WEBVTT - Daybreak Weekend: Holiday Shopping, BOJ Decision, Bitcoin ETFs

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg day Break Weekend, our global look at

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<v Speaker 1>the top stories in the coming week from our Daybreak

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<v Speaker 1>anchors all around the world, and straight ahead on the program.

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<v Speaker 1>After this week's encouraging retail sales numbers, we check in

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<v Speaker 1>on the health of the US consumer. I'm Tom Busby

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<v Speaker 1>in New York.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm callin Hedge here in London, where we're asking what's

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<v Speaker 2>next for the UK retail center.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Derek Prisoner. We map out what comes next for

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<v Speaker 3>the Bank of Japan.

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<v Speaker 4>I'm Kabie Liones in Washington, where the SEC is in

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<v Speaker 4>the spotlight as it soon may decide whether to approve

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<v Speaker 4>a spotfit point ets.

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<v Speaker 5>That's all straight ahead on Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend. The business

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<v Speaker 5>news you need to wrap up your week, Available on

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<v Speaker 5>Apple Spotify, The Bloomberg Business Happen everywhere you get your podcasts.

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<v Speaker 1>Good day to you. I'm Tom Busby. It's the most

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful time of the year for retailers anyway. So we

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<v Speaker 1>begin today's program with a look at the US retail

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<v Speaker 1>sector and the strength of the US consumer. Last week's

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<v Speaker 1>unexpected rise in retail sales for November. I'll welcome sign

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<v Speaker 1>as we enter the final shopping week of the holiday season,

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<v Speaker 1>and for more we're joined by economists a Stelle Oh

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<v Speaker 1>of Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Intelligence retail analyst Abigail gil Martin.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you both for being here. All right, is Stelle,

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to start with you. After that early Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>gift last week from the Fed signaling several interest rate

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<v Speaker 1>cuts in the new year, solid jobs data, the unemployment

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<v Speaker 1>rate down to three point seven percent last month, and

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<v Speaker 1>retail sales in November up more than four percent year

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<v Speaker 1>over year. How is the US consumer doing right now?

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<v Speaker 6>Thanks Tom? Yeah, so, the US consumer right now is

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<v Speaker 6>still continuing their spending moment from over the summer, but

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<v Speaker 6>ver seeing that the consumer is still remaining under pressure

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<v Speaker 6>even with this week's upbeat retail sales report. And that's

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<v Speaker 6>because when we look under the hood of the retail

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<v Speaker 6>sales report, we see that most of the strength is

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<v Speaker 6>actually coming from non store retail sales and food services

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<v Speaker 6>retail sales categories. What this means is that, you know,

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<v Speaker 6>consumers are still very much bargain hunting online, where when

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<v Speaker 6>you're online you can compare prices much more easily between stores.

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<v Speaker 6>And also still not really purchasing big ticket items that

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<v Speaker 6>are sensitive to interest rates right now, So they're not

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<v Speaker 6>purchasing large home appliances that require more credit card spending,

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<v Speaker 6>and they're also not purchasing more larger electronic products at

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<v Speaker 6>this time of the year where you would expect more

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<v Speaker 6>you know, big ticket discretionary purchases. So overall, Tom, we

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<v Speaker 6>still think that the US consumer health is still more

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<v Speaker 6>fragile than it was at the very beginning of the year.

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<v Speaker 1>And could many consumers, especially younger ones, be kind of

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<v Speaker 1>hurting themselves relying a little too much on credit cards,

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<v Speaker 1>buy now, pay later plans for their spending habits.

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<v Speaker 6>Absolutely, Tom. In fact, we actually think that with the

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<v Speaker 6>increase in interest rates, there's a risk that you know,

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<v Speaker 6>household debt servings cost debt servings costs as a ratio

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<v Speaker 6>of income, that's, you know, the interest rate you would

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<v Speaker 6>have to pay on your credit card balances could rise

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<v Speaker 6>to at least you know, eleven or twelve percent by

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<v Speaker 6>year end next year, even if the labor market stays

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<v Speaker 6>cool and the Fed, as you know, cut may cut

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<v Speaker 6>interest Even if the Fed cuts interest rates as they

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<v Speaker 6>suggest that they might do earlier this week, and you know,

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<v Speaker 6>with the household debt servicing cost ratio that is roughly

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<v Speaker 6>eleven percent, that's the highest it's been since early twenty ten.

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<v Speaker 6>So we really expect that, you know, if consumers continue

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<v Speaker 6>to build up their credit card balances through purchases in

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<v Speaker 6>the holiday season, that is just you know, more debt

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<v Speaker 6>burden for the household ahead.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, that does not paint a very good picture. Abigail,

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<v Speaker 1>let's turn to you. How is that, you know, this

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<v Speaker 1>uneven recovery in the consumer spending and how does that

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<v Speaker 1>impact the retail sector.

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<v Speaker 7>You know, we weren't too surprised so that we've been

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<v Speaker 7>kind of saying all November we've been seeing strong holiday momentum,

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<v Speaker 7>as it was evident in Cyber Week numbers. You know,

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<v Speaker 7>we saw sales beating or in line with forecasts all

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<v Speaker 7>week and what we've heard from companies and retailers after

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<v Speaker 7>reporting three key results, you know, going into four Q

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<v Speaker 7>this holiday quarter, inventory is our leaner, which is going

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<v Speaker 7>to bode well for you know, margins because there won't

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<v Speaker 7>be discounts. What we've seen so far are similar to

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<v Speaker 7>last year, but nowhere near you know, as steep as

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<v Speaker 7>a few years prior. So that's really great, and retailers

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<v Speaker 7>are encouraged with the strong start and also the fact

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<v Speaker 7>that there's an extra shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas

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<v Speaker 7>this year, with Christmas actually falling on a Monday, it's

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<v Speaker 7>giving consumers at one extra weekend day, which is going

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<v Speaker 7>to be pretty important and probably also help retailer sales

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<v Speaker 7>kind of going into the holidays.

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<v Speaker 1>So well, one thing is still mentioned. I want to

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<v Speaker 1>go back to and Abigail, you would know this encouraging

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<v Speaker 1>retail sales figures for online retailers, they are getting the

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<v Speaker 1>bulk of this, you know, largest and spending. What can

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<v Speaker 1>you tell me about Amazon, which started it's holiday sales

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<v Speaker 1>back in October, maybe even before.

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<v Speaker 7>Yeah, it did, and I'm pretty sure they actually had

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<v Speaker 7>a couple extra days for their Black Friday sales event

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<v Speaker 7>this year as well, so they actually extended their deals.

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<v Speaker 7>But at the same time, their deals were in line

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<v Speaker 7>or even you know, less than last year. And we

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<v Speaker 7>think that's because they were spread out over a longer time.

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<v Speaker 7>So they're just trying to draw those sales on earlier

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<v Speaker 7>in the month first, you know, later now where things

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<v Speaker 7>are about to get congested. But yeah, the shift online

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<v Speaker 7>it's persisting from COVID, and we're seeing consumers really value

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<v Speaker 7>convenience and speed, and those are two big things that

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<v Speaker 7>are going to be driving holiday spending this year, and

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<v Speaker 7>Amazon really hits both of those on the head and

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<v Speaker 7>it provides that to customers, so we're not surprised. We

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<v Speaker 7>saw that online retailers were doing strong over Cyber Week,

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<v Speaker 7>and even on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we saw stores

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<v Speaker 7>were strong, but online was just as strong on Black Friday,

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<v Speaker 7>So I think it goes well for Amazon. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 7>I think it's really that value and convenience that's helping there.

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<v Speaker 6>Now.

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<v Speaker 1>Conversely, one big name, Etsy, the craft retailer, not doing

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<v Speaker 1>as well, just announce some layoffs.

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<v Speaker 7>Yeah, they announced some layoffs. You know, they're going back

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<v Speaker 7>to their staffing back in twenty twenty two, similar Earth levels.

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<v Speaker 7>But they did, you know, they raised guidance. They raised

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<v Speaker 7>GMB guidance and profit guidance, which I think went a

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<v Speaker 7>little unnoticed just due to the you know, the cost

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<v Speaker 7>cuts as well as they still see two to three

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<v Speaker 7>percent sales revenue gains in four Q. So some good

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<v Speaker 7>and bad things there, but we think in the long run,

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<v Speaker 7>it's what they need at drive profitable growth going forward.

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<v Speaker 1>Estella, I want to go back to you and the

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<v Speaker 1>impact of lower gasoline prices and how that has helped retailers.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe consumers feeling a little more impoltant to spend more,

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<v Speaker 1>they're spending a lot less at the gas pump. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>we we.

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<v Speaker 6>Did some estimates on our team of how much of

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<v Speaker 6>a contribution the recent decline and oil prices may have

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<v Speaker 6>boosted spending space and consumer's wallet and estimate that, you know,

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<v Speaker 6>depending on how long lower gas prices last and how

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<v Speaker 6>much further they dropped, they could potentially see savings that

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<v Speaker 6>range from you know, twenty dollars per month to almost

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<v Speaker 6>one hundred dollars per month per household. And that's quite

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<v Speaker 6>a bit of stimulus that's been provided to consumers during

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<v Speaker 6>the holiday season.

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<v Speaker 1>And another sector that did well and these are in

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<v Speaker 1>the numbers for November, bars and restaurants. People are they

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<v Speaker 1>want to get out, they want to eat, they want

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<v Speaker 1>to drink, they want to see other people.

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<v Speaker 6>Absolutely right. That's actually a continuation from what we've been

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<v Speaker 6>seeing throughout the most of the year, where you know, service,

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<v Speaker 6>the services sector has been quite the pillar of strength

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<v Speaker 6>for the US economy, but we do expect that to

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<v Speaker 6>slow down as again, you know, households see increase debt

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<v Speaker 6>burdens and higher interest recosts.

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<v Speaker 1>Abigail, I want to go back to you. I want

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about some of the retailers that are doing well,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe some aren't. And we can start with some of

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<v Speaker 1>the biggest like Walmart, Target, some other discount and then

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<v Speaker 1>also the traditional department stores. So one week left of shopping,

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<v Speaker 1>how are these retailers doing.

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<v Speaker 7>You know, they're doing good. I think they retailers are

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<v Speaker 7>going out to you know, mass margins. Like she said,

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<v Speaker 7>people consumers are still looking to buy you know, the necessities,

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<v Speaker 7>and I think that's where Walmart will continue to benefit

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<v Speaker 7>as well as with this value proposition. I think department

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<v Speaker 7>stores are coming out, you know, they're really going strong

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<v Speaker 7>for the holiday with experiences as well, which you know,

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<v Speaker 7>back to kind of what you mentioned with restaurants and services.

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<v Speaker 7>Consumers are still seeking those experiences this holiday season, and

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<v Speaker 7>the more that those retailers can start to provide them,

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<v Speaker 7>you know, we think that that'll bide really well. But

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<v Speaker 7>I think what's really going to be driving any kind

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<v Speaker 7>of winners or losers this year is going to be

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<v Speaker 7>the value proposition that they're offering shoppers. Like you know,

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<v Speaker 7>she mentioned, they're under pressure. We're still seeing some strong

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<v Speaker 7>sales results, but it's where the deals are. Where are

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<v Speaker 7>they going to get the best staying for their buck.

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<v Speaker 7>So the more that they can kind of provide that,

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<v Speaker 7>the more that we think they'll do well.

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<v Speaker 1>And do you think some of the smaller retailers, the

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<v Speaker 1>mom and pop stores, how are they faring against the

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<v Speaker 1>big names?

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<v Speaker 7>Yeah, I think, you know, I think with the younger generations,

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<v Speaker 7>you know, they're actually doing well. They're going younger generations

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<v Speaker 7>are looking for those kind of one off shop so

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<v Speaker 7>they can find something unique, which is always good for

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<v Speaker 7>those mom and pop retailers. But they're going to be

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<v Speaker 7>having to compete with these larger retailers for the price,

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<v Speaker 7>and it's going to be a little harder for them

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<v Speaker 7>to kind of have that discount down compared to some

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<v Speaker 7>other retailers that have the scale and are able to

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<v Speaker 7>drive that more. So they'll definitely be pressured going forward.

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<v Speaker 7>But the more they can leverage Amazon with Amazon Amazon

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<v Speaker 7>today kind of in that sense that they're kind of

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<v Speaker 7>still getting some of that online sales.

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<v Speaker 1>Well with one week left a lot to look forward to.

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<v Speaker 1>Our thanks to economists To stell Oh of Bloomberg Economics

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<v Speaker 1>and Bloomberg Intelligence, retail analyst Abigail gil Martin. Coming up

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<v Speaker 1>on Bloomberg day Break weekend, we continue looking at the

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<v Speaker 1>retail sector and get a view from the perspective of

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<v Speaker 1>European shoppers. I'm Tom Busby, and this is Bloomberg. This

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<v Speaker 1>is Bloomberg Daybreak weekend, our global look ahead at the

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<v Speaker 1>top stories for investors in the coming week. I'm Tom

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<v Speaker 1>Busby in New York. Up later in our program, after

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<v Speaker 1>the FED, the BOE, and the ECB all holding rates steady,

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<v Speaker 1>we get a preview of what we can expect from

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<v Speaker 1>the Bank of Japan. But first in the UK, we'll

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<v Speaker 1>get new consumer and retail price data in the coming days.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite falling inflation, festive shopping might still be held back

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<v Speaker 1>by slowing wage growth as COVID piggybank savings run dry.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Let's go to London and bring in Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>Daybreak europe banker Caroline Hepger.

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<v Speaker 2>Tom, It's crunch time for last minute shoppers ahead of

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<v Speaker 2>the holidays here in London, with retailers hoping for a

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<v Speaker 2>last minute surge in spending despite the general economic gloom.

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<v Speaker 2>The latest growth data for the UK showed that consumer

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<v Speaker 2>facing services contracted for a fourth month in a row,

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<v Speaker 2>while the economy overall contracted more than had been expected.

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<v Speaker 2>Now Here is what Dan Hanson of Bloomberg Economics told

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<v Speaker 2>us about the outlook for the coming months.

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<v Speaker 8>This line between contraction and stagnation is going to be

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<v Speaker 8>a fine one, and it remains a fine one. It

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<v Speaker 8>has been a fine one for the past eighteen months,

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<v Speaker 8>is probably going to be the same for the next

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<v Speaker 8>nine months. But I think you know, it was worse

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<v Speaker 8>than expected, and you know, it looks like the fourth

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<v Speaker 8>quarter there'll probably be a contraction. I think everyone's understanding

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<v Speaker 8>is that the goal to grow the economy was to

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<v Speaker 8>get quarterly growth in the final quarter of the year,

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<v Speaker 8>and it looks like it's based on this data. It's

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<v Speaker 8>going to be a tough ask.

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<v Speaker 2>Is there anything in the data or in the stance

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<v Speaker 2>at the moment that proves that next year could be

0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:38.320
<v Speaker 2>better than expected?

0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:39.040
<v Speaker 5>Yeah?

0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.600
<v Speaker 8>Absolutely. So you can look at the sort of data

0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:43.840
<v Speaker 8>in two ways, can't You can always be like, oh, well,

0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.680
<v Speaker 8>the economy contracted and it contracted by a bit, but

0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:48.839
<v Speaker 8>it's still contracted and that's not very good. But if

0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.480
<v Speaker 8>you compare that to the reality or sort of what

0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:55.160
<v Speaker 8>you would have expected if you were told eighteen months

0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.520
<v Speaker 8>ago or two years ago that the Bank of England

0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.720
<v Speaker 8>was about to jack up interest rates by five hundred

0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:02.040
<v Speaker 8>bases points, you know, most of us would have fallen

0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:04.640
<v Speaker 8>off chair and said there'd be a deep recession, and

0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:07.520
<v Speaker 8>we just haven't had that. So this sort of upside

0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:09.679
<v Speaker 8>or the sort of better news story that's there is

0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:13.959
<v Speaker 8>that the economy has almost consistently outperformed expectations and the

0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:17.440
<v Speaker 8>hit from interest rates has been far, far less than

0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:20.000
<v Speaker 8>anyone would have expected if you'd sort of been given

0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:23.079
<v Speaker 8>this scenario and said, how will this play out over

0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:25.280
<v Speaker 8>the next two years or so. And you know, the

0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:27.680
<v Speaker 8>other thing, the other very important point for consumers is

0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.280
<v Speaker 8>that there's real wage growth has returned, and that is

0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:34.240
<v Speaker 8>that's a really positive thing. Nominal wages are growing faster

0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:37.480
<v Speaker 8>than prices, and that that is a really positive story,

0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:40.040
<v Speaker 8>and that could be a reason why again the economy

0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:42.000
<v Speaker 8>does hold up over the course of twenty twenty four.

0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:45.440
<v Speaker 2>So that was Dan Hanson with his view from Bloomberg

0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:50.199
<v Speaker 2>Economics after those GDP figures. Well, inflation in the UK

0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:53.240
<v Speaker 2>is slowing. That's one bit of good news. In October

0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:56.240
<v Speaker 2>the headline print was at four point six percent. The

0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:59.840
<v Speaker 2>CPI released you in the coming few days will also

0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:02.840
<v Speaker 2>tell us just how far it remains above the Bank

0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:03.680
<v Speaker 2>of England's goal.

0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:04.120
<v Speaker 6>Now.

0:14:04.520 --> 0:14:07.079
<v Speaker 2>Ahead of that, we've been thinking about the outlook for

0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:10.520
<v Speaker 2>the UK consumer, hit hard by price rises over the

0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:14.480
<v Speaker 2>past year. I've been discussing this with Bloomberg opinion columnist

0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:19.000
<v Speaker 2>Andrea Felsted and our UK retail reporter Katie linsel. I

0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.920
<v Speaker 2>started by asking Andrew what the mindset of British consumers

0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:24.240
<v Speaker 2>is right now.

0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:28.680
<v Speaker 9>I think it really depends where you are. You know,

0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:33.920
<v Speaker 9>older people they don't have mortgages. They're finally getting some

0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.320
<v Speaker 9>return on their savings, their pensions of one up. They're

0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:42.000
<v Speaker 9>doing very nicely and are spending well on holidays, eating out.

0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:47.800
<v Speaker 9>Midlife families much more difficult. They've got mortgage. You know,

0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:52.120
<v Speaker 9>inflation hasn't gone away. You know, we think about things

0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.280
<v Speaker 9>like school fees they've been going up for years, and

0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.200
<v Speaker 9>then you've got you know, unfortunately, those who are really

0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:01.360
<v Speaker 9>struggling in the economy, who spend a lot more on

0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:04.320
<v Speaker 9>essential so they're still having to pay more for food

0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:08.520
<v Speaker 9>even though inflation is easing, more for heating, and we're

0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.800
<v Speaker 9>not getting the help that we got for the government

0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:15.400
<v Speaker 9>on heating last year, so they are really struggling. It

0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:19.000
<v Speaker 9>really depends where you are on how you are looking

0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:21.840
<v Speaker 9>forward to Christmas and next year.

0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:25.640
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, really a segmentation the issue or issues around inequality

0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:29.040
<v Speaker 2>and what your pay pack. It looks like Katie, the

0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:33.160
<v Speaker 2>UK consumer having said that, has been quite broadly resilient.

0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:35.680
<v Speaker 2>What's the outlook for the coming months as far as

0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:36.920
<v Speaker 2>you're concerned.

0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:38.680
<v Speaker 10>I think exactly as Andrew said, you know, this is

0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:40.360
<v Speaker 10>the time when people are going to be spending on

0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:44.080
<v Speaker 10>Christmas within their means as much as they can. So

0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:46.160
<v Speaker 10>I think the key thing is to see really how

0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:49.640
<v Speaker 10>the consumer copes in January and the months beyond when

0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:51.840
<v Speaker 10>the credit card bills come in. The buy now, pay

0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:56.400
<v Speaker 10>later figures need to be settled. We have seen that

0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:00.360
<v Speaker 10>figures from PwC say that Christmas spending is going to

0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:04.040
<v Speaker 10>be down thirteen percent to twenty billion pounds in the UK,

0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:06.840
<v Speaker 10>and so shoppers are sort of pulling back a bit,

0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:10.240
<v Speaker 10>and I think it's going to be interesting to see

0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.920
<v Speaker 10>how they how they cope in the months when the

0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:13.800
<v Speaker 10>bills come due.

0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:16.640
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, they buy now, pay later. Yes, that's a

0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:20.840
<v Speaker 2>big issue. But on the other side of things, luxury Andrew,

0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:24.320
<v Speaker 2>you keep a close watch on this sector amongst others

0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:28.320
<v Speaker 2>in retail. Are there those sectors that remain robust.

0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:31.760
<v Speaker 9>The only set of retail that really seems to be

0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:36.280
<v Speaker 9>remaining robust is that catering through the very wealthiest echelon

0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.080
<v Speaker 9>in society. So we had Brunello Cucinelli makes, you know,

0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:43.600
<v Speaker 9>very expensive cashmere. They upgraded their outlook for the fourth

0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:48.120
<v Speaker 9>time this year. Hermes make a very expensive bags, still

0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:52.080
<v Speaker 9>doing well, but lower down luxury, the luxury that you know,

0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:56.160
<v Speaker 9>perhaps the simply comfortable treat themselves too. They might treat

0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:59.920
<v Speaker 9>themselves to a Gucci handbag or perhaps a nice watch.

0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:03.520
<v Speaker 9>They're really under pressure from interest rates, you know, stock

0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:09.560
<v Speaker 9>markets being quite volatile, less crypto gains, you know, interest rates.

0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.040
<v Speaker 9>They can't buy things on credit, or they're putting their

0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:13.960
<v Speaker 9>safe if they've got savory, they may be putting them

0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:17.639
<v Speaker 9>to work rather than perhaps spend spending it on a rolex,

0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:20.960
<v Speaker 9>so that they're they're really you know, they are pulling

0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:24.960
<v Speaker 9>it pulling back, and we've got luxury really normalizing. Aside

0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:26.200
<v Speaker 9>from that really top.

0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:30.600
<v Speaker 2>End, Well, what about the pricing power that retailers broadly have, Katie,

0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:32.919
<v Speaker 2>Do they have much of that left? We talked a

0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:35.960
<v Speaker 2>lot about that, you know, with the rise in inflation.

0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.200
<v Speaker 10>Yes, I think retailers are still really flagging the fact

0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:41.760
<v Speaker 10>that they are under pressure from inflation, that there is

0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:44.120
<v Speaker 10>still a huge burden from the cost of energy. Yes,

0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:46.040
<v Speaker 10>it's come down, but it's still much higher than where

0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:48.520
<v Speaker 10>it was before. And then the other key thing to

0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:52.439
<v Speaker 10>look at is the labor market, and labor costs have

0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:55.280
<v Speaker 10>really gone up. Also, we can look at the fact

0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:58.240
<v Speaker 10>that we had the recent awesome statement announcing that from

0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:01.200
<v Speaker 10>April we will see a rise in the national living wage,

0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:04.679
<v Speaker 10>and we had a piece recently out from saying that

0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:07.320
<v Speaker 10>retailers are really not not best placed in a way

0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:10.560
<v Speaker 10>about this burden. They have a huge workforce and that's

0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:13.600
<v Speaker 10>really going to push up their costs. And I think

0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:17.359
<v Speaker 10>therefore we can actually expect that inflation won't necessarily come down.

0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.080
<v Speaker 10>Price inflation from retailers won't come down as fast as

0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:23.200
<v Speaker 10>we might hope, because they've got to help their margins,

0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:25.800
<v Speaker 10>you know, they can't cost their cut their prices as

0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:28.199
<v Speaker 10>frequently as quickly as they might like to because of

0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:29.920
<v Speaker 10>that burden from the higher wages.

0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:32.960
<v Speaker 2>And then you have the story of the Dice and

0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:36.800
<v Speaker 2>Air app which is apparently one of the potentially hot

0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:39.639
<v Speaker 2>items of the holiday season of this quarter, and it's

0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:43.600
<v Speaker 2>something you've written about. Andrea, A thousand bucks. What's the

0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.000
<v Speaker 2>price tag in the UK or in Europe, Well.

0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:49.359
<v Speaker 9>It should be about four hundred and eighty pounds, but

0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:51.919
<v Speaker 9>at the moment there's about eighty pounds off, so this

0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:55.520
<v Speaker 9>is quite unusual that it's actually been discounted at the moment.

0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.720
<v Speaker 9>Now curries are saying they're selling very well, and this

0:18:58.800 --> 0:19:02.159
<v Speaker 9>is really interesting because you know, we're buying them so

0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:06.119
<v Speaker 9>we can save on getting our hairstyled. We can do,

0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:09.919
<v Speaker 9>you know, a bouncy look at home rather than have

0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:11.960
<v Speaker 9>to go to the salon. So I thought that was

0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.520
<v Speaker 9>quite an interesting little take on the consumer mindset.

0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:17.560
<v Speaker 2>Yes, and I'm sorry your peace was talking about how

0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:19.800
<v Speaker 2>they should be a thously They.

0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:23.080
<v Speaker 9>Should they should be because there's lots of competition in

0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:23.719
<v Speaker 9>this space.

0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:23.960
<v Speaker 11>Now.

0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:27.359
<v Speaker 9>Interesting last year there were no discounts. I mean you

0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:29.840
<v Speaker 9>couldn't count the amount of times. I googled dice and

0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:33.280
<v Speaker 9>air app discount last year and there were none, But

0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:35.159
<v Speaker 9>this year, you know, there were a lot of discous

0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:39.240
<v Speaker 9>There's a lot of competition out there, so to stay

0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.800
<v Speaker 9>ahead of the curve, Dyson needs to reinvent itself as

0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:43.840
<v Speaker 9>a luxury brand.

0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:47.400
<v Speaker 2>Thanks to Blimberg's consumer goods opinion colonist Andrew Fel said,

0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:51.040
<v Speaker 2>and our UK retail reporter Katie Lindsel, I'm Calline Hepgar

0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:53.560
<v Speaker 2>here in London. You can catch us every weekday morning

0:19:53.560 --> 0:19:56.719
<v Speaker 2>for Bloomberg Daybreak Europe, beginning at six am in London.

0:19:56.880 --> 0:19:58.320
<v Speaker 2>That's one am on Wall Street.

0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:02.040
<v Speaker 1>Tom, Thanks Caroline, and coming up on Bloomberg day Break weekend,

0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:04.560
<v Speaker 1>we preview the upcoming rate decision out of the Bank

0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:18.440
<v Speaker 1>of Japan. I'm Tom Busby and this is Bloomberg. I'm

0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:20.480
<v Speaker 1>Tom Busby with your global look ahead at the top

0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:24.080
<v Speaker 1>stories for investors in the coming week. Onto Japan and

0:20:24.160 --> 0:20:26.879
<v Speaker 1>whether we're at the end of an unprecedented run of

0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:30.639
<v Speaker 1>monetary easing policies. Economists expect the Bank of Japan to

0:20:30.720 --> 0:20:34.040
<v Speaker 1>scrap negative interest rates by the end of April. Meantime,

0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:37.160
<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg has reported Japan's Central Bank is likely to keep

0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:41.720
<v Speaker 1>its monetary stimulus settings unchanged at a policy meeting next week.

0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:44.520
<v Speaker 1>Let's take a further look with Bloomberg Daybreak Asia co

0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:45.960
<v Speaker 1>host Doug Krisner.

0:20:46.280 --> 0:20:48.800
<v Speaker 3>Tom Our sources tell us the Bank of Japan is

0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:51.720
<v Speaker 3>in no rush to scrap negative interest rates, nor is

0:20:51.760 --> 0:20:55.240
<v Speaker 3>the BOJ ready to drop its yield curve control program.

0:20:55.560 --> 0:20:58.439
<v Speaker 3>Now this does counter market speculation a bit. There have

0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:02.680
<v Speaker 3>been bets on the BOJ shifting to end negative interest rates,

0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:05.240
<v Speaker 3>and some were saying it could happen as soon as

0:21:05.240 --> 0:21:07.280
<v Speaker 3>this meeting. But what we are told is that the

0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:10.439
<v Speaker 3>BOJ has yet to see enough evidence of wage growth,

0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:14.560
<v Speaker 3>and wage growth would support the notion of sustainable inflation.

0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:15.880
<v Speaker 5>To help us.

0:21:15.800 --> 0:21:19.160
<v Speaker 3>Preview the BOJ meeting, we bring in Bloomberg's Taro Komura.

0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:24.760
<v Speaker 3>Tarrow is Bloomberg Economics Japan economist. He joins us from Tokyo. Taro,

0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:27.640
<v Speaker 3>thanks for making time for us. I think we have

0:21:27.720 --> 0:21:31.080
<v Speaker 3>to say that the BOJ has in the past surprise

0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:34.800
<v Speaker 3>not only economists but markets. Is it likely that we

0:21:34.840 --> 0:21:36.479
<v Speaker 3>get a surprise this time around?

0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:40.399
<v Speaker 12>No, I don't think so. I At this time, the

0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.840
<v Speaker 12>busy will stand pad on its ilk curve control and

0:21:43.920 --> 0:21:47.720
<v Speaker 12>negative interest rates. So of course, like I understand, the

0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:53.199
<v Speaker 12>market suspects another surprise this month, particularly after last year's

0:21:53.480 --> 0:21:58.800
<v Speaker 12>December accrued US YCC surprise. That's understandable, But the governor

0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:04.000
<v Speaker 12>changed and with us communication, although he had to tweak

0:22:04.480 --> 0:22:07.760
<v Speaker 12>YCC a little bit in July in October, but I

0:22:07.760 --> 0:22:10.639
<v Speaker 12>think his baseline is he don't want to make a

0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:15.800
<v Speaker 12>huge surprise and shock to the financial market. And based

0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:21.560
<v Speaker 12>on his communication, it's clear that economic development doesn't support

0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:26.720
<v Speaker 12>achieving two percent inflation near time soon and with a

0:22:27.160 --> 0:22:31.199
<v Speaker 12>clearly underscores that he has to see the result of

0:22:31.280 --> 0:22:34.800
<v Speaker 12>the spring waste negotiation, which is an annual catalyst of

0:22:36.240 --> 0:22:40.680
<v Speaker 12>Japanese workers regular workers base pay. So that's why he

0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:45.240
<v Speaker 12>at least has to wait until April before scrapping YC

0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:47.960
<v Speaker 12>see a negative rate instead of this month.

0:22:48.160 --> 0:22:51.240
<v Speaker 3>So Governor Wada, the head of the BOJ, has a

0:22:51.280 --> 0:22:53.320
<v Speaker 3>long history with the Bank of Japan, and I think

0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:56.520
<v Speaker 3>it's fair to say that he understands the danger of

0:22:56.680 --> 0:23:00.000
<v Speaker 3>moving hastily. Am I right on that right absolutely?

0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:05.600
<v Speaker 12>Looking back the boj's history, there are two painful experience

0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:11.640
<v Speaker 12>in which the BOJ was hugely criticized as their exits

0:23:11.720 --> 0:23:16.280
<v Speaker 12>were hasty. One timing is its exit from zero interest

0:23:16.400 --> 0:23:21.199
<v Speaker 12>rate policy already back in two thousand and Actually the

0:23:21.400 --> 0:23:25.359
<v Speaker 12>terrent governor Uda was one of the policy members then

0:23:25.480 --> 0:23:28.600
<v Speaker 12>and he actually voted against to that exit, but also

0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:31.320
<v Speaker 12>as a policy member, I think he has a vivid

0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:36.280
<v Speaker 12>memory that its exit was probably too quick, given that

0:23:36.800 --> 0:23:40.520
<v Speaker 12>soon after that there was a US tech bubble collapse

0:23:40.760 --> 0:23:43.600
<v Speaker 12>and a huge downturn in the economy. And the second

0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:46.239
<v Speaker 12>one is back in two thousand and six, when it

0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:51.879
<v Speaker 12>exits from its first quantitative easing started in two thousand

0:23:51.920 --> 0:23:56.040
<v Speaker 12>and one, and even though it was criticized as hasty,

0:23:56.840 --> 0:24:01.880
<v Speaker 12>the BOJ took more than half a year to signals.

0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:05.680
<v Speaker 12>It's given that timeframe, I think it's still a long

0:24:05.720 --> 0:24:09.560
<v Speaker 12>way for the BOJ to communicate and to make market

0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:11.359
<v Speaker 12>understand the exits is coming.

0:24:11.720 --> 0:24:14.840
<v Speaker 3>That said, I can understand the market's tendency to want

0:24:14.880 --> 0:24:17.119
<v Speaker 3>to make a bet that the BOJ would move at

0:24:17.119 --> 0:24:20.000
<v Speaker 3>the December meeting. We've been well above or when I

0:24:20.040 --> 0:24:23.159
<v Speaker 3>say we am speaking of the Japanese economy, we have

0:24:23.280 --> 0:24:26.480
<v Speaker 3>seen inflation well above the two percent target for more

0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:28.960
<v Speaker 3>than a year now, and I'm going to go back

0:24:28.960 --> 0:24:32.480
<v Speaker 3>to last week with the ton Con data, the large

0:24:32.520 --> 0:24:37.760
<v Speaker 3>manufacturing and non manufacturing indexes were much above forecast. So

0:24:37.960 --> 0:24:40.159
<v Speaker 3>is there not a case to be made that the

0:24:40.160 --> 0:24:44.000
<v Speaker 3>economy is doing well enough where the BOJ could begin

0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:46.879
<v Speaker 3>altering policy at this point in time?

0:24:47.320 --> 0:24:51.680
<v Speaker 12>Right the assessment about the assessment of the Japan's economy,

0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:56.399
<v Speaker 12>it's correct that the Tonkens data was a big positive,

0:24:56.560 --> 0:25:00.359
<v Speaker 12>so the sentiment for at least big corporates are getting better.

0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:04.320
<v Speaker 12>And actually that's right. The headline inflation as well above

0:25:04.520 --> 0:25:10.000
<v Speaker 12>boj's two percent target for nineteen months. Now. I'm having

0:25:10.080 --> 0:25:13.960
<v Speaker 12>said that in terms of the inflation, as a japan

0:25:14.080 --> 0:25:17.879
<v Speaker 12>economist and as a person who grew up in Japan,

0:25:18.040 --> 0:25:23.359
<v Speaker 12>I cannot underscore enough that it's such a high hurdle

0:25:24.119 --> 0:25:28.720
<v Speaker 12>for this country to have two percent inflation. So long

0:25:28.800 --> 0:25:35.680
<v Speaker 12>term macroeconomic stagnation since nineteen nineties led firms very reluctant

0:25:35.880 --> 0:25:42.240
<v Speaker 12>to raise prices because customers got really price sensitive. And

0:25:42.320 --> 0:25:48.960
<v Speaker 12>at the same time, we haven't had inflation for three decades.

0:25:49.000 --> 0:25:55.000
<v Speaker 12>That means one generation. That means people don't expect inflation

0:25:55.359 --> 0:25:58.639
<v Speaker 12>to happen very easily. So those are the background in

0:25:58.680 --> 0:26:02.679
<v Speaker 12>which the BOJ is very causes. Although headline inflation is

0:26:03.200 --> 0:26:05.159
<v Speaker 12>above two percent, they are very I think they are

0:26:05.280 --> 0:26:08.600
<v Speaker 12>very afraid of after the cost push factor abates, it's

0:26:08.680 --> 0:26:12.560
<v Speaker 12>getting back to this inflation state. That's why they keep

0:26:12.640 --> 0:26:16.000
<v Speaker 12>the stimulus. At the same time, a recent positive note

0:26:16.040 --> 0:26:21.679
<v Speaker 12>in TUNCAM supports the next year's annual spring wage negotiation.

0:26:22.080 --> 0:26:25.679
<v Speaker 12>So if there's a huge wage hike happened there in

0:26:25.720 --> 0:26:28.080
<v Speaker 12>the next spring, it's going to be a big push

0:26:28.119 --> 0:26:31.720
<v Speaker 12>for the BOJA to consider shifts about the policy.

0:26:32.000 --> 0:26:34.760
<v Speaker 3>Last week on Daybreak Asia, we were talking with Bloomberg's

0:26:34.800 --> 0:26:37.440
<v Speaker 3>Paul Jackson, one of your colleagues in Tokyo, about the

0:26:37.520 --> 0:26:41.080
<v Speaker 3>Japanese economy, and we tried to address the issue of

0:26:41.119 --> 0:26:44.199
<v Speaker 3>how consumers in Japan are feeling and whether or not

0:26:44.720 --> 0:26:48.360
<v Speaker 3>mister and Missus Watanabe are optimistic about the economy. Here's

0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:49.480
<v Speaker 3>what Paul had to say.

0:26:49.640 --> 0:26:53.320
<v Speaker 13>They're not happy at all. The popularity and support for

0:26:53.400 --> 0:26:57.199
<v Speaker 13>the Prime Minister has been at historic record lows for

0:26:57.280 --> 0:27:01.080
<v Speaker 13>his administration, and he's been pulling out all the stops

0:27:01.119 --> 0:27:05.000
<v Speaker 13>with subsidies to try and lower the impact of inflation.

0:27:05.160 --> 0:27:09.479
<v Speaker 13>So the inflation rate actually would be significantly higher without

0:27:09.560 --> 0:27:13.040
<v Speaker 13>these government subsidies. This, of course, has created a lot

0:27:13.080 --> 0:27:16.199
<v Speaker 13>of you know, conflicting signals for the public. You know,

0:27:16.480 --> 0:27:20.159
<v Speaker 13>the government wants inflation and yet it's giving measures to

0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:23.600
<v Speaker 13>lower inflation. It's going to make up your mind. So

0:27:23.920 --> 0:27:27.359
<v Speaker 13>in a sense, if the boj does scrap its negative

0:27:27.400 --> 0:27:30.280
<v Speaker 13>interest rate, it's going to look more like the government

0:27:30.320 --> 0:27:32.520
<v Speaker 13>and the Bank of Japan are pointing in the same

0:27:32.560 --> 0:27:34.919
<v Speaker 13>direction for the average person on the street.

0:27:34.840 --> 0:27:37.119
<v Speaker 3>Tara, I'd like to get your reaction on what you

0:27:37.280 --> 0:27:39.680
<v Speaker 3>just heard there from Paul about the way in which

0:27:40.119 --> 0:27:44.400
<v Speaker 3>the average consumer in Japan is making sense of government policies, right.

0:27:44.800 --> 0:27:50.639
<v Speaker 12>I totally agree with Paul's view. Actually, the current inflation

0:27:51.160 --> 0:27:54.560
<v Speaker 12>is it's clear that it's sapping the consumer sentiment, and

0:27:55.320 --> 0:27:59.280
<v Speaker 12>not only the sentiment. The GDP data shows are GDP

0:27:59.359 --> 0:28:05.040
<v Speaker 12>data show the private consumption drops for the second straight quarters,

0:28:05.119 --> 0:28:07.960
<v Speaker 12>in the second quarter, in the third quarter of this year,

0:28:08.880 --> 0:28:13.359
<v Speaker 12>even though Japan should have had a strong tailwink from

0:28:13.520 --> 0:28:18.600
<v Speaker 12>COVID reopening happened since May. So that says like inflation

0:28:18.880 --> 0:28:22.879
<v Speaker 12>usually way on consumer sentiments and consumption. So it's the

0:28:22.960 --> 0:28:26.800
<v Speaker 12>tricky part is as a Japanic Onnlyst, I always struggle

0:28:27.040 --> 0:28:30.400
<v Speaker 12>to give a easy explanation on this. But the BOJ

0:28:30.680 --> 0:28:36.000
<v Speaker 12>is irked by inflation, the cost push inflation or bad inflation.

0:28:36.200 --> 0:28:39.280
<v Speaker 12>So that's why in their logic they have to keep

0:28:39.400 --> 0:28:44.160
<v Speaker 12>a stimulus in the economy. And actually the government wants

0:28:44.200 --> 0:28:47.200
<v Speaker 12>to do something for that and that Fishita Prime Minister

0:28:47.800 --> 0:28:50.320
<v Speaker 12>decided an income tax cut, but it's going to be

0:28:50.360 --> 0:28:54.600
<v Speaker 12>happening only in June or July in next year. So

0:28:54.840 --> 0:28:59.120
<v Speaker 12>kind of the government is not giving a strong leadership

0:28:59.400 --> 0:29:03.160
<v Speaker 12>and sending a clear message to help the consumer and households.

0:29:03.160 --> 0:29:07.200
<v Speaker 12>And probably that's one of the main reasons Prime Minister

0:29:07.280 --> 0:29:10.400
<v Speaker 12>Kishida's supporting rate is getting lower and lower.

0:29:10.520 --> 0:29:12.680
<v Speaker 3>Taro, thank you so much for helping us set up

0:29:12.880 --> 0:29:17.360
<v Speaker 3>this week's BOJ meeting. Taro Komura is a Bloomberg Economics

0:29:17.520 --> 0:29:21.040
<v Speaker 3>Japan economist joining us. I'm Doug Krisner. You can join

0:29:21.080 --> 0:29:24.160
<v Speaker 3>Brian Curtis and myself weekdays here for Bloomberg day Break

0:29:24.160 --> 0:29:27.880
<v Speaker 3>Asia beginning at seven am in Hong Kong six pm

0:29:27.960 --> 0:29:28.719
<v Speaker 3>on Wall Street.

0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:31.640
<v Speaker 1>Tom, thank you, Doug, and coming up on Bloomberg day

0:29:31.640 --> 0:29:34.760
<v Speaker 1>Break weekend, we hear from the SEC about a possible

0:29:34.800 --> 0:29:38.800
<v Speaker 1>approval of a spot bitcoin et F. I'm Tom Busby

0:29:38.880 --> 0:29:52.040
<v Speaker 1>And this is Bloomberg. This is Bloomberg day Break weekend,

0:29:52.080 --> 0:29:54.400
<v Speaker 1>our global look ahead at the top stories for investors

0:29:54.400 --> 0:29:56.840
<v Speaker 1>in the coming week. I'm Tom Busby in New York.

0:29:57.520 --> 0:30:01.240
<v Speaker 1>Anticipation of a new wave of investors has bitcoin booming

0:30:01.400 --> 0:30:05.320
<v Speaker 1>once again. Key to the newfound optimism indications that the

0:30:05.400 --> 0:30:08.760
<v Speaker 1>US will likely soon approve exchange traded funds that invest

0:30:08.840 --> 0:30:11.920
<v Speaker 1>directly in the cryptocurrency. For more, Let's add to our

0:30:11.920 --> 0:30:14.960
<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg ninety nine to one newsroom in Washington and Bloomberg

0:30:15.160 --> 0:30:18.040
<v Speaker 1>Sound On co host Kaylee lines.

0:30:17.920 --> 0:30:20.480
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, Tom, So often here in Washington we talk about

0:30:20.520 --> 0:30:24.160
<v Speaker 4>politics because this is where the politicians are, but it's

0:30:24.200 --> 0:30:27.680
<v Speaker 4>also where the regulators are, and one in particular has

0:30:27.720 --> 0:30:31.160
<v Speaker 4>been in the spotlight, the SEC. There's a big question

0:30:31.320 --> 0:30:34.200
<v Speaker 4>around whether the Securities in Exchange Commission may be getting

0:30:34.200 --> 0:30:38.800
<v Speaker 4>close to doing something it hasn't done yet, finally approving

0:30:39.080 --> 0:30:42.760
<v Speaker 4>a spot bitcoin ETF. I actually asked the SEC chair,

0:30:42.840 --> 0:30:45.040
<v Speaker 4>Gary Gensler about that. This past week.

0:30:45.280 --> 0:30:49.200
<v Speaker 11>We have I think somewhere between eight and a dozen

0:30:49.360 --> 0:30:53.640
<v Speaker 11>filings in front of this agency with regard to exchange

0:30:53.680 --> 0:30:59.480
<v Speaker 11>traded products around bitcoin, and the staff of the various

0:30:59.480 --> 0:31:06.080
<v Speaker 11>divisions respond when market participants have filings. We also had

0:31:06.280 --> 0:31:11.000
<v Speaker 11>a court case earlier this fall in this regard, and

0:31:11.080 --> 0:31:15.080
<v Speaker 11>so we do things according to our authorities and how

0:31:15.160 --> 0:31:18.480
<v Speaker 11>courts interpret our authorities, and that's what we'll do here

0:31:18.560 --> 0:31:19.320
<v Speaker 11>as well.

0:31:19.480 --> 0:31:21.440
<v Speaker 4>The court case he is alluding to, by the way,

0:31:21.640 --> 0:31:24.640
<v Speaker 4>is the gray Scale case. Long story short. Grayscale wanted

0:31:24.680 --> 0:31:29.080
<v Speaker 4>to convert its Bitcoin Investment Trust GBTC into a spot ETF.

0:31:29.280 --> 0:31:32.480
<v Speaker 4>The SEC originally said no, so Grayscale sued, and a

0:31:32.560 --> 0:31:36.120
<v Speaker 4>judge ruled that the SEC was arbitrary and capricious. That's

0:31:36.120 --> 0:31:39.120
<v Speaker 4>a quote in its rejection. So the prevailing thinking is

0:31:39.160 --> 0:31:41.360
<v Speaker 4>that gray Scale's finally going to be able to convert,

0:31:41.600 --> 0:31:44.560
<v Speaker 4>and that opens the door to other spot ETFs being approved.

0:31:44.680 --> 0:31:47.400
<v Speaker 4>Let's get more on this with an actual expert. James

0:31:47.440 --> 0:31:51.360
<v Speaker 4>Steifert is joining us. He's an ETF analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence.

0:31:51.600 --> 0:31:53.760
<v Speaker 4>All right, James, is this going to happen and when?

0:31:54.040 --> 0:31:56.239
<v Speaker 14>Yeah? So, first of all, I want to commend you

0:31:56.280 --> 0:31:59.280
<v Speaker 14>on getting like a very unique and differentiative response from

0:31:59.320 --> 0:32:02.800
<v Speaker 14>Kensler on this topic. He's notorious for giving a lot

0:32:02.840 --> 0:32:07.080
<v Speaker 14>of long winded non answers, so that was not exactly

0:32:07.080 --> 0:32:09.680
<v Speaker 14>a clear straightforward answer, but it was better than most

0:32:09.720 --> 0:32:13.000
<v Speaker 14>people get, so put the job on that front. Yeah.

0:32:13.040 --> 0:32:16.520
<v Speaker 14>So we basically since the beginning of October, even since August,

0:32:16.560 --> 0:32:18.000
<v Speaker 14>we've been saying we think this is going to happen

0:32:18.040 --> 0:32:19.800
<v Speaker 14>in January because we thought gray Scale was going to

0:32:19.840 --> 0:32:22.720
<v Speaker 14>win this case. In October we went to ninety percent

0:32:22.760 --> 0:32:26.600
<v Speaker 14>odds that we'd see approvals on this front for spotpack

0:32:26.640 --> 0:32:30.000
<v Speaker 14>on ets by January tenth. There's been some moves by

0:32:30.040 --> 0:32:33.320
<v Speaker 14>the SEC, by Gensler's SEC in the recent weeks, and

0:32:33.440 --> 0:32:35.680
<v Speaker 14>it's really looking like these things are going to be approved,

0:32:36.000 --> 0:32:38.200
<v Speaker 14>and we could see those orders come down anywhere from

0:32:38.280 --> 0:32:41.000
<v Speaker 14>January eighth to January tenth if we're really narrowing in

0:32:41.040 --> 0:32:43.480
<v Speaker 14>on this window. So things are looking good and looking

0:32:43.480 --> 0:32:45.920
<v Speaker 14>like our call is going to be correct. But there

0:32:45.920 --> 0:32:48.320
<v Speaker 14>obviously there's no guarantees here, but that's the way things

0:32:48.320 --> 0:32:50.360
<v Speaker 14>are looking right now. And based on his quote that

0:32:50.400 --> 0:32:52.880
<v Speaker 14>he gave you there, that sounds pretty promising that he's

0:32:52.920 --> 0:32:54.200
<v Speaker 14>basically going to listen to the courts.

0:32:54.320 --> 0:32:56.160
<v Speaker 4>Yeah. Well, he may not have a choice when all

0:32:56.200 --> 0:32:58.760
<v Speaker 4>this said and done, but as we just heard from Chairgainsler,

0:32:58.800 --> 0:33:01.080
<v Speaker 4>there are a lot of these file in front of him,

0:33:01.200 --> 0:33:04.440
<v Speaker 4>so in front of the commission more broadly, and I

0:33:04.480 --> 0:33:08.320
<v Speaker 4>wonder if it's going to be an idea where Greyscale

0:33:08.360 --> 0:33:10.600
<v Speaker 4>won the battle, everybody else gets to win the war.

0:33:10.680 --> 0:33:12.880
<v Speaker 4>Who gets to go first? Does everybody get to go

0:33:13.360 --> 0:33:17.040
<v Speaker 4>all at once? Assuming it is going to be approval,

0:33:17.320 --> 0:33:18.960
<v Speaker 4>Are they all going to get approved at the same time?

0:33:18.960 --> 0:33:19.880
<v Speaker 4>How do you see this working?

0:33:20.120 --> 0:33:22.720
<v Speaker 14>Yeah, so we've been pretty vocal in thinking that they're

0:33:22.760 --> 0:33:24.800
<v Speaker 14>going to approve all at once. Basically, the way they

0:33:24.800 --> 0:33:28.080
<v Speaker 14>approve Bitcoin futures GTS was they let it go first come,

0:33:28.120 --> 0:33:30.080
<v Speaker 14>first serve, and pro shares was the first come in

0:33:30.120 --> 0:33:33.120
<v Speaker 14>that case. And they've basically become dominant in the space.

0:33:33.160 --> 0:33:34.760
<v Speaker 14>They are the only game in town for the most

0:33:34.760 --> 0:33:37.040
<v Speaker 14>part when you look at trading liquidity and volume and

0:33:37.200 --> 0:33:40.720
<v Speaker 14>assets for bitcoin futures etf So they'd learned from that

0:33:40.800 --> 0:33:42.640
<v Speaker 14>and they basically don't want to be a king maker.

0:33:42.880 --> 0:33:45.480
<v Speaker 14>We saw this when they allowed each futures ETFs in October,

0:33:45.480 --> 0:33:48.520
<v Speaker 14>they allowed everyone to go at once. There's thirteen applications

0:33:48.720 --> 0:33:51.480
<v Speaker 14>if you include grey Scale's application for spot Bitcoin ETFs,

0:33:51.480 --> 0:33:53.560
<v Speaker 14>and some of them have different variations how they would

0:33:53.560 --> 0:33:55.240
<v Speaker 14>do this, But our view is they're going to allow

0:33:55.280 --> 0:33:57.360
<v Speaker 14>all of them, basically approve all of them at once.

0:33:57.440 --> 0:33:59.560
<v Speaker 4>All right, Well, they still need to get approval first,

0:33:59.560 --> 0:34:01.440
<v Speaker 4>but it sounds like you think that'll be coming in

0:34:01.560 --> 0:34:04.200
<v Speaker 4>just a few week. Extreme Safer of Bloomberg Intelligence, thank

0:34:04.200 --> 0:34:07.000
<v Speaker 4>you so much, and Tom, I guess it may finally happen.

0:34:07.120 --> 0:34:09.680
<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Kaylee. That was Bloomberg's sound on co host

0:34:09.760 --> 0:34:12.600
<v Speaker 1>Kaylee Lines, reporting from our Bloomberg ninety nine to one

0:34:12.640 --> 0:34:15.920
<v Speaker 1>newsroom in Washington. And you can hear sound on weekdays

0:34:16.000 --> 0:34:19.680
<v Speaker 1>one to three pm Eastern Time on Bloomberg Radio. And

0:34:19.719 --> 0:34:22.160
<v Speaker 1>that does it for this edition of Bloomberg day Break Weekend.

0:34:22.520 --> 0:34:24.800
<v Speaker 1>Join us again Monday morning at five am Wall Street

0:34:24.840 --> 0:34:27.040
<v Speaker 1>Time for the latest on the market's overseas and the

0:34:27.080 --> 0:34:30.000
<v Speaker 1>news you need to start your day. I'm Tom Buzzby.

0:34:30.200 --> 0:34:33.080
<v Speaker 1>Stay with us. Top stories and global business headlines are

0:34:33.120 --> 0:34:35.239
<v Speaker 1>coming up right now.