Podcast

Viewsroom: Masks, masks everywhere; Tech breakups

8 Oct 2020

The widespread covering of mouths and noses to stifle Covid-19 has spawned a mini-manufacturing boom, with some downsides, Sharon Lam tells Rob Cox. Yet the economic benefits of mask mandates are plentiful, Lisa Jucca argues from Milan. Plus, Congress targets Big Tech bigly.

Viewsroom: Disastrous debate, Italian soccer deal

1 Oct 2020

The first of the U.S. presidential debates was shambolic, with almost no substance on economic policy for investors or markets to sink their teeth into. On a lighter front, though, Italy’s Serie A soccer league has a chance to regain its glory. Breakingviews columnists discuss.

The Exchange: Netflix’s Reed Hastings

8 Sep 2020

The co-chief executive of the video-streaming firm is out with a new book, “No Rules Rules.” Hastings zoomed in with Jennifer Saba to discuss Netflix’s unorthodox approach to management – like unlimited vacation – and how it sets up the company nicely in a post-Covid world.

The Exchange: Middle class myopia

1 Sep 2020

New York Times reporter Jim Tankersley explodes myths about this politically potent group in his book “The Riches of This Land,” questioning the U.S. media's fixation on rust-belt white men. He argues inclusive growth in the future requires a broader understanding of the past.

Viewsroom: Republicans hammer it home

28 Aug 2020

At their quadrennial convention, the GOP didn’t give much insight into what four more years of Trump would look like. But they were consistent in battering the Democrats and Joe Biden as a Trojan horse for socialism and other ills. Rob Cox, John Foley and Anna Szymanski recap.

Viewsroom: Democrats pitch normalcy first

21 Aug 2020

The Democratic National Convention wound up four days of speeches and spectacle with no unforced errors, a broadly appealing economic message and, above all, a call for a restoration of broken norms. Next up, the Republicans. Rob Cox, John Foley and Anna Szymanski recap.

Viewsroom: Silicon Valley spotlight

30 Jul 2020

The CEOs of Big Tech companies faced off against U.S. lawmakers during an antitrust hearing that raised new evidence about past acquisitions. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ootoya and Colowide engage in a food M&A fight. And: SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s next steps.

The Exchange: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky

28 Jul 2020

The co-founder of the home-sharing firm compared the effects of the pandemic to a torpedo hitting a ship. He discusses how Airbnb raised $2 billion amid the crisis and how Covid-19 has changed travel. It has affected the future of his company, including its options to go public.

Viewsroom: Europe’s big money moment and baijiu

23 Jul 2020

The 750 bln-euro stimulus package agreed to by EU leaders this week was a test of the region’s political resiliency, may be a big deal for the single currency and could lead to more capital markets and M&A activity, EMEA Editor Peter Thal Larsen explains. Plus, a shot of Moutai.

The Exchange: Brave new credit world

21 Jul 2020

The crisis unearthed land mines in the fixed-income market – many of which Arena Investors Chief Executive Dan Zwirn had previously identified. He now explains how to navigate this opaque universe with deep dives on leveraged finance, liquidity crunches and an activist Fed.

The Exchange: Managing through the corona crisis

14 Jul 2020

As companies grapple with the pandemic’s fallout, consulting firm AlixPartners has a close-up view inside boardrooms. CEO Simon Freakley discusses priorities for troubled businesses, the long-term impact of Covid-19 and what he has learned running a global business by video call.

Viewsroom: Chinese access to U.S. money, Boohoo

9 Jul 2020

Chinese companies’ access to American capital is imperiled for all sorts of reasons, says Hong Kong columnist Robyn Mak. The stingy LBO of New York-listed Sina by its CEO won’t help. Also, British fast-fashion retailer Boohoo’s not-quite dark satanic mills are in the spotlight.

The Exchange: PMI CEO Andre Calantzopoulos

7 Jul 2020

The boss of the $110 bln tobacco giant is on a quest to get the world to stop smoking cigarettes and switch over to heated tobacco, mainly PMI’s Iqos brand. Calantzopoulos has a lot of dedicated customers to win over, but he tells Rob Cox how governments might lend him a hand.

Viewsroom: Wirecard, Hong Kong and Tesla

2 Jul 2020

The German fintech scandal shines a light on its hapless regulator; China’s new security law stinks up the fragrant harbor and Elon Musk hasn’t just surpassed Toyota in market value, he’s becoming as rich as Croesus. Breakingviews columnists around the world weigh in.

Viewsroom: Reparations math, the coming WFH battle

25 Jun 2020

As America continues to grapple with the legacy of slavery, Breakingviews columnists debate the financial question of whether the government, and some corporations, have a debt to repay. And Pete Sweeney dives deep into the post-pandemic future of working from home – or not.

Viewsroom: Stock underwriting bonanza, Vietnam

18 Jun 2020

Equity capital markets bankers are having their day in the sun as companies scramble to raise money while central banks pump liquidity into the financial system, Breakingviews editors explain. Plus: Asia columnists Robyn Mak and Una Galani chew over Vietnam’s productive pandemic.

The Exchange: Bruce Flatt

16 Jun 2020

The office is not dead, though hot-desking may be. The elevator needs a rethink. And don’t rule out the shopping mall. Brookfield Asset Management’s chief executive made these and other predictions for the post-pandemic global economy in a recent chat with Breakingviews editors.

Viewsroom: Global takeaway and Cathay

11 Jun 2020

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 the Mets. Breakingviews columnists discuss.

The Exchange: BlackRock ETFs

9 Jun 2020

Exchange-traded funds are wildly popular with retail and institutional investors alike. BlackRock’s global head of ETFs and index investments Salim Ramji demystifies these tools, revealing how they passed their crisis test and how they challenge the active vs. passive divide.

Viewsroom: Reopening after the pandemic

21 May 2020

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 Rob Cox.