The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
Slip the surly bonds? Scott Bessent goes on a yield trip
22 minutes Posted Aug 26, 2026 at 10:00 am.
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Show notes

Amid record-tickling yields, the bond markets are now trying to make sense of what Scott Bessent, America’s Treasury secretary, has announced—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 accent.


Guests and host:

  • Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent
  • Shashank Joshi, Washington bureau chief
  • Lane Greene, language correspondent
  • Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”


Topics covered: 

  • bond markets, Treasury, yields, Scott Bessent
  • America, cyber-attacks, water, critical infrastructure
  • British politics, Andy Burnham, accents, class angst


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