Podcast

Viewsroom: The Fed’s belated Wells Fargo beating

8 Feb 2018

Chair Janet Yellen forbids the $2 trln lender from growing bigger - on her last day in the job, and 17 months after Wells’ fake-accounts scandal hit. Meanwhile, fellow financial watchdog CFPB seems to be giving hacked Equifax a free pass. Plus: how Nintendo made a comeback.

Viewsroom: Jamie Dimon risks ruining a good run

1 Feb 2018

JPMorgan’s chairman and CEO intends to lead the bank until around 2023. Dimon has built a strong and successful company over the past 12 years. But the longer he stays, the harder it becomes to leave on an unambiguous high. Plus: Asian governments tackle bitcoin.

The Exchange: Dual-class dueling

25 Jan 2018

Hong Kong’s plan to welcome super-voting stock weakens corporate governance, but its appeal to Chinese tech companies also may be exaggerated. Officials from Credit Suisse, BlackRock, PCCW Media and Bain Capital debated the upcoming changes at a recent Breakingviews event.

Viewsroom: Trump solar tax is more burn than balm

25 Jan 2018

The U.S. president seems to be trying to right past trade wrongs. But business has long since moved on, meaning tariffs on washing machines and solar panels will do more harm than good. Also, Merkel and Modi disappoint in snow-ravaged Davos. Plus: Spotify’s Wall Street snub.

The Exchange: Trian’s Nelson Peltz

22 Jan 2018

Fresh from successfully gaining a seat on the board of Procter & Gamble, the biggest proxy fight in corporate American history, the founder and CEO of Trian Fund Management sat down for a discussion at Times Square on how investors can better engage with, and improve, the companies they own.

Viewsroom: Donald Trump goes to Davos

19 Jan 2018

The U.S. president heads to the Swiss Alps confab that’s the antithesis of his “America First” ideology. He’ll have competition: keynote speaker Narendra Modi, with his “Make in India” policy. Plus: BlackRock’s Larry Fink pushes social activism. And why Ford is stalling.

Viewsroom: China’s dubious shot across U.S. bow

11 Jan 2018

Talk of buying fewer of Uncle Sam’s bonds may be Beijing’s way of showing some teeth as the Trump administration mulls import tariffs. But as with other retaliatory trade tactics, it would hurt China too. Plus, why Nelson Peltz doesn’t want to be called an activist investor.

Viewsroom: Debt markets set for wild ride

4 Jan 2018

More government borrowing and less central bank buying will force bondholders to fend for themselves, Breakingviews predicts. Plus, passive funds will force out a CEO, electric vehicles give gasoline cars a run for their money and soccer clubs’ spending splurge will intensify.

Viewsroom: Investors target sexual misconduct

29 Dec 2017

Companies that sweep settlements for bad behavior under the carpet will feel shareholder ire in 2018, Breakingviews predicts. Plus, Apple will float past the EU’s roving eye, splintering political parties are a ticking U.S. time bomb and bank bosses may hang up their hats.

The Exchange: Professor Anand Menon

28 Dec 2017

The “Brexit and British Politics” author explains how last year’s vote to leave the EU became the UK’s defining political issue. He says longer-term political undercurrents helped tip the balance towards Leave – and will dictate the type of Brexit the country ends up with.

Viewsroom: Saudi Aramco’s path may lead to China

21 Dec 2017

That the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will join Riyadh in hosting the world’s largest IPO is one of Breakingviews’ 2018 predictions. We also explain the method to our fortune-telling and lay out why China will win the 5G standards race and why Wall Street will learn to love bitcoin.

The Exchange: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

20 Dec 2017

Will Amazon choose New Jersey's largest city as the location for its second headquarters? That's what hometown native Baraka is hoping - and he's lobbying hard to make it happen, even trying to cajole neighboring New York City to play a role in swaying the e-commerce juggernaut's decision.

Viewsroom: A Fox in the Mouse House

15 Dec 2017

Disney’s $66 bln deal for the bulk of Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment empire is a reaction to the rapid rise of streaming-content providers like Netflix, and lets CEO Bob Iger delay retirement again. Elsewhere: the Democrats win in Alabama, and Chinese bike-sharing rides towards M&A.

The Exchange: NY Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen

13 Dec 2017

How bad will the Republican tax plan be for New York City? Alicia Glen, who looks after economic development for America's largest city, says it will hit 700,000 taxpayers and depress property values. But it won't make the Big Apple any less appetizing for the best and brightest.

The Exchange: Marcus Ruiz Evans

8 Dec 2017

The president of Yes California leads a campaign arguing that the Golden State should become an independent country – an idea increasingly referred to as Calexit. He explains why secession would be good for the state’s economy and how he’ll get the rest of the nation to buy in.

Viewsroom: Executive payouts in rude health

7 Dec 2017

Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini is bagging $500 million from selling the insurance company to drugstore chain CVS – despite only a middling performance as boss. Behind such healthcare mergers: a desire to cut out a surfeit of middlemen.

Viewsroom: Uber’s hard route back onto the road

30 Nov 2017

The ride-hailing app has hit a damaging set of speed bumps including accelerating losses, a bruising court battle with Alphabet and covering up a security breach. But new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi’s most important challenge is proving the firm can handle the long haul.

The Exchange: Jim Rogers

22 Nov 2017

The longtime Asia bull and Quantum Fund co-founder thinks the worst bear market of his lifetime is coming. He swung by our Hong Kong bureau to discuss the risks, as well as Trump’s Asia tour and why America could become its own worst enemy if it lets China dominate the region.

Viewsroom: AT&T’s $85 bln deal runs into static

17 Nov 2017

The telecom firm’s acquisition of Time Warner, owner of CNN, may hit regulatory hurdles in D.C. President Trump’s caustic tweets against the news network look self-interested, but watchdogs could yet legitimately rethink norms of competition. Plus: GE searches for a way forward.

The Exchange: Mike Novogratz

15 Nov 2017

From Goldman Sachs partner to Fortress founder and now bitcoin trader, the chief executive of Galaxy Investment Partners has something of a Midas touch. He swings by Times Square to talk about how he's making a killing with a new hedge fund betting on crypto-currencies.