Alphabet earnings beat expectations, a new report from the IMF says the future of the global economy is looking a little brighter than it did a few months ago, and the troubled regional bank PacWest has agreed to merge with Banc of California. Plus, the FT’s James Shotter explains the role Israeli businesses are playing in protesting the country’s judicial reforms. Mentioned in this podcast:Alphabet revenue beats forecasts on robust digital ad performanceIMF upgrades forecasts but warns global economy ‘not out of the woods’US regional lenders PacWest and Banc of California agree merger Israel’s protesters prepare next phase of battle for democracyLeading Israeli businesses to strike in protest at judicial reformsThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Monica Lopez, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.