Taylor Swift ticketing fiasco enters the U.S. Senate

Published

3 years ago

January 25, 2023

Live Nation is in the firing line over its inability to stop scalper bots from purchasing Taylor Swift tickets

U.S. Senators have grilled the boss of Live Nation over the lack of transparency relating to concert tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour.

The entertainment company, which owns Ticketmaster is under fire after bots purchased tickets for Swift’s ‘Era Tour’ last year, in an attempt to resell them for a higher price.

Joe Berchtold is the chief financial officer of Live Nation, who apologised to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

“We apologise to the fans, we apologise to Ms. Swift, we need to do better and we will do better.”

Senators criticised Live Nation’s fee structure and inability to deal with bots, which bulk buy tickets and resell them at inflated prices.

“There isn’t transparency when no one knows who sets the fees,” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn called Live Nation’s bot problem “unbelievable”.

Ticketmaster reportedly occupies more than 70 per cent market share of primary ticket services for major U.S. concert venues.

“You ought to be able to get some good advice from people and figure it out,” Ms Blackburn said.

Ticketmaster cancelled sales of Swift’s tour to the public because of the “high demand”.

The entertainment giant reportedly sold over 2 million tickets, which is enough to fill 900 stadiums.

Taylor Swift said the situation was difficult, and called for accountability for music promoters.

“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.

“I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” she said.

Middle East tensions rattle markets as traders await U.S. jobs data

Geopolitical tensions impact global markets; Wall Street anticipates strong jobs report, affecting dollar strength and Fed rate outlook.

Published

6 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Geopolitical tensions impact global markets; Wall Street anticipates strong jobs report, affecting dollar strength and Fed rate outlook.

Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are sending ripples through global markets, as investors weigh the potential impact on currencies, commodities and inflation expectations. Risk sentiment has been shaken, while energy prices and safe haven assets remain firmly in focus.

At the same time, Wall Street is preparing for the latest U.S. non-farm payrolls report, with analysts forecasting around 55,000 jobs added. However, market chatter suggests the figure could come in stronger, raising questions about the resilience of the U.S. economy and the path for interest rates.

Steve Gopalan from SkandaFX, explains why the U.S. dollar has strengthened during the turmoil and what a surprise jobs result could mean for the Federal Reserve’s rate outlook.

Subscribe to never miss an episode of Ticker – https://www.youtube.com/@weareticker

Money

Dow tumbles over 1,000 points as oil surges past 80 amid Iran tensions

Stocks plummet over 1,000 points amid oil price surge and Iran tensions; market implications discussed by Kyle Rodda.

Published

11 hours ago

March 6, 2026

ticker NEWS

Stocks plummet over 1,000 points amid oil price surge and Iran tensions

Stocks were rattled this week as the Dow dropped more than 1,000 points, driven by surging oil prices that surpassed 80 dollars a barrel. The spike comes amid escalating tensions in the Iran conflict, sparking concerns for investors worldwide.

Kyle Rodda from Capital.com breaks down the key factors behind the market plunge, which sectors were hit hardest, and how the previous day’s slight stabilisation of oil influenced trading.

The implications of rising oil and geopolitical uncertainty could have lasting effects on the global economy. Watch as Kyle explains what to watch next in the market and how investors are responding to these turbulent times.

Subscribe to never miss an episode of Ticker – https://www.youtube.com/@weareticker

#StockMarket #OilPrices #DowJones #FinancialNews #Investing #MarketUpdate #IranCrisis #Economy

Money

How Iran conflict is driving oil prices and global market volatility

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Energy prices soar amid Iran conflict, with investors reassessing risks and market dynamics.

The ongoing conflict in Iran has sent energy prices soaring and markets reeling. Investors are reassessing inflation expectations, central bank rate paths, and global growth prospects as risk aversion rises.

David Scutt from Stonex gives his insights on how surging oil prices and rising energy risk premia are influencing investor sentiment and market dynamics.

Markets may need weeks to fully digest the economic impact of the conflict, with volatility likely to persist as investors weigh geopolitical and financial risks.

Subscribe to never miss an episode of Ticker – https://www.youtube.com/@weareticker