Viewsroom: Sergio Marchionne’s legacy 26 Jul 2018 The sudden death of Fiat Chrysler’s CEO has robbed the car industry of one of its most colorful – and successful – leaders. Antony Currie, Rob Cox and Lisa Jucca look back over his 14 years at the wheel and discuss what’s on the road ahead for his successor Mike Manley.
The Exchange: Asia’s bubbly entrepreneurs 20 Jul 2018 Pete Sweeney hits the RISE tech conference in Hong Kong and hears pitches on vegan cryptocurrency, fog computing and big data for shrimp farmers. Trade tensions haven’t dented enthusiasm, but venture capitalists expect a correction to flush the dumb money from the market.
Viewsroom: Europe puts Google in a bind 19 Jul 2018 The search firm can easily cover the EU’s $5 bln fine for using its Android phone system to stymie rivals. But the order to stop forcing handset makers to pre-install its software could clip innovation. Plus: Goldman Sachs and Tesla put lackluster corporate governance on show.
Viewsroom: Trump’s Supreme Court pick 12 Jul 2018 The U.S. president has chosen a friend of big business in Brett Kavanaugh. But he faces bigger questions from Senate democrats about executive power. Plus: Commodity giant Glencore faces mounting risks in Washington, and what’s behind the Chinese yuan’s downward slide.
Viewsroom: Is Silicon Valley getting nervous yet? 4 Jul 2018 The tech hub is getting squeezed by new policy restrictions amid a looming trade war between the U.S. and China. How is the Valley holding up? Plus: India's state lenders are losing CEOs. Is running these banks into the ground part of the plan?
Viewsroom: Trump goes hog wild on trade 28 Jun 2018 The U.S. president rejected hard-liners’ calls to ban China investing in sensitive U.S. tech. Yet he’s pushing for tariffs that could cost carmakers $45 bln and is livid Harley-Davidson will no longer make EU-bound bikes in the States. Plus: tapping China’s shale reserves.
Viewsroom: Disney, Comcast go from zero to berserk 21 Jun 2018 The Magic Kingdom and the cable company are driving up the price for parts of Twenty-First Century Fox in a global M&A battle that throws financial logic out the window. But does it make sense strategically? Plus: India’s cricket league takes a few pages from the NFL playbook.
The Exchange: Italy’s almost premier 15 Jun 2018 Carlo Cottarelli talks about how he nearly led a caretaker government after President Sergio Mattarella last month rejected a euroskeptic finance minister put forward by the parties that won March elections. The former IMF economist has some advice for Italy’s new bosses.
Viewsroom: AT&T win is unlikely to muzzle watchdogs 14 Jun 2018 The telco firm prevailed against the DOJ and can now legally buy Time Warner for $85 bln. The green light doesn’t mean that regulators will roll over for other deals however. T-Mobile US and Sprint may still be in the crosshairs. Plus: An Australian bank cartel runs into trouble.
Viewsroom: Are tech investors lemmings? 7 Jun 2018 Despite Facebook’s mounting problems, only a third of independent shareholders refused to reelect Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to the board. Tesla and Netflix owners tend to follow the leader, too. Yet protest votes are useful. Plus: Chinese stocks make it into the MSCI.
The Exchange: A Down Under take on Trump 6 Jun 2018 Former Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gives the U.S. president some credit for his dealings with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. But he explains that Donald Trump’s protectionism has enraged China’s leaders and may play into the hands of the country’s own nationalists.
The Exchange: Anatomy of a Theranos takedown 1 Jun 2018 John Carreyrou, the author of “Bad Blood,” explains how Elizabeth Holmes used fear and Silicon Valley myth-making to temporarily become a multi-billionaire – and how he exposed that the $9 bln company’s technology didn’t work.
Viewsroom: Who will win the World Cup? 31 May 2018 Germany may not be the bookies’ clear favorite to lift the trophy. But a data dive into player values, population and other factors predicts the team will emerge victorious. Meanwhile, Italy stages an economic and political comic opera. Plus: Ant Financial’s $10 bln kitty.
Viewsroom: America sees red on China trade deal 24 May 2018 Getting Beijing to force companies to buy more U.S. soybeans and oil may help the Trump administration claim a numbers victory. But it reinforces China’s statist instincts while ignoring most U.S. business beefs with Sino-American trade. Plus: has Tencent hit a peak?
The Exchange: The failure and future of globalism 18 May 2018 Not everyone has been a winner from globalization. Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer talked to Amanda Gomez about his book “Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism” and discussed what political and business leaders can do to make the world economic system work for all.
Viewsroom: 1MDB rears head in Malaysian election 16 May 2018 The $5 bln sovereign-wealth fund’s scandal played a role in voters replacing Prime Minister Najib Razak with nonagenarian Mahathir Mohamad. Its resurgence could mean bad news for Goldman Sachs and Najib himself. Plus: Walmart nabs Flipkart in a big bet on e-commerce in India.
The Exchange: Indonesia’s startup boom 11 May 2018 Southeast Asia's largest economy has seen a flurry of homegrown tech successes, led by $5 billion ride-hailing firm Go-Jek. Willson Cuaca of East Ventures and Donald Wihardja of Convergence Ventures explain why, and how, Jakarta can keep the hits coming.
Viewsroom: What’s eating at Elon Musk? 10 May 2018 Tesla’s CEO berated analysts for asking “boring, bonehead questions” after the electric-car maker reported a record quarterly loss. He then taunted Warren Buffett, suggesting his idea of corporate “moats” is sugary nonsense. Breakingviews columnists discuss why Musk is so testy.
The Exchange: The fate of Venezuela 8 May 2018 The OPEC member’s mismanaged economy is in freefall and its oil output collapsing. Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed-income strategy at Nomura Securities, tells Martin Langfield how President Nicolas Maduro may lose power even if he wins a controversial May 20 election.
The Exchange: Putting limits on central-bank power 4 May 2018 Central bankers emerged from the financial crisis with more clout than ever before. Can this be reconciled with democratic legitimacy? Former Bank of England Deputy Governor Paul Tucker explains why monetary authorities have become “overmighty citizens”, and how to rein them in.