Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein Weighs in on Market Volatility, Crypto, and Trump
Kristen Scholer sat down with Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs, to discuss the economy, his relationship with President Trump, and where the company stands on cryptocurrencies.
Blankfein most recently saw President Trump in Davos and admitted that, even though he wasn't a supporter during the election, he agrees with Trump's message that promoting America's interests doesn't mean withdrawing from the world. Blankfein knows it may not be a popular opinion, but he says President Trump is good for small businesses and America's economy.
Plus, Blankfein comments on Gary Cohn's place in The White House. He believes that Cohn, who previously served as Goldman's Chief Operating Officer, has accomplished everything he set out to do under the Trump administration.
And don't expect Goldman to jump into the crypto craze anytime soon. Blankfein shot down rumors that the company will open a trading desk, saying that it will clear futures contracts for customers. He says there's a lot of "hype" over the digital assets and that he doesn't "love" the concept.
Goldman is also focused more on digital distribution and turning around revenue numbers for its trading division. Blankfein discusses the company's "Marcus" division, which has issued $2 billion in consumer loans in the year after its launch in October 2016.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
