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]
1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
5
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
6
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
7
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
8
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
9
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
10
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
11
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
12
Introducing The Big View
From our sources to your ears: fresh perspectives on global business and finance.
1 min
13
[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
14
[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
15
[The Exchange] Copper’s green step change is an...
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
16
[The Exchange] India's consumer market is large...
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
17
[The Exchange] Why the French vote also matters...
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
18
[The Exchange] China’s EV makers can ride the t...
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
19
[The Exchange] McKinsey powers through its many...
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
20
[The Exchange] Investors are hunting securitiza...
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
21
[The Exchange] Japanese funds will unlock power...
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
22
[The Exchange] China’s cars fine-tune their dri...
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
23
[The Exchange] China tests EU resolve on export...
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
24
[The Exchange] How investing in news can make s...
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
25
[The Exchange] Global retailers are headed for ...
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