Viewsroom

Breakingviews columnists talk about the big numbers, crunchy deals and nasty spats in global business and economics, offering a weekly dose of financial insight that goes beyond the concise and provocative views readers get from our columns every day.

News
276
Viewsroom: What makes companies proud of Pride?
Neither profit nor investor pressure explain U.S. firms lining up to mark 50 years of the LGBT-rights movement. They may simply be doing the right thing. But the nation still has a long way to go. Plus: how the UK prime minister race affects t...
20 min
277
Viewsroom: UBS gets lost in translation
A star economist at the Swiss bank sparked outrage on Chinese social media after his remarks about the country’s pigs were misconstrued. UBS’s decision to put him on leave seems overdone. And: Those weighing the benefit of a Facebook ...
17 min
278
Viewsroom: When dealmaking gets difficult
Raytheon and United Technologies’ planned $114 bln tie-up raises questions about strategy, cost cuts and executive overreach. It’s prompted their shares to tank and activist Bill Ackman to oppose it. And Fiat Chrysler and Renault’s mooted merger has cr...
18 min
279
Viewsroom: Hong Kong's scary extradition idea
The territory's government, under pressure from Beijing, is trying to ram through a rule change that would allow suspects to be transferred to mainland courts. Foreign executives have cause to be worried. Plus: Steve Bannon wants to ban C...
17 min
280
Viewsroom: A new game of carmaker matchmaker
Fiat Chrysler spurned Peugeot by offering to merge with France’s Renault, which is itself joined to Nissan. How will the pairings play out, and what does it mean for the automotive sector? Plus: Why fossil-fuel giants like BP are painting themselves a ...
27 min
281
Viewsroom: America’s topsy-turvy regulators
Qualcomm lost a lawsuit brought by one DC overseer, even as the DOJ intervened, while $26 bln T-Mobile US-Sprint merger is getting yanked around by agencies with opposing views. Doing business is hard when agencies no longer act in unison. Plus: Is Luc...
20 min
282
Viewsroom: The lasting effects of Trump’s tariffs
Washington and Beijing may yet find a way to end their escalating trade war soon. But for many businesses, the damage already inflicted will be hard to undo. Plus: CEO Mark Zuckerberg might not welcome more calls to break up Facebook, but shareholders ...
20 min
283
Viewsroom: Oil M&A fight may end with no winner
Occidental boss Vicki Hollub corralled BofA CEO Brian Moynihan and investor Warren Buffett to her side to seal a $38 bln offer for Anadarko. Her tactics scared off rival bidder Chevron but may alienate her own shareholders. Plus: Malaysia’s reform effo...
13 min
284
Viewsroom: Apple versus Alphabet
Both Silicon Valley giants are looking for the next big thing after a slowdown in their main product – iPhone sales at Apple and online ads at Alphabet. Lower expectations mean Tim Cook’s outfit has more time to act. Plus: Activist Dan Loeb puts Sony b...
16 min
285
Viewsroom: Will millennials kill Silicon Valley?
Young, tech-savvy adults say everything from high prices to climate change may prompt them to leave the San Francisco area. Other U.S. cities can benefit. Also: Why CEO Jack Dorsey should favor Square over Twitter. And what to expect from Indonesian...
21 min
286
Viewsroom: 'Game of Thrones'-style war heads to TV
HBO’s hit series is ending as parent AT&T, Amazon, Apple and Walt Disney launch their claims to the streaming-video crown. Netflix, though, will be hard to usurp. Elsewhere, India’s weeks-long election gets underway. And global economic growth coll...
22 min
287
Viewsroom: Wells Fargo searches for a leader
The U.S. bank may be tempted to recruit from splashy peers like Goldman Sachs. But there are better reasons to poach from smaller firms. Meanwhile, the $170 bln Chinese liquor maker Kweichow Moutai is worth more than Diageo. Breakingviews columnists di...
21 min
288
Viewsroom: What’s driving Lyft’s valuation?
The ride-hailing firm is worth $30 bln after its stock-market debut, even though its losses are growing. Shareholders are betting a shift to autonomous driving will steer it to a profit, but that may be a long way off. Plus: Saudi Ara...
25 min
289
Viewsroom: Who will drive off with Fiat Chrysler?
Peugeot and Renault both seem keen to merge with the Italo-American carmaker. Either deal could improve earnings from smaller cars, but couldn’t plug all Fiat Chrysler’s gaps in Asia and new tech. Plus: Apple’s underwhelming new services. And can Huawe...
33 min
290
Viewsroom: German bank M&A’s questionable logic
Putting Deutsche and Commerz together might create a national banking champion. A more likely outcome, though, would be a poorly performing behemoth. Meanwhile, Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess commits the mother of all CEO gaffes. Plus: sizing up a Chine...
22 min
291
Viewsroom: Boeing’s struggles
The U.S. aircraft maker is facing a crisis after a second crash involving an updated version of its workhorse 737 jet. There’s a financial hit to Boeing from countries grounding the plane; but there are geopolitical implications, too. Plus: China tries...
20 min
292
Viewsroom: Hostile gold diggers
The three-way takeover fight involving Newmont, Barrick Gold and Goldcorp is full of aggression and big egos. Breakingviews columnists unpick the gold-mining M&A frenzy and debate whether cooler heads can prevail. Plus: China tele...
24 min
293
Viewsroom: Warren Buffett eats crow
Kraft Heinz’s poor earnings, $15 bln writedown and accounting investigation forced the Berkshire Hathaway boss to admit he overpaid for the nuts-to-Velveeta cheese purveyor. Breakingviews columnists discuss what went wrong. Plus: Trump buys mo...
19 min
294
Viewsroom: Brexit breakups
Foreign carmakers are closing some UK plants as lawmakers defect from both the Labour and ruling Tory parties. How will this affect the looming deadline to quit the EU? Plus: Vegan diets are more than a fad.  
17 min
295
Viewsroom: Down Under’s upheaval
Falling house prices and slowing Chinese growth are putting Australia’s record of almost 28 years of economic expansion at risk. The banking industry got dinged after a gripping year-long investigation. And a change of government looks likely. Breaking...
14 min
296
Viewsroom: U.S. water crisis may evaporate wealth
Overuse and climate change are sapping the Colorado river, source of a fifth of U.S. GDP and at least $1.3 trln of market value. The feds and basin states are struggling to adapt, but investors pay little heed. Plus, can India Prime Minister Modi’s bud...
19 min
297
Viewsroom: Why did PG&E file for bankruptcy?
The California utility may face up to $30 bln in wildfire costs. But shareholders see value and lenders were willing to stump up cash. The board’s desire to cut other expenses may have driven the decision. Plus: How U.S. charges against Huawei may affe...
16 min
298
Viewsroom: Global elite-lite takes Davos downer
Pessimism reigns supreme at the annual gathering in the Swiss Alps thanks to trade wars, the U.S. government shutdown and rising populism. Several major leaders stayed away entirely. The event remains a networker’s dream, but self-awareness and problem...
11 min
299
Viewsroom: China’s slowdown is not created equal
People in the Middle Kingdom are buying fewer iPhones and cars, but Nike and others are chugging away nicely. Meanwhile, India’s struggling rural farmers are a force too big to ignore in this year’s general election. Plus: The Detroit auto show reflect...
22 min
300
Viewsroom: High anxiety hits SoftBank’s vision
Rising rates, lower oil prices, wobbly markets and the backlash against Saudi Arabia could put Masa Son’s $97 bln fund on the spot this year. Elsewhere, some Indian tech startups may take the world by storm. Plus, Breakingviews picks three indicators t...
24 min