About this podcast
We’re taking The Big Take to Asia. Each week, Bloomberg’s Oanh Ha tells a story from the home of the world's most dynamic economies - and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive the ever-shifting region.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 167 episodes
- Thailand Is Pushing Back Against Tourists and Foreigners · 16 minThailand’s famous ‘Land of Smiles’ welcome is being tested as locals grow increasingly frustrated about competing with foreigners who buy up property and set up their own…
- The AI Economy Runs on Nvidia. Can It Survive the CEO’s Affair? · 20 minNvidia CEO Jensen Huang is at the center of the circular AI economy — and news of his extra-marital affair with an alleged Chinese spy has hammered Nvidia’s stock and threatened…
- The New AI Trade Is FOGO: ‘Fear of Getting Obliterated’ · 15 minWall Street’s brutal, $3.7 trillion rout cascaded into Asian markets, putting chipmakers and tech companies in its crosshairs. Host K. Oanh Ha sat down with Bloomberg Opinion…
- Binance, North Korea and the Crypto Heist Boom · 17 minHackers the FBI has linked to North Korea stole $6.3 billion from Binance, pulling off the biggest crypto heist of all time. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks…
- Is Indonesia’s Stock Market Becoming Uninvestable? · 15 minAfter a rare double downgrade warning from MSCI, Indonesia suffered its worst stock rout in nearly 30 years. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with…
- Has Sanae Takaichi Made Japan Great Again? · 19 minJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wants to put Japan back in the fast lane, with huge investments in everything from AI to space technology. But can she generate the growth…
- How India’s Day Traders Broke the World’s Biggest Options Market · 18 minWhen millions of retail investors piled into India’s options market to get rich quick, losses mounted and regulators launched a sweeping crackdown. On today’s Big Take Asia…
- The Surprising People Getting Very Rich Off AI · 15 minBeyond software and chips, the AI boom relies on good old-fashioned manufacturing of essential components – a skill that has made a new class of people very, very rich. On…
- China’s New Message to Its Billionaires: Pay Up · 13 minChina is ramping up an ongoing effort to shore up local government budgets and fund AI data centers with tax revenue from its richest citizens. Billionaires across the country…
- US-China AI Race to Take Center Stage at Trump-Xi Meeting · 17 minAs Chinese President Xi Jinping makes his first visit to Washington in over a decade, trade and the AI race will likely dominate talks with Donald Trump. On today’s Big Take Asia…
- Japan Hikes Rates, Reshaping Carry Trade · 17 minIt’s been a big week for central banks around the world. Yet among the flurry of rate decisions, the Bank of Japan’s move stands out. After decades of near-zero interest rates…
- Big Pharma Needs New Drugs. China Has Them · 17 minAmerican pharma giants are increasingly turning to Chinese labs to discover, test and develop cutting-edge drugs. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, Bloomberg’s Amber Tong and…
- Is the US AI Reckoning an Opportunity for China? · 16 min“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” An X post by a former employee of both OpenAI and Anthropic went viral this week…
- How India Is Training the Robots of the Future · 18 minTens of thousands of workers in India are wearing head-mounted cameras to record their every move, helping train humanoid robots to perform everyday human tasks. On today’s Big…
- Deadly Flooding in Nepal Highlights Asia’s Climate Vulnerability · 17 minHundreds of hydropower workers remain missing in Nepal after a glacial collapse caused catastrophic flooding. The disaster laid bare the rising climate risks across Asia and the…
- How Two-Minute Microdramas Became a Billion-Dollar Industry · 20 minMicrodramas — mini soap operas designed to be watched on your phone — have become one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment in the world. On today’s Big Take Asia…
- The Unexpected Rise of North Korea’s Economy · 20 minNorth Korea was supposed to be broke and isolated. Now, it’s enjoying an unexpected economic boom. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, Bloomberg’s Cat Barton and host K. Oanh Ha…
- The Chinese AI Model Rattling Silicon Valley and Washington · 18 minThe launch of Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 model has taken the tech world — and Washington — by storm, raising urgent questions about how a Chinese startup can suddenly rival the…
- Introducing: Our Town · 2 minOur Town from Bloomberg’s Big Take podcast follows residents of Gainesboro, Tennessee, after a group of far-right Christians moves in with plans for a radical social experiment…
- Why a Weak Yen Is America’s Problem · 18 minAs the Japanese yen hit a 40-year low against the US dollar, Japan's government stepped in to support its currency. And it has a powerful ally in US President Donald Trump, who…
- How India’s Cockroach Party Became a Political Force · 18 minWeeks of student-led protests forced the resignation of India’s education minister, in a rare public setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast…
- Almost $1 Billion Later, the US Still Can’t Manufacture Medical Gloves · 16 minAfter the pandemic-era run on medical gloves, the US government set a plan in motion to reshore manufacturing. Roughly six years and almost $1 billion later, America is once…
- Chasing the Ancient Stolen Statues of Cambodia · 20 minWhen a 1,000-year-old Cambodian statue came up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York, it sparked off an investigation that uncovered one of the world’s most extensive art…
- Xi Jinping Loves Soccer. Why Is China’s Team So Bad? · 19 minChina’s men’s soccer team has qualified for the World Cup just once, despite millions in investment and a personal push from President Xi Jinping to turn the nation into a…
- Why China Is Flashing Its Military Muscle · 19 minChina rattled neighbors from Japan to Australia on Monday by test-launching a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean. While such launches are…
- Asia’s AI Stock Frenzy Is a Warning Sign for Global Markets · 17 minThanks to the AI boom, stock markets in Taiwan and South Korea have seen historic rallies this year. But as retail investors pile in, often using borrowed money, concerns are…
- China’s Instagram Gets Ready to Go Public · 19 minAfter more than a decade as a private company, Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, known internationally as RedNote, is testing China’s mood for all things tech with its plan…
- The Iran War’s Lasting Scars Across Asia · 20 minAn interim deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz offers relief, but Asia’s economic woes are far from over. Beyond the chokepoint, the conflict has forced long-lasting shifts in…
- China Tightens Its Grip on Billions in Offshore Wealth · 19 minOffshore trading has long given Chinese investors access to global markets — often through legal gray areas. Now, Beijing is stepping in with its biggest crackdown in decades. On…
- Huge AI Bonuses Spark South Korea Tech Wealth Fight · 18 minSamsung recently made headlines when it narrowly averted a strike by offering eye-popping bonuses to its chip workers. But the move has seemingly backfired—sparking deep…
- Indonesia’s $15 Billion Free Lunch Experiment · 18 minIndonesia’s free lunch program is a massive operation, feeding tens of millions of people every day across a vast archipelago. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Rebecca…
- Weekend Listen: China vs the US: Kishore Mahbubani on a Zero-Sum Rivalry · 35 minBeyond this month's talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, there’s an epic tale that has been unfolding for decades. It’s a battle to be the…
- SoftBank’s $60 Billion OpenAI Bet Sparks Concerns · 20 minSoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has made a $60 billion bet on OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman – a commitment that has some insiders worried. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host…
- The Biggest Takeaways from the Trump-Xi Summit · 21 minTensions between the US and China have deepened since the last time a US president traveled to Beijing for a summit, in 2017. President Trump’s return to China, in a swirl of…
- Modi Is More Powerful Than Ever — Even as India’s Economy Strains · 19 minDespite India facing economic headwinds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party defied expectations with a stunning state election sweep — capped by a historic win in opposition…
- Weekend Listen: Will the Xi-Trump Summit Be Over Before It Starts? · 28 minAs a high-stakes Trump–Xi summit looms, tensions over the Iran war and defiance of US sanctions threaten to derail what could be one of the year’s most consequential meetings. On…
- Why China Blocked Meta’s $2 Billion Acquisition of Manus AI · 18 minChina’s decision to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus stunned the global AI industry. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with…
- Weekend Listen: Writer Amitav Ghosh on Why India Has Lost Its Way · 34 minFor more than 30 years, the Indian-born writer Amitav Ghosh has built a global following with novels that draw on deep historical research. But his latest offering, Ghost-Eye, is…
- North Korea’s Nuclear Program Reaches Tipping Point for the US · 21 minAs global attention is focused on war in the Middle East, North Korea has been accelerating its nuclear and missile program — testing new weapons and producing more warheads. On…
- China’s Tech Grip Threatens India’s Manufacturing Ambitions · 19 minIndia wants to become a manufacturing powerhouse to rival China — but its reliance on the Chinese supply chain for things like batteries and semiconductors makes for a complex…
- How Hormuz Closure Could Squeeze Asia’s Staple Crop · 19 minWith the war in Iran creating a shortage of the fuel and fertilizer that farmers across Asia need to plant and harvest rice, many smallholders are seeking alternative supplies or…
- BONUS: ユニクロ・柳井正氏を直撃、アメリカ内陸部への執念と後継者 · 17 min日本のアパレル王者、ユニクロ。アジアや米国の沿岸部で成功を収めた同社が、今まさに挑もうとしているのが、ブランド認知がまだ低い「フライオーバー・カントリー（内陸部）」と呼ばれる広大なエリアです。ここを制覇することは、創業者の柳井正氏にとってグローバルNo.1への「最後の難関」を意味します。…
- Uniqlo Is Coming for Middle America · 19 minJapan’s richest man — Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai — has struggled to win over the US, despite owning the world's third-largest clothing retailer by sales. On today’s Big Take…
- Meet OpenClaw: The AI Craze Sweeping China · 19 minFueled by a powerful mix of FOMO and a government drive to accelerate AI adoption, OpenClaw has exploded in popularity across China. But as these agentic systems gain sweeping…
- BTS Leads Netflix’s Push for Growth in Asia · 18 minBTS is back. After a near four-year hiatus, the K-pop icons returned with a historic Netflix event – the platform’s first concert live streamed from Asia. On today's Big Take…
- The Sixth Bureau Episode 6: Nothing Is Holy · 35 minIn Episode 6 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, with spy Xu Yanjun in prison, the US government pursues some of his collaborators. Plus, host Jordan Robertson gets…
- Asia Is Bearing the Brunt of the Iran War Energy Crisis · 19 minFrom soaring fuel prices in Pakistan to a shortage of cooking gas in India, Asia is bearing the brunt of the energy crunch sparked by the Iran War. On today’s Big Take Asia…
- The Rise and Fall of an Alleged Scam Boss · 20 minBy any account, Chen Zhi's ascent was meteoric. At a young age he founded a real estate company in Cambodia, which quickly became the sprawling Prince Group conglomerate. But…
- The Sixth Bureau Episode 5: One Way In, One Way Out · 33 minIn Episode 5 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security travels to an overseas meeting with a valuable source. He has no idea…
- War in Iran Is Exposing Oil Risks Across Asia · 18 minThe war in the Middle East is rattling global oil markets, raising the risk of supply disruptions and price shocks for energy‑hungry Asian economies. On today’s Big Take Asia…
