Economists and investors have long turned to copper as a reliable economic indicator: High prices meant the economy was humming, and low prices meant it wasn’t. That’s in part because copper is useful for so many economic activities. In fact, copper was considered such a good signal that investors gave it a nickname—Dr. Copper. But now, as high demand and tariffs affect copper prices, is the commodity’s relationship with the economy becoming blurry? Host Alex Ossola discusses this with Dec Mullarkey, head of investment strategy and asset allocation at SLC Management. This is part two of our four-part series on alternative economic indicators.
Plus: Chevron becomes more serious about entering the power business. And Toyota opens a $14 billion battery plant in North Carolina. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts.
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
Democrats in the US Congress release three emails by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mentioning Donald Trump. One of the emails says the president spent several hours with a woman described as a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking. The Democrats say the communications raise serious questions about what the president knew at the time about Epstein's behaviour. The White House says the emails represent a "false narrative" and their release is an attempt to smear the president. Also: another corruption scandal shakes the Ukrainian government, with the justice minister being suspended; and how the Royal Shakespeare Company is trying to sell Britain's most famous playwright to young people.
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The Democrat governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has criticised deadly US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean. The US has now struck at least nineteen vessels, killing around eighty people. On Tuesday, an American warship (the USS Gerald R Ford) also arrived in the region. There's growing speculation that the US might attack Venezuela, where President Maduro has announced a nationwide military deployment.
Also in the programme: The Israeli military says its troops were attacked when they detained four Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank for taking part in a large scale arson attack on Palestinian villages; out of the latest atrocities in Sudan, we will bring you the survivors' stories; and bagpipe world record broken in Australia.
(Photo: Dozens of aircraft on the USS Gerald R Ford add significant combat power to US forces near Latin America. Credit: Getty Images)
Late-breaking news of communications relating to Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump provide us with a chance to talk about conspiracy theories and how Trump's deployment of them is biting him now with the continued questions relating to the now-dead half-billionaire sex criminal. Give a listen.
President Donald Trump and Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte have floated the idea of a 50-year mortgage as a potential way to make homebuying more affordable. The president has said that longer mortgages would lower borrowers’ monthly payments, which is true — but at what cost? And later, 47 economists filed an amicus brief in Trump's tariffs case before the Supreme Court. We'll unpack what they said.
Bealls Inc. is adopting crypto payments across its 660+ stores in partnership with Flexa.
Bealls Inc. is bringing crypto payments to its 660+ stores, making it one of the largest retailers to adopt the technology. CEO, Matt Beall and Flexa Co-Founder, Danny McCabe join CoinDesk's Sam Ewen to detail the partnership. They explain how the move improves the customer experience while leveraging faster, cheaper transactions to boost retail margins. Learn why a 110-year-old retailer is making a move into the future of payments.
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Break the cycle of exploitation.
Break down the barriers to truth.
Break into the next generation of privacy.
Break Free.
Free to scroll without being monetized.
Free from censorship.
Freedom without fear.
We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design.
OwlTing (Nasdaq: OWLS) is building invisible rails for global payments. With OwlPay, businesses and users can bridge fiat and stablecoins, send money instantly across borders, and access stablecoin checkout at lower costs. Licensed worldwide, OwlTing delivers secure, compliant, and regulated infrastructure for the digital economy. Learn more at https://www.owlting.com/portal/?lang=en&utm_source=CoinDesk&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CoinDesk_Banner.
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Genius Group has partnered with CoinDesk for Bitcoin Treasury Month, launching the Genius x CoinDesk Quest. Participants can join the Bitcoin Academy, complete free microcourses from experts like Natalie Brunell and Saifedean Ammous, and enter to win 1,000,000 GEMs (worth 1 BTC) promoting bitcoin education and adoption.Learn more at: geniusgroup.ai/coindesk-bitcoin-treasury-month/
Canary Funds' XRP Trust is poised to become the first pure spot XRP ETF in the U.S. Once the Nasdaq certifies the listing, expected by end of day Wednesday, the product will become effective, clearing the last regulatory hurdle for a Thursday market open. Will we see the ETF go live on Thursday? CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."
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Break the cycle of exploitation.
Break down the barriers to truth.
Break into the next generation of privacy.
Break Free.
Free to scroll without being monetized.
Free from censorship.
Freedom without fear.
We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design.
Genius Group has partnered with CoinDesk for Bitcoin Treasury Month, launching the Genius x CoinDesk Quest. Participants can join the Bitcoin Academy, complete free microcourses from experts like Natalie Brunell and Saifedean Ammous, and enter to win 1,000,000 GEMs (worth 1 BTC) promoting bitcoin education and adoption.Learn more at: geniusgroup.ai/coindesk-bitcoin-treasury-month/
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OwlTing (Nasdaq: OWLS) is building invisible rails for global payments. With OwlPay, businesses and users can bridge fiat and stablecoins, send money instantly across borders, and access stablecoin checkout at lower costs. Licensed worldwide, OwlTing delivers secure, compliant, and regulated infrastructure for the digital economy. Learn more at owlting.com.
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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Taylor Fleming.
Can new tougher measures announced by Sierra Leone's President Bio really be effective in combating kush, the illegal psychoactive blend of addictive substances that is devastating the country.
What caused the fatal helicopter crash in Ghana that killed eight people, including two high profile government ministers?
And why has Senegal dismissed the IMF’s debt restructure plan as "a disgrace"?
Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Sunita Nahar, Yvette Twagiramariya, Mark Wilberforce, Joseph Keen and Stefania Okereke
Technical Producer: Philip Bull
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editor: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Clipse was formed in 1994 by two brothers: Gene Thornton Jr, aka Malice, and his younger brother Terrence Thornton, aka Pusha T. From the beginning, they’ve worked with producer Pharrell Williams, originally as part of the acclaimed production duo, The Neptunes. But then, there was a 16 year gap between the third Clipse album, which came out in 2009, and their most recent album, Let God Sort Em Out, which came out in July 2025. This November, they were nominated for 5 Grammys, including Album of the Year. They were also nominated for Best Rap Song, for “The Birds Don’t Sing.” It’s a song that they made after the death of both of their parents in the span of just a few months. For this episode, I asked Pusha T, Malice, and Pharrell about the making of that song, which also features contributions from John Legend and Stevie Wonder.
