Podcast

Viewsroom: Brexit breakups

21 Feb 2019

Foreign carmakers are closing some UK plants as lawmakers defect from both the Labour and ruling Tory parties. How will this affect the looming deadline to quit the EU? Plus: Vegan diets are more than a fad.

The Exchange: Fixing tech’s gender disparity

19 Feb 2019

Women hold too few roles in corporate America, especially in engineering and computer science. Verizon’s Genia Wilbourn joins Breakingviews to discuss how she and the telecom company are addressing that, from diversity training to influencing suppliers to the CEO’s crucial role.

Viewsroom: Down Under’s upheaval

14 Feb 2019

Falling house prices and slowing Chinese growth are putting Australia’s record of almost 28 years of economic expansion at risk. The banking industry got dinged after a gripping year-long investigation. And a change of government looks likely. Breakingviews dives into the issues.

The Exchange: Hollowing out white-collar jobs

13 Feb 2019

In “The Globotics Upheaval” Richard Baldwin predicts machine learning and instant communications will disrupt service workers just as automation and offshoring upended Western factories. He tells Breakingviews what’s coming, and what we can do to slow it down.

The Exchange: Huawei’s U.S. security chief

11 Feb 2019

Andy Purdy, who previously worked in academia and for the U.S. government, talks about the geopolitical edge to allegations about Beijing’s influence at Chinese tech group Huawei, and how communications equipment needs global standards and better testing across the board.

Viewsroom: U.S. water crisis may evaporate wealth

7 Feb 2019

Overuse and climate change are sapping the Colorado river, source of a fifth of U.S. GDP and at least $1.3 trln of market value. The feds and basin states are struggling to adapt, but investors pay little heed. Plus, can India Prime Minister Modi’s budget help him win re-election?

Spotify hitches its wagon to a mule

6 Feb 2019

The Swedish music service is buying two podcast companies and warned it will crank up spending - including up to $500 mln scooping up other similar talk radio-esqe firms, in the name of growth. Yet sales are slowing and the market for non-music audio is small and speculative.

The Exchange: How Facebook takes away our humanity

5 Feb 2019

That’s the way early investor Roger McNamee describes what the social network – and Google – is doing without proper oversight. In discussing his book, “Zucked,” he explains why just changing Facebook management won’t solve its problems and why he remains hopeful of a solution.

Viewsroom: Why did PG&E file for bankruptcy?

31 Jan 2019

The California utility may face up to $30 bln in wildfire costs. But shareholders see value and lenders were willing to stump up cash. The board’s desire to cut other expenses may have driven the decision. Plus: How U.S. charges against Huawei may affect the telco industry.

The Exchange: Joseph Tsai

29 Jan 2019

Alibaba’s co-founder and executive vice chairman joins Breakingviews to reveal what the future holds for the $400 billion tech giant. As investors fret over economic uncertainties, Tsai also tackles the recent fallout from Huawei, a bruising trade war and the case for tax cuts.

Viewsroom: Global elite-lite takes Davos downer

24 Jan 2019

Pessimism reigns supreme at the annual gathering in the Swiss Alps thanks to trade wars, the U.S. government shutdown and rising populism. Several major leaders stayed away entirely. The event remains a networker’s dream, but self-awareness and problem-solving are sorely lacking.

The Exchange: Flint Mayor Karen Weaver

18 Jan 2019

Before its tainted-water scandal hit in 2014, the Michigan city was already infamous for high crime and poverty rates after a prolonged economic slump. Weaver discusses the fallout from the water crisis – and explains how the birthplace of General Motors is undergoing a revival.

Viewsroom: China’s slowdown is not created equal

17 Jan 2019

People in the Middle Kingdom are buying fewer iPhones and cars, but Nike and others are chugging away nicely. Meanwhile, India’s struggling rural farmers are a force too big to ignore in this year’s general election. Plus: The Detroit auto show reflects the industry’s gloom.

The Exchange: Big Weed’s big year

11 Jan 2019

Bruce Linton runs the world's biggest cannabis producer, Canopy Growth. He visited Breakingviews to discuss what's coming down the pipe in 2019, why a $100 bln weed company is still some way off, and why he doesn't actually partake - yet.

Viewsroom: High anxiety hits SoftBank’s vision

10 Jan 2019

Rising rates, lower oil prices, wobbly markets and the backlash against Saudi Arabia could put Masa Son’s $97 bln fund on the spot this year. Elsewhere, some Indian tech startups may take the world by storm. Plus, Breakingviews picks three indicators to monitor the world economy.

Viewsroom: Who will be 2019’s free-trade champion?

3 Jan 2019

Big economies are throwing up tariffs, but East Africa’s common market could swell to 250 mln people if Ethiopia joins the club. Breakingviews columnists also predict this year will bring the end of easy money for Chinese startups, and a challenge to Tesla from Lyft and Uber.

The Exchange: How corporate competition died

27 Dec 2018

Jonathan Tepper’s book “The Myth of Capitalism” is full of scary facts: two companies control 90 pct of America beer, while five banks account for half the country’s banking assets. He joined Breakingviews to explain the inexorable rise of monopolies and what we can do about it.

Viewsroom: Dealing in high anxiety

20 Dec 2018

Equity valuations are in the stratosphere and geopolitical risk is running hot. Breakingviews columnists predict how that’ll affect markets in 2019, from trade-war fallout to Indian privatizations, a Deutsche Bank rally and mining M&A. They also assess last year’s prognostications.

The Exchange: Gary Shteyngart

17 Dec 2018

To create the hedge fund manager character Barry Cohen – the protagonist in his latest novel “Lake Success” – Shteyngart spent lots of time with real-life financiers, from quants to activists. He discusses what he learned about Wall Street and the money business with Rob Cox.

Viewsroom: French misery gives Italy some company

13 Dec 2018

President Macron hopes a 10 bln euro splurge from state coffers will mollify rioters calling him the “president of the rich.” But it’ll worsen the country’s deficit, risking an EU rebuke. It may, though, offer cover for Italy, whose debt load is causing friction with Brussels.