Brexit

Getlink’s Brexit blues may have happier M&A ending

25 Jun 2021

The $9 bln Channel Tunnel operator has been hit by travel curbs and reduced UK-France trade. Shares a fifth below pre-Covid peaks don’t reflect recovering traffic flows or duty-free sales. A decades-long concession increases the appeal to yield-hungry infrastructure funds.

Global Britain’s winners and losers take shape

16 Jun 2021

The UK’s first major post-Brexit trade deal grants zero-tariff and zero-quota access to Australian agricultural exporters, with little obvious in return. The pact may not hit Britain’s farming sector too hard. But it will form the template for future and bigger trade agreements.

Northern Ireland row threatens its Brexit dividend

21 May 2021

British leaders have cast doubt on border arrangements they agreed following the country’s split from the European Union. It’s a blow for the province’s plan to lure foreign firms by offering access to both Europe and Britain. Its post-Brexit boom may be over before it started.

UK-Aussie trade talks expose post-Brexit tangles

20 May 2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to lower tariffs for goods from Down Under. A deal would bring only a little more growth, cost UK farm jobs, and set a benchmark for negotiations with others. It’s getting harder for Johnson to ignore the tradeoffs after leaving the EU.

Capital Calls: JPMorgan, FirstGroup, Break fees

18 May 2021

Concise insights on global finance: Jamie Dimon is shuffling his deputies; the UK bus-to-rail group’s sale of its U.S. businesses to EQT has hit an investor revolt; deals involving AT&T and Canadian National Railway highlight the fees due for walking away.

Capital Calls: Goldman Sachs, U.S. currency report

16 Apr 2021

Concise views on global finance: The Wall Street bank’s communications veteran, Jake Siewert, goes back to the future, sort of; Taiwan is dubbed a forex interventionist but avoids manipulator label.

UK governance overhaul faces messy application

18 Mar 2021

The government wants company directors to face bans and pay clawbacks if they cause losses or failure. The proposals’ fuzzy language may warp incentives, and lead to legal disputes. PM Boris Johnson’s desire to attract listings to Britain after Brexit may also blunt their teeth.

UK finance watchdog finds rare area to act tough

16 Mar 2021

The Financial Conduct Authority launched its first criminal case against a bank for allegedly failing to spot suspicious transactions. The humiliation for NatWest may be as damaging as any eventual fine. Harsher enforcement is reassuring given post-Brexit deregulation elsewhere.

Capital Calls: T-Mobile US, Ulta Beauty

12 Mar 2021

Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: The U.S. telecom is benefiting from its merger with SoftBank’s Sprint; the U.S. cosmetics retailer revealed a tidy succession plan, but its business still faces lingering pandemic side-effects.

London IPO shakeup is more about SPACs than tech

3 Mar 2021

Finance minister Rishi Sunak plans to overhaul stock market rules to attract more listings. The changes may prevent some UK startups from defecting. But they also allow London to join the craze for blank-cheque offerings. The costs of weaker regulation will become apparent later.

Capital Calls: CPPIB, Barclays, McPlant, DoorDash

26 Feb 2021

Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's CEO is booted for jab-line jumping; the UK bank wins a legal, if not ethical, victory over financier Amanda Staveley; Beyond Meat partners with McDonald’s and Yum; and DoorDash is too hot.

Insurers’ Brexit pleading deserves short shrift

24 Feb 2021

Domestic firms want the government to ease capital requirements following the UK’s departure from the EU. It’s true dividend restrictions mean they may already have ample capital. But amid a slump that’s not enough to make already confusing solvency metrics even more so.

The Exchange: Editorial lessons from Lionel Barber

16 Feb 2021

The former Financial Times editor discusses his views on journalism in the post-Trump, post-Brexit, post-print era with Rob Cox. He also shares some of the juicier stories from his memoir, “The Powerful and the Damned,” like the time he told off Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman.

Capital Calls: Deloitte castoff, Banks and Brexit

15 Feb 2021

Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: The UK auditor chooses an unfortunate moment to offload its lucrative restructuring practice; The Bank of England pours cold water on the idea of a regulatory bonfire after Britain leaves the European Union.

Trading exodus is skirmish in City’s EU perma-war

11 Feb 2021

Some dealing in shares and derivatives shifted out of London in January after European regulators declined to recognise their UK counterparts. The tussle is a taster for bigger fights over clearing and fund management. Britain has many advantages, but few good ways to fight back.

Brexit legacy will clip sterling’s wings

21 Jan 2021

The currency hit an eight-month high against the euro. Vaccine rollouts, on which GDP rebounds depend, are more advanced in UK than many countries. But non-tariff barriers are hindering trade with the EU, which may hold back growth. That will limit the pound’s scope to fly.

Corona Capital: U.S. college football

6 Jan 2021

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: U.S. college football programs are in a talent arms race for coaches, a bit like companies' quest for top-ranked CEOs, despite the pandemic's impact on revenue.

Brexit throws down electric gauntlet to UK cars

4 Jan 2021

Britain’s motor industry has escaped European Union tariffs that would have hobbled half its output. But to meet export rules on low-carbon vehicles by 2024, Prime Minister Boris Johnson needs to ramp up battery output. Convincing groups like Nissan and BMW to stay will be tough.

UK’s duty-free golden goose will become albatross

30 Dec 2020

The government’s plan to end tax rebates for inbound tourists was part of its EU horse-trading. But it’s a needless hit to ailing retailers’ Asian custom. Instead of raising revenue in 2021, it will just become a symbol of the UK’s Brexit-era capacity for reckless self-harm.

Christmas Eve Brexit deal is second-worst outcome

24 Dec 2020

The UK’s last-gasp agreement with the European Union avoids painful tariffs and a dangerous rupture in relations. Yet trade flows remain hostage to diverging standards. While the costs of exiting the single market will now become clear, the benefits of independence remain vague.