Big Take Asia

The Nintendo Switch has generated some $100 billion in sales for the Japanese gaming giant since its launch in 2017, propelling the company’s shares to record highs. Now the game-maker is under pressure to do even better with the new Switch 2, out this week. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Bloomberg Opinion’s Gearoid Reidy joins host K. Oanh Ha to talk about why the Switch 2 is so important to Nintendo’s business and whether it can live up to the hype. Read more: If the Switch 2 Stumbles, Nintendo Has No Plan B [https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-opinion-nintendo-switch-2-release-details-future-success/?srnd=undefined] Watch, from Originals: Nintendo’s High-Stakes Bet on the Switch 2 [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-06-04/nintendo-s-high-stakes-bet-on-the-switch-2-video] Further listening: A Turning Point in Trump’s Trade War [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-turning-point-in-trumps-trade-war/id1578096201?i=1000710922666] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

As Donald Trump tries to remake global trade, the dollar’s historic dominance in Asia is under pressure. After Taiwan’s currency saw the biggest surge against the dollar in almost 40 years in early May, some money managers are saying the spike signals the acceleration of a bigger trend of moving investments back home. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg’s Ruth Carson about what’s driving Asia’s shift away from the greenback and what a rewiring of global financial ties means for the region’s biggest economies. Read more: Asia’s $7.5 Trillion Bet on US Assets Is Suddenly Unravelling [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-05-27/asia-s-sell-america-moment-threatens-7-5-trillion-bet-on-us-dollar-assets?srnd=undefined] Further listening: Carry Trades, Explained [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carry-trades-explained/id1746141911?i=1000668218834]Could the Chinese Yuan Ever Replace the US Dollar?  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/could-the-chinese-yuan-ever-replace-the-us-dollar/id1746141911?i=1000670575997] Big Take DC: Stephen Miran on Market Woes and Currency [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2025-05-22/big-take-dc-stephen-miran-on-market-woes-and-currency-podcast] Watch, from Originals: Why the US Is Getting Downgraded [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hoi3xJqBrec] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The trade war between the US and China is on pause, with both sides hoping to agree on a new trade deal by early August. But questions remain about how realistic that timetable could be, given the challenges facing the world’s two largest economies, who both collaborate and compete with one another.  On today’s Big Take podcast, Former US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns joins host David Gura to discuss the trade war, the challenges facing his successor and what he’s telling foreign policy students who are worried about the future of diplomacy. “We’ve gotta steel ourselves for the next decade or two to a historic competition with China. And China right now is stronger.” See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Despite the global hype around China’s DeepSeek, very little is known about the man behind it – Liang Wenfeng. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Saritha Rai about the tech founder who led DeepSeek to the frontline of AI advances and what the company’s rise tells us about the battle for AI dominance. Further listening: Why DeepSeek Sent Nvidia, Other Tech Stocks Tumbling [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-27/why-china-s-deepseek-sent-nvidia-other-us-tech-stocks-tumbling] Watch, from Originals: How China’s DeepSeek Came for Big AI [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw-XrTmuirg] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

In a stunning turn of events, the US and China announced a dramatic reduction in tariffs, which President Trump portrayed as a “total reset” with China. Stocks rose following the news, but what lies ahead once the 90-day reprieve expires remains uncertain. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Treasury reporter Dan Flatley joins host David Gura to discuss the major takeaways from these latest negotiations and what they could mean for the world’s two largest economies. Read more: * ‘Buy America’ Sweeps Across Global Markets After Trade Talks [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-12/-buy-america-sweeps-across-global-markets-after-china-us-talks?srnd=homepage-americas] * China Tariff Relief Spurs Shipping Rush, U-Turn on Price Hikes [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-12/us-china-trade-deal-has-american-businesses-restarting-operations] * Nasdaq 100 Enters Bull Market After US-China Truce: Markets Wrap [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-11/us-futures-dollar-climb-on-geneva-trade-talks-markets-wrap] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.