Bessent Shocks Markets With Bigger Buybacks | Open Interest 8/19/2026

Get a jump start on the US trading day with Dani Burger on "Bloomberg Open Interest." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent surprises markets with a major boost to debt buybacks as yields hit multi-year highs. SK Hynix surges on a nearly $30 billion buyback. Moderna and Merck jump on promising melanoma vaccine results. Plus, Target and Lowe’s report, with Walmart still ahead. Telsey's Joseph Feldman joins us on the retail winners and losers. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Open Interest 00:01:06 - Target Turnaround, Lowe's Outlook, Housing Market Weakness & Walmart Preview 00:03:43 - Moderna Melanoma Vaccine Breakthrough, Personalized Cancer Treatments & mRNA Expansion 00:06:34 - Treasury Buybacks, Bond Market Rally, Fed Expectations, Inflation Risks & Yield Volatility 00:11:17 - High Interest | Treasury Buyback Expansion, UAE-Iran Escalation, Strait of Hormuz Disruptions & Canada Tariff Delay 00:12:19 - U.S.-Canada Trade Talks, Tariff Reprieve, USMCA Tensions & Florida Primary Results 00:16:11 - SK Hynix $30B Buyback, AI Memory Demand, Data Center Pushback & Hyperscaler Spending 00:19:13 - Nadia Lovell UBS | AI Infrastructure Buildout, Data Center Opposition, Hyperscaler Growth & Market Outlook 00:33:49 - Top Calls | Honeywell Aerospace Upgrade, Dollar Tree Upgrade & Zoom Buy Initiation 00:35:06 - Moderna-Merck Cancer Vaccine, Melanoma Trial Success, mRNA Innovation & Pharma Outlook 00:44:23 - Treasury Buybacks, Long-Term Debt Concerns, Inflation Risks, Deficits & Fed Policy 00:47:52 - Kathy Bostjancic Nationwide Mutual Insurance | Bond Market Volatility, Treasury Intervention, Fed Communication, Inflation & Jackson Hole Preview 00:54:46 - Moderna Surge, Merck Rally, SK Hynix Buyback & Estee Lauder Recovery 00:56:57 - Joe Feldman Telsey Advisory Group | Target Earnings, Consumer Spending Trends, Lowe's Outlook, Walmart Expectations & Retail Recovery 01:05:30 - Sarah Levy Betterment | Gen Z Investing vs Sports Betting, Financial Literacy, Retirement Savings & Social Media Influence 01:13:52 - Florida Primary Results, Democratic Party Dynamics, Trump-Endorsed Candidates & Canada Trade Negotiations 01:17:18 - Scott Painter TrueCar | Auto Tariffs, Canada Supply Chains, Vehicle Affordability, Used Car Demand & Auto Market Trends 01:22:33 - Data Center Backlash, AI Infrastructure Politics, Local Opposition, Power Grid Concerns & Oracle's Strategy -------- More on Bloomberg Television and Markets Like this video? Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss any videos from Bloomberg Markets & Finance: https://tinyurl.com/ysu5b8a9 Visit http://www.bloomberg.com for business news & analysis, up-to-the-minute market data, features, profiles and more. Connect with Bloomberg Television on: X: https://twitter.com/BloombergTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloombergTelevision Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergtv/ Connect with Bloomberg Business on: X: https://twitter.com/business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombergbusiness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergbusiness/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bloombergbusiness?lang=en Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomberg-news/ More from Bloomberg: Bloomberg Radio: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio Bloomberg Surveillance: https://twitter.com/bsurveillance Bloomberg Politics: https://twitter.com/bpolitics Bloomberg Originals: https://twitter.com/bbgoriginals Watch more on YouTube: Bloomberg Technology: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergTechnology Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/@business Bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake Bloomberg Espanol: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomberg_espanol Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergPodcasts