The Exchange
The Exchange is a regular conversation with some of the most influential movers and shakers in business and markets hosted by Peter Thal Larsen, global editor of Breakingviews, the commentary publication of Thomson Reuters. Breakingviews debates and discusses trends in finance and economics with those who shape them, from central bankers and corporate executives to authors and film directors.
1
Boeing and Airbus headwinds are hard to escape
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
2
European board pay requires a US-style overhaul
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
3
Copper’s green step change is an uphill struggle
Supplies of the red metal have to motor if the world is to adequately decarbonise. In this Exchange podcast Tae-Yoon Kim, senior energy analyst at the International Energy Agency, lays out the challenges that need to be overcome if the private sector is going to make that happen.
29 min
4
India's consumer market is large but demanding
Consumption is not a bright spot in the South Asian country, with growth half the pace of GDP. In this Exchange podcast, former Nestlé India board member Rama Bijapurkar explains why international companies need to stick their elbows out to tap the low-earning masses.
23 min
5
Why the French vote also matters to Italy
The outcome of snap elections in France will reverberate beyond its borders. Debt-laden Italy is particularly exposed if borrowing costs rise. In this Exchange podcast, former top Treasury official Fabrizio Pagani discusses Rome’s fiscal challenges in a changing EU landscape.
31 min
6
China’s EV makers can ride the tariffs backlash
The US and the EU have imposed hefty import duties on electric vehicles BYD, Tesla and others make in the People’s Republic. In this Exchange podcast, consultant and former Chrysler executive Bill Russo explains why Europe’s levies are more a speeding fine than a stop sign.
27 min
7
McKinsey powers through its many missteps
Despite scandals from South Africa to Big Oil, the secretive consultancy charms Ivy League recruits and blue-chip clients. In this Exchange podcast, investigative reporter Michael Forsythe explores the mystique and whether opioids advice threatens the firm’s $16 bln of revenue.
30 min
8
Investors are hunting securitization’s oddballs
Whether a bundt cake bakery or an internet address, if it generates steady cash, it can be diced up in the financial alchemy of securitization. In this Exchange podcast, Janus Henderson’s John Kerschner explains the promise and perils, and why the oddest assets can be the best.
38 min
9
Japanese funds will unlock powerful virtuous cycle
Pushy foreigners helped boost short-term value in the Nikkei stock index. In this Exchange podcast, Hiroyuki Otsuka, CEO of Newton Investment and ex-Carlyle executive, explains how local asset managers will create the next wave of gains and usher in dramatic change for Japan.
26 min
10
China’s cars fine-tune their driving skills
Automakers in the country are touting autonomous driving, and Tesla is preparing to join the fray. On this week’s Exchange podcast, Maxwell Zhou, CEO of Alibaba-backed DeepRoute.ai, explains why progress is accelerating and how that is already changing consumers’ expectations.
25 min
11
China tests EU resolve on export trade fight
France’s Emmanuel Macron got little to show from President Xi Jinping’s European tour this month. In this Exchange podcast, MERICS expert Grzegorz Stec explains the difficulty of managing ties with Beijing and why balancing risk and business opportunity is so tricky.
28 min
12
How investing in news can make sense
The media industry has been struggling since the digital era and VC-led initiatives like BuzzFeed and Vice failed. Yet betting on independent outlets can reap decent financial rewards, Harlan Mandel, who runs a specialised impact fund, tells The Exchange podcast.
33 min
13
Global retailers are headed for Shein reckoning
Zara owner Inditex, H&M and other apparel giants are holding ground against the Asian fast-fashion upstart. However, AlixPartners’ retail expert Matt Clark argues in this Exchange podcast that Shein’s focus on garment quality could threaten the dominance of pricier rivals.
28 min
14
Chinese stocks have found a bottom
After a $5 trln crash, there are early signs of healthy buying. In this Exchange podcast, Herald van der Linde, HSBC head of equity strategy, Asia Pacific, unpicks the shifting sentiment of Chinese households and implications for the rest of the region’s capital markets.
25 min
15
Why rich nations have to keep helping poorer ones
The world faces many onerous financial and climate challenges. Still, as Axel van Trotsenburg, the World Bank’s Senior Managing Director, explains in this Exchange podcast, governments and companies in advanced economies cannot afford to stop supporting developing ones.
23 min
16
How new stock rules are boosting Europe’s startups
Young companies in the European Union have traditionally lagged US rivals in both value and numbers. But in this Exchange podcast, Index Ventures Partner Hannah Seal explains how friendlier regulations on employee share ownership are helping EU-based entrepreneurs fill that gap.
20 min
17
Big banks’ shock absorbers are still far too slim
Credit Suisse and a string of US regional banks failed last year. In this Exchange podcast, Stanford Professor Anat Admati argues that lenders’ equity buffers are punier than they seem – and that fixing the problem needn’t cause a credit crunch.
31 min
18
Crypto’s roaring comeback may be harder to undo
Bitcoin’s price broke its record, nearly two years after crypto exchange FTX went bust. In this Exchange podcast, Andreessen Horowitz’s Arianna Simpson explains why digital assets and the ledgers underpinning them are inextricable, and what’s driving new excitement around both.
29 min
19
How to sustain the big rebound in dealmaking
The year kicked off with a 75% increase in global M&A activity, to $525 bln. Speaking to The Exchange podcast from a gathering of merger mavens in New Orleans, Evercore banker Bill Anderson discusses the resurgence and what’s needed to keep the momentum after a two-year slump.
24 min
20
How to solve Europe’s defence riddle
At 360 bln euros, the bloc’s military expenses are three times Russia’s. Yet fragmented defence systems are a problem, Bruegel senior fellow Guntram Wolff tells The Exchange podcast. To improve scale and boost aid for Ukraine, Europe should consider more joint debt.
25 min
21
Why central banks risk making more mistakes
Western rate-setters were late in fighting inflation. In this Exchange podcast, TS Lombard economists Dario Perkins and Davide Oneglia argue that, as price growth abates, the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank may be too slow in easing monetary policy.
24 min
22
The rocky road to an ‘eBay for carbon credits’
Markets that trade the right to emit greenhouse gases have a ropey history. Still, in this Exchange podcast Harvard University Fellow Ely Sandler argues that companies and countries may increasingly pay carbon taxes via emission permits – and unlock cash for the green transition.
37 min
23
The green agenda’s best shot at a revival
Economic distress prompted by globalisation undermines support for the energy transition, climate change economist Valentina Bosetti tells The Exchange podcast. That matters as key US and EU elections approach. Using proceeds from carbon taxes to address inequality is paramount.
31 min
24
Why tech giants will rake in AI’s big gains
Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia and Alphabet powered roughly 8% of 2023’s North American venture deals, largely in artificial intelligence. In this Exchange podcast, Altimeter Capital investor Apoorv Agrawal explains why these companies are reaping rewards from the latest tech craze.
28 min
25
Shipping giants can withstand Red Sea crisis
Houthi attacks near the Suez Canal are slowing global trade. In this Exchange podcast, Zvi Schreiber, CEO of shipping platform Freightos, discusses how the sector was caught by surprise, but excess container ships and more air cargo capacity are helping limit the immediate pain.
27 min