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
351
Viewsroom: AT&T’s $85 bln deal runs into static
The telecom firm’s acquisition of Time Warner, owner of CNN, may hit regulatory hurdles in D.C. President Trump’s caustic tweets against the news network look self-interested, but watchdogs could yet legitimately rethink norms of competition. Plus: GE ...
14 min
352
Broadcom $130 bln bid signals market top
The chipmaker’s hostile tilt at Qualcomm is a rare aggressive move in the sector. Qualcomm has its own issues, awaiting approval for its NXP deal and fighting Apple in court. It all suggests the tech sector is too frothy. Plus: Is Hong Kong losing its ...
16 min
353
Saudi Arabia’s city of the future
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has a $500 bln plan to attract new business to the oil-dependent kingdom: build a utopian society on the Red Sea free of many of Saudi’s legal and cultural constraints. Plus: why tech and finance execs won’t be joining ...
19 min
354
China’s leader cements his power
President Xi Jinping emerged stronger at the end of China’s Communist Party Congress. His desire to consolidate control however may not help his plans to keep the Middle Kingdom’s economic engine humming. Plus: U.S. telecom firms try again to dial up a...
22 min
355
President Xi Jinping’s moment
The Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress kicks off this week. Delegates at the week-long confab will select new leaders, including for key financial and economic posts. But the spotlight will be on Xi and whether he can consolidate his...
20 min
356
Activists keep the fight alive
Nelson Peltz narrowly lost his acrimonious bid for a P&G board seat. Honeywell’s decision to spin off two small units was less than Dan Loeb lobbied for. These are temporary setbacks. Past experience and the financial firepower at their disposal ma...
18 min
357
Building the car for the future
Ford boss Jim Hackett’s plan to catch up with rival GM on electric and self-driving vehicles starts with $14 bln of cost cuts. China may be in pole position as it considers banning gasoline cars entirely. But plenty of factors could delay mass adoption...
22 min
358
Trump tax overhaul will be a long slog
The U.S. president and Republicans want to reduce the corporate tax rate to 20 pct from 35 pct. After a blistering defeat over Obamacare, the prospects of significant reform are slim. Meanwhile, Equifax’s CEO slinks out of the building. Plus: Puerto...
26 min
359
German election all about runners-up
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democrats should win more votes than rivals. But they’ll need coalition partners to form a government. Choosing among them promises to be a nail-biter. Also: the Toys R Us bankruptcy won’t be a total loss for...
20 min
360
Ray Dalio taps his inner communist
Bridgewater’s founder thinks his kindred spirit resides in China’s anti-corruption czar Wang Qishan. Both seek radical transparency – though Dalio’s hunt is tied to forging a business in the Middle Kingdom. Plus: Exxon’s salvation may lie in the oil...
19 min
361
Harvey’s path of financial destruction
Texas is facing $180 bln in hurricane cleanup costs, the most of any U.S. natural disaster. The Lone Star State has the wherewithal and chutzpah to cover a large chunk, yet expects Washington to pick up most of the tab. Global water risks, meanwhile...
19 min
362
Trump may unite Congress – against him
The U.S. runs out of money in a month and the president is attacking lawmakers in his own party. That could prompt Republicans and Democrats to work together to keep the lights on. Plus: Rupert Murdoch could be overpaying for Sky.
20 min
363
Fiat Chrysler’s painful choices
Great Wall Motors wants to buy Jeep. That’d leave the Italian-American carmaker cash rich but devoid of profit in a fast-changing industry. Meanwhile, Uber tries to find a silver lining to the cloud its drivers are under. Plus: what makes China’s...
20 min
364
Corporate America dumps CEO president
Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments about white supremacists have lost him the support and advice of business leaders, leaving him increasingly isolated and ineffectual. Qatar’s stake in the LSE may prompt Saudi Aramco to shun the exchange for its...
27 min
365
Diplomatically challenged Trump
The U.S. president needs Beijing’s help with North Korea even more after his recent warmongering outburst. Yet his administration just slapped petty import tariffs on Chinese aluminum. Also: what a Google engineer’s sexist memo says about the firm...
14 min
366
Venezuela’s downward spiral
Questionable elections for a rubber-stamping new assembly may give President Nicolas Maduro more power. But the country’s people, economy - and some U.S. companies - will suffer. Also: Sprint, under a ton of debt yet overvalued, weighs its M&A opti...
17 min
367
Citi lays out path to mediocrity
CEO Mike Corbat pledged a huge earnings boost at the bank’s first investor confab in nine years. But Citi’s enduring crisis hangover will still leave it trailing most rivals. In China, HNA’s shadowy ownership may be a big problem for U.S. M&A. Plus...
24 min
368
Why U.S. tax reform is doomed, too
Republicans’ failure to replace Obamacare throws into doubt Washington’s ability to keep other high-profile election promises, not least cutting corporate levies. Meanwhile, President Trump’s fuzzy agenda for reforming NAFTA could give Canada and...
14 min
369
Elon Musk’s Down-Under wager
Tesla’s CEO is putting the firm’s reputation, and $50 million, on the line in a deal to quickly provide energy storage to South Australia. Over in Texas, a battle is brewing between investment icons Warren Buffett and Paul Singer over a long-suffering...
15 min
370
How China changed Hong Kong
It’s 20 years since the British handed the island and adjacent territory back to the mainland. Breakingviews’ Asia columnists explain how Hong Kong’s economy and society have changed and ask whether this once-dominant regional financial center can...
27 min
371
Blue Apron’s debut leaves bad taste
The meal-kit delivery firm had an unappetizing IPO, barely opening above its much reduced price of $10 a share. Investors are starting to wise up to fluffy concoctions with little meat. The more discerning environment will make it difficult for...
11 min
372
Helping Uber hail a new CEO
Filling departed founder Travis Kalanick’s seat is no easy task, so we offer some suggestions. Elsewhere, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ seemingly crazy $13.7 bln offer for struggling grocer Whole Foods has some logic. Anbang lands in hot water in China. And...
22 min
373
We need to talk about Uber 2.0
Attempts to jump-start the ride-hailing app’s toxic culture stalled after board member and TPG founder David Bonderman’s sexist joke at a company meeting about sexism. The UK grapples with Brexit under a hung parliament. And could a Chinese invasion...
26 min
374
The UK goes to the polls
The Brits are about to elect a new government that’ll take the country out of the EU. Brexit, though, has taken a back seat in the campaign to deadly attacks in London and Manchester – and growing concerns about how the new masters of Whitehall will...
23 min
375
Donald Trump can’t melt Paris accord
The president is pulling America out of the climate agreement signed by 195 countries in 2015. But the continued commitment from cities, companies, investors – and China - will limit the damage. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs steps into a Venezuelan mess. Plu...
25 min