bond-markets-are-unnerving-rich-world-politicians?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">record-tickling yields</a>, the bond markets are now trying to make sense of what Scott Bessent, America’s Treasury secretary, <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/08/23/is-scott-bessent-the-fed-chair-donald-trump-always-wanted?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has announced</a>—a move that might put him on a collision course with the Federal Reserve. We ask why it is so easy for hackers to infiltrate America’s water infrastructure. And understanding a political lineage through the new British prime minister’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/08/13/andy-burnham-and-the-politics-of-accents?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accent</a>.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent</li><li>Shashank Joshi, Washington bureau chief</li><li>Lane Greene, language correspondent</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>bond markets, Treasury, yields, Scott Bessent</li><li>America, cyber-attacks, water, critical infrastructure</li><li>British politics, Andy Burnham, accents, class angst</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>