Episode summary
Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend - April 17th, 2026 | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec
Summary
The episode opens with a wide-ranging market update: investor enthusiasm around efforts to end the war between the US and Iran, big bank earnings, and several notable corporate reports, before turning to Charles Schwab’s quarter and its push into new products. The guest argues the company delivered an “exceptional quarter” with record earnings, record revenue growth, and strong new assets, even though the stock fell on a revenue miss. He says retail traders remain active but are taking smaller, shorter-term positions, while longer-term investors are staying disciplined through volatility.
A major theme is Schwab’s product expansion. The guest says the firm is launching spot Bitcoin and Ether trading in the coming weeks, is building AI tools to provide portfolio insights and improve advisor efficiency, and is studying prediction markets but only in a way that supports wealth-building rather than sports or pop-culture betting. He frames Schwab’s edge in crypto as trust, advice, and integrated banking and brokerage services.
The second half shifts to the enduring mystery around Bitcoin’s creator, with a guest from Blockstream addressing a New York Times investigation that suggested he may be Satoshi Nakamoto. He denies it, says the evidence is circumstantial, and argues that Bitcoin emerged from a long line of cypherpunk efforts to build decentralized electronic cash. The episode closes with Monica Nassif, who says she built Mrs. Meyer’s by “bottling” her mother’s values and turning a household-cleaning brand into a fragrance-led, plant-derived consumer business.
Key takeaways
- Schwab says trading activity stayed roughly stable in April, but active traders are taking smaller positions and holding them for less time.
- The guest says Schwab will launch spot Bitcoin and Ether trading in the coming weeks and is building its own custody and recordkeeping systems.
- Schwab is evaluating prediction markets, but the guest says it would only make sense if they are financially related and not centered on sports betting.
- The guest says AI will be used as a new distribution channel and to generate portfolio insights, while also making service teams more productive.
- The Blockstream guest denies being Satoshi Nakamoto and says the theory is based on circumstantial analysis rather than new evidence.
- Monica Nassif says Mrs. Meyer’s was designed to combine green positioning with performance, price, packaging, and personality.
Notable quotes
“We had record results, record earnings, record revenue growth. We had saw record new assets come into the firm in in March, and it was a across-the-board growth”
“Our our goal is to bring predi- that where you on average are going to add to your wealth as opposed to gambling-oriented things”
“No, I mean, my it looks like the people that, you know, who were involved in these early discussions or who or who are involved in the Bitcoin technology today, have various reasons why in probability it's not them”
“we bottled all of her values. Frugality, she loves her garden, she, you know, she raised nine kids in 10 years”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts, radio, news. This is Bloomberg Business Week Daily, reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead with insight on the people, companies, and trends shaping today's complex economy.
Plus, global business, finance, and tech news as it happens. The Bloomberg Business Week Daily podcast with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Radio. Hi everyone, welcome to the Bloomberg Business Week Weekend podcast.
It was a week of investor enthusiasm over actions toward bringing an end to the war between the US and Iran, even as a US blockade began in the Strait of Hormuz. For the latest on the war, just head to the Bloomberg or bloomberg.com. It was also another week of big bank earnings, record results in fact, despite some on track to cut jobs.
A few others too of note, Netflix, J&J, JB Hunt, Pepsico, Alcoa, and more. We are just getting started, Tim. Yeah, on the earnings in the financial sector, we home in on one of the largest that has a great read on the retail investor.
We're talking about Charles Schwab. Investors were disappointed as revenue missed estimates even as new client assets climbed. For a pulse check on how investors are handling this year's market volatility and the reaction to their earnings report, we catch up with Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurstel.
Plus, hunting for Satoshi Nakamoto is a tried-and-true pastime in the crypto world. Many have tried, none have been successful. Theories, however, remain.
We speak with the cryptographer that the New York Times has identified as Bitcoin's creator, though he, well, you'll have to stick around and see what he has to say. That's a little bit later on. Also, you probably know this brand, likely maybe even have it in your home.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- business news
- finance
- technology stories
- global politics
- economics
Watch the episode
Watch “Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend - April 17th, 2026 | Bloomberg Businessweek” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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