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: ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

House democrats are backing Trump’s deal with Canada and Mexico even as they charge the president with impeachment. A looming deadline heaping more tariffs on Chinese imports could be kicked down the road, too. The chances of bipartisan support elsewhe...

The German chancellor’s administration is in peril after coalition partner SPD chose left-wingers to lead the party. A snap 2020 election would probably end her 14 years in power and remove another of the wo...

The country’s two main political parties are slugging it out over spending pledges before the Dec. 12 vote. But the campaign is also about how soon the UK will leave the European Union and the terms on which it will trade with its nearest neighbours.

After more than five months of unrest in the city, a prolonged violent siege on a university campus ratcheted things up anew. Blocked roads and trains shuttered schools as tear gas wafted through the central business district. Its status as a financial...