The Exchange: 1MDB, Goldman, Jho Low and Leo 19 Nov 2018 The new book “Billion Dollar Whale” chronicles the Malaysian mega-scandal involving Goldman Sachs and Leonardo DiCaprio. Co-author Tom Wright joined Breakingviews in Hong Kong to discuss how alleged mastermind Jho Low pulled it off and what the saga’s next chapter may bring.
Viewsroom: Europe fights U.S. Big Tech 15 Nov 2018 Digital titans like Alphabet and Apple may rule the roost, but EU rules on data privacy are helping startups flourish on the other side of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Facebook’s inability to police fake content spreads to Africa. Plus: Mumbai’s ride-share drivers go on strike.
Viewsroom: Democrats will rattle Wall Street cage 8 Nov 2018 The U.S. House of Representatives will soon be controlled by lawmakers opposing President Trump. That gives them more scope to push their agenda on trade, infrastructure and a perennial bogeyman, the banks. But as Republicans still run the Senate, policy changes will be minimal.
The Exchange: Pascal Lamy 6 Nov 2018 Few people have dedicated their careers to expanding international trade and globalism like Lamy, the former head of the WTO and EU commissioner. But rising rhetoric and increased tariffs between the U.S. and China have him worried, as he tells Rob Cox and Liam Proud in Paris.
Viewsroom: Europe faces life after Angela Merkel 1 Nov 2018 Germany’s chancellor won’t seek re-election in 2021 and is stepping down as party chair next month after electoral setbacks. It may herald a rightward swing at home and less EU unity. Plus: investors’ embrace of Brazil’s far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro may prove risky.
Viewsroom: The $230 bln scam rocking Nordic banks 25 Oct 2018 Danish lender Danske has already lost its chief executive on news that one of its Estonian branches was used to launder Russian money. Now Nordea and others are facing questions. Plus: investors drive car stocks into a ditch - and Daimler's and Ford's dividends look vulnerable.
The Exchange: Kevin Rudd 23 Oct 2018 Australia's prime minister in 2008 told Breakingviews how his government decided to spend some 6 pct of GDP on tax breaks, infrastructure and cash payments to citizens. That helped the country heavily exposed to China, commodities, finance and housing avoid a recession – just.
The Exchange: Stephen Harper 19 Oct 2018 Canada’s former prime minister, in office through the financial meltdown a decade ago, is an advocate for conservative politics with a small “c.” He talked to Breakingviews about the revamped NAFTA, Donald Trump’s standoff with China and the pros and cons of the loonie.
The Exchange: Anshu Jain 15 Oct 2018 Deutsche Bank was credited with coming through the 2008 crisis in better shape than many of its rivals. Jain, who rose from running the German lender’s global markets business to eventually become CEO, stopped by Times Square to speak with Rob Cox about the state of finance.
The Exchange: Howard Marks 11 Oct 2018 The founder of Oaktree Capital, with $120 bln of assets, doesn’t see signs of an imminent correction or crisis. But investors, particularly in the credit markets, are acting bullish in ways they’ll inevitably regret when the cycle turns, Marks told Rob Cox earlier in October.
The Exchange: Jeff Lacker 9 Oct 2018 The presidency of the Richmond Fed, whose territory included two top U.S. banks, offered a unique window on the financial crisis. Wachovia needed rescuing and BofA’s deal to buy Merrill Lynch nearly collapsed. Lacker reflects on what went down and where finance is headed.
The Exchange: Neel Kashkari 4 Oct 2018 Even before Lehman Brothers went belly-up, the U.S. Treasury was hatching a contingency plan. Kashkari was one of the architects of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which plugged some $250 bln into banks. He joins Rob Cox from his current perch running the Minneapolis Fed.
The Exchange: Sheila Bair 28 Sep 2018 The chair of U.S. bank regulator FDIC in 2008 recalls how competition and disagreements between watchdogs contributed to the crash. A decade later, despite leaving the industry, she still feels an obligation to warn of the dangers of rolling back some post-crisis reforms.
The Exchange: Vikram Pandit 26 Sep 2018 As the chief executive of Citigroup, Pandit engineered the bank’s rescue and recovery from the crisis ten years ago. He swung by Times Square to discuss lessons learned, the things that still worry him and where he’s placing his bets on the future of the financial industry.
The Exchange: A chat with Gary Cohn 18 Sep 2018 President Trump’s first National Economic Council director and former Goldman Sachs No. 2 discusses the financial crisis and its aftermath with Gina Chon. He also gives his take on tax cuts and trade, and explains why JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon would make a “phenomenal” president.
The Exchange: Congresswoman Maxine Waters 17 Sep 2018 The senior Democrat on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee recalls the lack of answers that lawmakers had in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The Exchange went to Congress to discuss that period and find out her priorities if she takes over the banking committee.
The Exchange: Greg Fleming 13 Sep 2018 On the day Lehman Brothers went belly-up, Merrill Lynch sold itself to Bank of America. As president of the “Thundering Herd,” Fleming was the architect of that transaction. In conversation with Rob Cox, he defends the deal, reminisces on the crisis and discusses his new venture.
The Exchange: Frank on finance 10 Sep 2018 Barney Frank helped craft the post-crisis rules that put banks back on track. He talks with John Foley about how politics has made the system more fragile, why populism thrived on the right but fizzled on the left, and what it was like to be one of the few openly gay lawmakers.
The Exchange: From slump to Trump 4 Sep 2018 In the first of our “Ten Years After” series, Peter Thal Larsen talks to Adam Tooze. The Columbia University history professor joins the dots from the 2008 crash to Brexit and U.S. elections, noting a declining faith in U.S. willingness to be the global lender of last resort.
Viewsroom: The financial crisis, 10 years on 30 Aug 2018 The crash cost the U.S. economy $30 trln, put 9 mln people out of work and as many families out of their homes. And it exposed how unprepared bankers, lawmakers and watchdogs were. Here we preview our podcast miniseries interviewing some of the movers and shakers of the time.