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
301
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
302
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
303
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
304
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
305
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
306
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
307
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
308
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
309
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
310
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
311
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
312
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
313
Viewsroom: Democrats will rattle Wall Street cage
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon be controlled by lawmakers opposing President Trump. That gives them more scope to push their agenda on trade, infrastructure and a perennial bogeyman, th...
16 min
314
Viewsroom: Europe faces life after Angela Merkel
Germany’s chancellor won’t seek re-election in 2021 and is stepping down as party chair next month after electoral setbacks. It may herald a rightward swing at home and less EU unity. Plus: investors’ embrace of Brazil’s...
24 min
315
Viewsroom: The $230 bln scam rocking Nordic banks
Danish lender Danske has already lost its chief executive on news that one of its Estonian branches was used to launder Russian money. Now Nordea and others are facing questions. Plus: investors drive car stocks into a ditch - and Daimler...
21 min
316
Viewsroom: Saudi fiasco sets Wall Street ablaze
Bankers and officials have ditched a huge Saudi shindig after Turkey accused the kingdom of killing a prominent journalist – but big deal fees and oil reserves make the kingdom hard to shun. Breakingviews columnists discuss the financial ramifications ...
15 min
317
Viewsroom: The financial crisis, 10 years on
The crash cost the U.S. economy $30 trln, put 9 mln people out of work and as many families out of their homes. And it exposed how unprepared bankers, lawmakers and watchdogs were. Here we preview our podcast miniseries interviewing some of the movers ...
24 min
318
Viewsroom: Amazon’s JEDI rebellion
Amazon looks set to win the Pentagon’s $10 bln JEDI cloud contract, but Oracle is fighting back. Plus: Is it time for Airbnb to sell its China business? And should Elon Musk be worried about a Chinese Tesla lookalike listing in New York?
19 min
319
Viewsroom: Turkey’s financial crisis may spread
The feud between President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump over steel tariffs threatens to turn other emerging markets cold. Breakingviews columnists discuss the global impact of Turkey’s currency meltdown. Plus: A bad bank in China gets...
22 min
320
Viewsroom: Tesla’s wild and crazy ride
CEO Elon Musk’s tweet about wanting to take the company private is causing a stir. Unorthodoxy aside, its volatile boss and weak corporate governance means Tesla is better off the public roads. Plus, Pakistan’s likely new leader Imran Khan will have to...
16 min
321
Viewsroom: CBS’s $184 mln #MeToo challenge
That’s what CEO Les Moonves gets if he leaves the U.S. TV network – unless fired for cause. That’s rare in corporate America. But allegations he sexually harassed women put the board on the spot. Plus: Hong Kong battles the Big Apple for IPOs. And Chin...
22 min
322
Viewsroom: Sergio Marchionne’s legacy
The sudden death of Fiat Chrysler’s CEO has robbed the car industry of one its most colorful – and successful – leaders. Antony Currie, Rob Cox and Lisa Jucca look back over his 14 years at the wheel and discuss what’s on the road ahead for his success...
18 min
323
Viewsroom: Europe puts Google in a bind
The search firm can easily cover the EU’s $5 bln fine for using its Android phone system to stymie rivals. But the order to stop forcing handset makers to pre-install its software could clip innovation. Plus: Goldman Sachs and Tesla put lackluster corp...
16 min
324
Viewsroom: Trump’s Supreme Court pick
The U.S. president has chosen a friend of big business in Brett Kavanaugh. But he faces bigger questions from Senate democrats about executive power. Plus: Commodity giant Glencore faces mounting risks in Washington, and what’s behind the Chinese yuan’...
15 min
325
Viewsroom: Is Silicon Valley getting nervous yet?
The tech hub is getting squeezed by new policy restrictions amid a looming trade war between the U.S. and China. How is the Valley holding up? Plus: India's state lenders are losing CEOs. Is running these banks into the ground part of the plan?...
15 min