Podcast

Viewsroom: America puts ZTE in the sin bin

25 Apr 2018

The Trump administration’s decision to ban U.S. companies from selling to the Chinese telecom giant is seriously hurting the company's business. And there’s no easy plan B for ZTE. Also: China has a new way to measure unemployment. Should investors take it seriously?

Viewsroom: Fintech’s growing pains

19 Apr 2018

Upstarts like LendingClub and SoFi need to find ways to keep customers returning – just as traditional banks are fighting back and Goldman Sachs’ digital push into consumer lending takes off. Also: how Malaysia’s prime minister may be re-elected despite the 1MDB scandal.

Viewsroom: The biggest loser, China or the U.S.?

10 Apr 2018

A volley of words threatens a trade war between PRC leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. Developing China has much at risk in fighting with the world’s largest economy. But American businesses are vulnerable too. Plus: Meituan goes all-in with local services.

Viewsroom: Spotify leads Wall Street on IPO dance

5 Apr 2018

The music-streaming service enjoyed a mostly smooth stock-market debut despite largely bypassing investment banks. Ultimately, though, business success, not IPO hype, is what counts. Plus: Regulators and automakers are sparking up an altogether too cozy relationship.

Viewsroom: Facebook’s multiplying problems

29 Mar 2018

The social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg is reeling from a data harvest on some 50 million users. It will take time for the $440 billion firm to feel the impact but people are starting to slowly unplug. Plus, the world’s largest consumer-drone maker may go public.

The Exchange: CDP’s water boss

23 Mar 2018

Cate Lamb works with shareholders managing some $90 trln of assets to push companies to address water-scarcity and flood risks. She explains what can be done to mitigate the problem – and how doing too little costs businesses billions and can sink economic growth.

Viewsroom: China’s new central banker

22 Mar 2018

Yi Gang has experience working in America. Once considered a liability, that background now may be one of his greatest assets. And the mainland is courting companies to list shares locally, while China’s version of Hulu plans an IPO - in New York.

Viewsroom: How long should a leader lead?

16 Mar 2018

China’s President Xi Jinping can now stay in power for life. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein seems ready to retire after 12 years at the top. Yet five years may be the ideal length of service. Breakingviews columnists discuss the limitations to limitless rule.

Viewsroom: Trump slaps tariff fear on markets

8 Mar 2018

Imposing levies on steel and aluminum has lost the president his economic adviser, ex-Goldman No. 2 Gary Cohn. That has shocked investors out of complacency. Also: Italy’s elections leave fringe parties in charge. And big deals may be back on the agenda for the mining industry.

Viewsroom: Fraud puts India’s lenders on edge

28 Feb 2018

A $1.8 bln scam at Punjab National Bank comes just months after the government injected $32 bln to bail out 20-odd state-run financial institutions. The scandal may increase calls for them to be privatized. Elsewhere: Will Sky be the limit for Comcast, Disney or Fox?

Viewsroom: Chipmaker battle fries M&A circuits

22 Feb 2018

Broadcom has lowered its hostile bid for Qualcomm after its target upped its longstanding offer for NXP. That decreases the chance the two larger rivals can strike a deal – assuming regulators wouldn’t nuke it. Plus: Credit Suisse shines a rare light on Asian investment banking.

Viewsroom: Volatility puts investors to the test

15 Feb 2018

Higher wages, inflation fears and the prospect of faster than expected rate hikes are posing challenges market players haven’t seen for years. Comcast may spike Walt Disney’s potion to acquire Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment assets. Plus, Singapore’s airshow has everyone buzzing.

The Exchange: Italy’s finance boss

8 Feb 2018

Pier Carlo Padoan, who has run Rome's Ministry of Economy and Finance for the past four years and under its last two prime ministers, says Italy must continue economic reforms no matter who wins elections in March. Padoan also predicts no "Italian surprise" at the polls.

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.