The Big View

Reuters Breakingviews columnists tap their best contacts to explore the biggest issues driving business and markets today. Every Tuesday, Global Editor Peter Thal Larsen and his team tackle a pressing question with a senior executive, financier, policymaker, or other expert. The Big View helps you understand what is going on, explore all sides of the argument, and think about what happens next.

[For previous The Exchange podcast users, we didn't want to leave you hanging so we've decided to repurpose this feed for the launch of The Big View podcast. You can still find the legacy episodes below marked under the old title]

News
1
Plugging the gaping holes in economic data
30 min
2
What investment firms can teach us about AI
Though artificial intelligence seems new, fund managers have used it to spot patterns for years. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Gary Collier, chief technology officer of Man Group, talks about the surprising lessons he’s learned and debunks some common AI tropes.
33 min
3
Why financial warfare could backfire on the US
38 min
4
The debit and credit of the private lending boom
38 min
5
How to sort winners from losers in AI’s civil war
Some advocates believe artificial intelligence is poised to surpass human capabilities. Others see it more as a powerful problem-solving tool. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Felix Martin explores the implications of the diverging views for investors and economists.
37 min
6
How to navigate Trump’s trade wars
38 min
7
The long haul to reviving Britain’s economy
Productivity has slowed, real wages are stagnant, and investment has dried up. The new UK government also faces high debt and rising interest rates. In this episode of The Big View podcast, newly appointed minister Torsten Bell makes the case for radical but incremental change.
46 min
8
How US presidents imposed their will on CEOs
Tycoons like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg bent the knee to Donald Trump. They’re not the first to bow to the Oval Office. In this episode of The Big View podcast, former White House aide Tevi Troy explores the shifting balance of power between corporate and political leaders.
32 min
9
The economics of war and peace in Ukraine
It’s almost three years since Russia invaded, unleashing death and devastation. In this live edition of The Big View podcast, economist and former minister Tymofiy Mylovanov talks about the damage to both sides, the effect of sanctions, and what a peace deal might look like.
40 min
10
Donald Trump’s return reverberates beyond the US
The immediate effects of the president’s second term will be felt at home. But he’s also upending parts of the US-led order. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Reuters Commentator-at-Large Hugo Dixon discusses relations with Europe, rivalry with China, and climate change.
34 min
11
Huawei is a microcosm of China’s last four decades
Since its founding in 1987 the tech giant has learned from Western rivals, expanded overseas, and is now on the front lines of a new Cold War. In this episode of The Big View podcast Eva Dou, author of ‘House of Huawei’, explains how the secretive firm became a national champion.
38 min
12
Why private credit is shrinking as it booms
Non-bank lenders, sitting atop $2 trln in assets, keep taking more of the market away from the traditional titans of Wall Street. Yet the industry is now rapidly consolidating. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Marc Lipschultz, co-CEO of Blue Owl Capital, explains why.
44 min
13
How the world could unplug from China’s batteries
International cell makers are struggling to compete with Chinese giants like CATL. But innovations like solid-state batteries could upend the industry in the not-too-distant future. In this week’s episode of The Big View podcast, QuantumScape CEO Siva Sivaram explains how.
32 min
14
Why central banks were both lucky and smart
Policymakers in major economies have quelled the post-pandemic inflation surge without causing recessions. In this episode of The Big View podcast, BlackRock’s Alex Brazier argues big rate hikes in the US, Europe and the UK helped – but so did unusually strong labour markets.
32 min
15
A financial historian’s warning about the AI boom
Artificial intelligence hopes have unleashed an investment frenzy, propelling chip giant Nvidia’s value to $3.5 trln. In this episode of The Big View podcast, mathematician Andrew Odlyzko explores parallels with the 1990s dotcom bubble and Britain’s railway mania of the 1840s.
36 min
16
Ireland’s $25 bln tax bounty reveals OECD flaws
Dublin expects a record budget surplus in 2024 thanks to a cash deluge from tech giants. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Pascal Saint-Amans, the architect of a landmark tax 2021 treaty, explains how the US’s failure to ratify the deal allows havens to rake in billions.
29 min
17
The power and peril of American economic warfare
Successive US presidents have wielded sanctions and export controls against rival nations. Donald Trump promises further escalation. In this episode of the Big View podcast, political scientist Henry Farrell explains how weaponizing finance and technology can be self-defeating.
34 min
18
Making sense of China’s big economic reboot
Officials have taken dramatic steps to boost confidence and growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Arthur Kroeber, head of research at Gavekal, explains why he sees the People’s Republic turning into a high-tech, low-growth country.
38 min
19
How the US election affects the rest of the world
Next week, voters will choose between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Their decision will impact governments, companies and investors outside the US. In this episode of The Big View podcast, geopolitical strategist Tina Fordham explains why markets misjudge the possible turmoil.   
30 min
20
Why brewers are betting big on alcohol-free beer
Consumers are shunning booze due to health concerns and shifting tastes, forcing beermakers to adapt. In this episode of the Big View podcast Louise Fitzpatrick, an executive at the Dutch brewer Heineken, explains the opportunities and challenges of selling suds without alcohol.
31 min
21
Why data centres are a bottleneck for the AI boom
Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT depend on chips and energy. But a $1 trln rush to build data centres faces constraints on planning and power. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Morgan Laughlin of asset manager PGIM explains the virtual frenzy’s physical limits.
32 min
22
Decoding the puzzle of SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son
The Japanese tycoon shaped global technology while building and losing vast fortunes. How does he keep going? In the first episode of Breakingviews’ new podcast, The Big View, former FT editor Lionel Barber discusses what he uncovered in his biography of Son, ‘Gambling Man’.  
28 min
23
Introducing The Big View
From our sources to your ears: fresh perspectives on global business and finance.
1 min
24
[The Exchange] Boeing and Airbus headwinds are ...
The troubled US jet maker and its European rival aren’t delivering as many planes as customers want. On this Exchange podcast, AirInsight co-founder Addison Schonland explains how some problems stretch back to Covid, whether a third player can break the duopoly, and much more.
34 min
25
[The Exchange] European board pay requires a US...
Non-executive directors at UK and EU-based firms own little equity in the companies they oversee. In this Exchange podcast, Liad Meidar of the hedge fund Gatemore argues that this is a problem, while Peter Boreham of the pay consultancy Mercer explains why it’s hard to change.
25 min