Trump Said to Tap Rubio as Secretary of State, Bitcoin Nears $90,000 & Nestle's New CEO

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

(1)  President-elect Donald Trump is poised to pick two men with track records of harshly criticizing China for key posts in his new administration, a sign relations between the superpowers may deteriorate further in coming years. Senator Marco Rubio — who has taken an aggressive stance on China's emergence as an economic power — is set to become the first sitting secretary of state to have been sanctioned by Beijing. Florida Representative Mike Waltz, who has called China a "greater threat" to the US than any other nation, is in line to be national security adviser.

(2) Bitcoin's record-breaking rally took the digital asset past $89,000 and lifted the overall value of the crypto market above its pandemic-era peak as traders bet on a boom under President-elect Donald Trump.

(3) China is planning to cut taxes for home purchases as the government dials up fiscal support to revive a moribund housing market, according to people familiar with the matter. 

(4) The UK will begin issuing digital gilts within the next two years, using blockchain technology to "tokenize" its government debt, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to say in a speech Thursday. The hope is that it will make gilt trading faster and cheaper.

(5) Nestle needed change at the top — so it's leaning on tradition with a new boss from within to win investors back 

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