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: 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
277
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
278
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
279
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
280
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
281
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
282
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
283
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
284
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
285
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
286
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
287
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
288
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
289
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
290
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
291
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
292
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
293
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
294
Viewsroom: Who will be 2019’s free-trade champion?
Big economies are throwing up tariffs, but East Africa’s common market could swell to 250 mln people if Ethiopia joins the club. Breakingviews columnists also predict this year will bring the end of easy money for Chinese startups, and a challenge to T...
22 min
295
Viewsroom: Dealing in high anxiety
Equity valuations are in the stratosphere and geopolitical risk is running hot. Breakingviews columnists predict how that’ll affect markets in 2019, from trade-war fallout to Indian privatizations, a Deutsche Bank rally and mining M&A. The...
16 min
296
Viewsroom: French misery gives Italy some company
President Macron hopes a 10 bln euro splurge from state coffers will mollify rioters calling him the “president of the rich.” But it’ll worsen the country’s deficit, risking an EU rebuke. It may, though, offer cover for Italy, whose debt load is causin...
15 min
297
Viewsroom: Trade war pause may only delay fight
U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping agreed to a cooling-off period in an escalating tariff spat. Will the ceasefire yield results or is it a stalling tactic? The markets are spooked. Breakingviews columnists discuss the issue from...
17 min
298
Viewsroom: Climate risk is investing opportunity
Experts reckon unrestrained global warming will lop 10 pct off U.S. GDP by 2100. California’s wildfires prove it’s already having disastrous effects. But investors and companies alike can be part of the solution. Plus, Carlos Ghosn’s arrest leaves thre...
29 min
299
Viewsroom: What’s next for Brexit?
Cabinet resignations, an angry coalition partner and a skittish currency greeted UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s draft agreement to quit the EU. Breakingviews columnists examine whether the current mess leads to Brexit with an EU deal, without a deal, ...
17 min
300
Viewsroom: Europe fights U.S. Big Tech
Digital titans like Alphabet and Apple may rule the roost, but EU rules on data privacy are helping startups flourish on the other side of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Facebook’s inability to police fake content spreads to Africa. Plus: Mumbai’s r...
25 min