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
201
Viewsroom: Global takeaway and Cathay
Nothing sums up pandemic dealmaking quite like this: As a merger of America’s top shopping mall operators crashed and burned, two of the world’s biggest food-delivery companies joined forces. Also, Cathay gets a bailout and so might t...
32 min
202
Viewsroom: Not the same as it ever was
After the Covid-19 pandemic has passed, will we still shake hands, ride elevators, go to sports matches and go on dates? Will taxes surge to pay for massive government budget deficits? Breakingviews editors chew over some highlights from their new e-bo...
18 min
203
Viewsroom: Hong Kong crunch
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Asian financial hub no longer autonomous from China, days after Beijing unveiled plans to ban sedition and subversion there. Breakingviews columnists in the city untangle what it means amid the trade war...
15 min
204
Viewsroom: Reopening after the pandemic
Major economies like Italy and Switzerland are attempting to return to normal, but with notable differences, as columnists in both countries discuss. And Sharon Lam in Hong Kong talks about the future of leisure and business travel with Global Editor R...
28 min
205
Viewsroom: Cashing out of BlackRock
Boss Larry Fink has lost his biggest shareholder, and former owner as U.S. bank PNC sells its 22% stake in the world’s largest money manager. But the exit could be beneficial for both firms. Plus: Sweden’s Covid-19 plan will be hard to replicate. And: ...
33 min
206
Viewsroom: Mega-mega mergers
The Great Lockdown will inevitably encourage governments to foster the creation of ever-larger “national champions” through corporate consolidation. Rob Cox, Edward Chancellor and Lauren Silva Laughlin discuss possible combos – and why this wo...
28 min
207
Viewsroom: Big trouble ahead
Breakingviews columnist and founder Hugo Dixon discusses his column with Rob Cox on how taxpayer-funded bailouts are likely to encourage excessive risk-taking in the future and provoke new populist backlashes when the bills need to be paid. Also, where...
35 min
208
Viewsroom: The F’d up oil market
Breakingviews columnists in London, Mumbai and Brooklyn discuss what’s going on in the global energy markets amid the coronavirus crisis, as well as Facebook’s big Indian deal and the U.S. government’s attempt to prop up small businesses with ...
38 min
209
Viewsroom: Freebies no more
Breakingviews columnists check in from home in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong to discuss disappearing Silicon Valley perks like free meals and booze, office activism at tech firms, the mystery of China’s 20 million lost mobile-phone...
25 min
210
Viewsroom: Vices and more
Breakingviews columnists in Ireland, New York and Lantau check in with Editor Rob Cox to discuss Jamie Dimon’s annual letter and coming earnings onslaught, fraud at Luckin Coffee and, everybody’s favorite coronavirus obsessio...
36 min
211
Viewsroom: Lingering lockdowns
Breakingviews journalists around the globe check in with Editor Rob Cox to discuss Silicon Valley’s response to the coronavirus, how European regulators are forcing banks to hoard dividends, and one of the biggest corporate rescues yet of the ...
35 min
212
Viewsroom: Lives under lockdown
From Milan to Mumbai to Manhattan, Breakingviews journalists are staying put to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Editor Rob Cox checks in with columnists in India, where 1.3 bln people are housebound; New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. crisis...
25 min
213
Viewsroom: How to run virus bailouts
The rapid economic slowdown caused by the spread of Covid-19 has brought to the fore the prospect of companies getting help from taxpayers. Which firms to target and what strings to attach will be the big questions. Plus: Pepsi, credit cards and cancer...
22 min
214
Viewsroom: Oil shock
A major rift between Saudi Arabia and Russia has sent oil prices plummeting just as the Covid-19 outbreak saps demand. The fallout is pummeling U.S. shale producers and calling traditional energy-security concepts into question. Plus, market fallout in...
24 min
215
Viewsroom: Fear factor
U.S. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell surprised markets with a rate cut ahead of schedule. Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden unexpectedly won the most states on Super Tuesday. Covid-19 may show up in China M&A clauses...
23 min
216
Viewsroom: Hong Kong in the time of Covid-19
Small businesses are hurting, while bankers sit idle and families struggle with school closures and other containment efforts. Despite having only some 80 coronavirus cases, life – as well as retail, tourism and real estate – feels noticeably different...
20 min
217
Viewsroom: BP, Delta shift out of climate neutral
The British fossil-fuel giant and the largest U.S. airline have each pledged to effectively stop emitting carbon over time. The ambition is encouraging and puts them ahead of most rivals. But both fall short on all-important details. There’s plenty of ...
15 min
218
Viewsroom: SoftBank in the crosshairs
Activist Elliott is targeting Masayoshi Son’s firm for poor governance and performance. SoftBank could appease the hedge fund by selling investments to finance buybacks. That could include Sprint, whose deal with T-Mobile US just got the nod. Plus: the...
19 min
219
Viewsroom: Tesla’s improbable ride
Neither car sales nor the potential of robo-taxis justifies the $136 bln electric-vehicle maker’s shares almost doubling this year. Defying logic, Elon Musk’s barely profitable firm is now the world’s second most val...
18 min
220
Viewsroom: Over beers from Davos
At the end of the World Economic Forum, Breakingviews’ three delegates reflected on the highs and lows of the annual gathering of world leaders, corporate executives and do-gooders. Overall, they conclude that Greta outdid Trump, and sustainability is ...
22 min
221
Viewsroom: China’s latest viral threat
The outbreak of a contagious disease before the Lunar New Year holiday evokes memories of SARS’ human and economic toll in 2003. Beijing’s swift reaction this time, imposing travel bans on five cities as 18 died, is encouraging. Plus: the cost of the U...
19 min
222
Viewsroom: Carlos Ghosn’s great escape
The international car boss who fled Japanese authorities is now lambasting Nissan and suing Renault for money due. Breakingviews columnists discuss why the latest twists overshadow the fraying global alliance of three automakers. Also, why Chi...
17 min
223
Viewsroom: Hong Kong’s uncertain 2020
Political unrest continues to roil the financial hub. For investors, though, it’s mostly business as usual as markets take protests in their stride. As Beijing replaces its top representative in the city, and makes other changes, that uneasy balance ma...
18 min
224
Viewsroom: Green M&A in 2020
CEOs increasingly talk a good game on climate change, but the financial implications of global warming have played a small role in dealmaking so far. That will change in the year ahead. Also: why the video-game industry should be bracing for a politica...
22 min
225
Viewsroom: Jack Dorsey’s heroic year ahead
From banning political ads to developing cryptocurrency plans, the CEO of Twitter and Square has been politically more astute than rivals like Facebook. That sets him up for a good 2020. Also: the different ways that shareholders, the Fed and M&A b...
17 min