Trump Wraps Up China Trip | Balance of Power: Early Edition 5/15/2026

♪ ANNOUNCER: LIVE FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., THIS IS "BALANCE OF POWER" WITH JOE MATTHEW AND KAYLEE LINES. >> PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HE WILL SOON DECIDE ON TAIWAN. WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY EDITION OF "BALANCE OF POWER." AN UNPRECEDENTED CONVERSATION ABOUT TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE AND LITTLE TO SHOW IN

TERMS OF DELIVERABLES. I'M JOE MATTHEW ALONGSIDE KAYLEE LINES IN WASHINGTON. REMARKABLE THAT PRESIDENT XI DIRECTLY ASKED PRESIDENT TRUMP IF THE U.S. WOULD COME TO TAIWAN'S DEFENSE.

KAILEY: IN THE PRESIDENT SAID THAT HE WAS ONTO MIDDLE, BASICALLY DIDN'T ANSWER EITHER WAY WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION, WHAT WAS COMMITTED TO OVER THIS SUMMER? COUPLE HUNDRED PLANES GOING TO BE BOUGHT BY CHINA, THEY ARE GOING TO OPEN THE DOOR AGAIN TO THE UNITED

STATES, BUT NOT NECESSARILY AS MANY DELIVERABLES IN HAND AT THE PRESIDENT MAKES HIS JOURNEY BACK TO AS SOME HOPE FOR AS HE HEADED OFF TO THE SUMMIT. SOME JOE: QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THEIR MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR WEAPONS SHIP IS SUPPORTED BY THE PRESIDENT.

IT CERTAINLY IS BY CONVENTIONAL LEADERS ON CAPITOL HILL AND THIS MAY BE THE NEXT CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE. ALL THE WHILE, THEY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY WITH AN ONGOING CLOSE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. THE SUMMIT DIDN'T SEEM TO CHANGE THE CONTOURS OF OUR

STANDOFF WITH IRAN. OIL PRICES ARE BACK UP AND INTEREST RATES ARE, TOO. KAILEY: UP 11 BASIS POINTS, JUST SHY OF 4.60 ONCE AGAIN. CLEARLY A MARKET THAT IS GROWING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT PERSISTENT

INFLATIONARY PRESSURES AND WONDERING WHAT IT IS GOING TO BE FOR MONETARY POLICY. IT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THE VERY LAST DAY OF CHAIRMAN POWELL'S TERM AND THEN IT IS KEVIN WARSH'S TURN IT TO INHERIT.

JOE: DOES JAY POWELL GET A CAKE OR SOMETHING, IS THERE A HANDING OF THE GAVEL? KAILEY: THEY COULD GIVE HIM A CAKE IN THE SHAPE OF A HARD HAT. WE MIGHT HAVE TO ARRANGE THAT.

LET'S CHECK ON THE MARKETS THIS FRIDAY. >> I WAS THINKING MUCH THE SAME THING, BUT YOU BEAT ME TO IT. THE S&P, NASDAQ, WE'VE GOT A SELLOFF IN GLOBAL BONDS THAT HAS HALTED OUR RALLY IN STOCKS.

CONCERNS INTENSIFYING THAT CENTRAL BANKS WILL BE FOR IT TO TIGHTEN POLICY TO KEEP INFLATION IN CHECK. SO HERE'S WHERE WE STAND. S&P 500 INDEX RIGHT NOW, THAT IS A DROP OF 1% OVER THE CALL YESTERDAY.

THE DOW ALSO PULLING BACK, ABOUT 50 K. UP NOW BY 430 POINTS. THE NASDAQ DEPOSIT INDEX THEM 3.26 FOR A DROP OF 1.2%. THE TWO-YEAR, 4.08.

KEEP IT LOCKED INTO BLOOMBERG FOR THE VERY LATEST. DROP OF JUST ABOUT 2.2%. WTI UP 3.8%. A BARREL OF BRENT JUST ABOVE 1.09. BITCOIN BACK BELOW 80 K, 79,233.

BITCOIN DOWN BY 2.6%. BILL ACKMAN SAYS PERSHING SQUARE HAS BUILT A NEW STEAK AND MICROSOFT, TAKING A VANTAGE OF THE DECLINE OF SHARE PRICES TO INVEST IN WHAT IS STRONGER AND MORE RESILIENT THAN INVESTORS THINK.

A DOWN DAY FOR MUCH OF THE MARKET, MICROSOFT UP NOW BY 3.7%. BRIEFLY AFTER EARNINGS WE'VE GOT MATERIALS DOWN 6/10 OF 1%. JUST GETTING WORD FROM THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, HE'S ACCUSED OF FATALLY SHOOTING TWO ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFF MEMBERS IN WASHINGTON.

HE WILL FACE FEDERAL HATE CRIME AND MURDER CHARGES. ROUND TWO OF THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP UNDERWAY IN PENNSYLVANIA. AT LAST CHECK, JAPAN SAID -- SITS ATOP THE LEADERBOARD AT THREE UNDER PART. FOR ON-DEMAND NEWS 24 HOURS A DAY SUBSCRIBED TO BLOOMBERG

NEWS NOW WHEREVER YOU GATOR PODCASTS. THAT IS OUR BLOOMBERG BUSINESS FLASH. KAILEY: CHARLIE PELLET CHECKING ON THE MARKETS ENGULFED FOR US. IT'S A LONG FLIGHT, YOU GOT TO ENTERTAIN YOURSELF SOMEHOW. THE PRESIDENT DID THAT BY SPEAKING TO REPORTERS ON AIR