Podcast

HSBC’s big pair of shoes will be hard to fill

9 May 2024

The surprise departure of boss Noel Quinn, who dramatically reshaped the firm, puts the globe-straddling bank on the spot: appoint a steward of its strategy from within, or a new thinker from outside? In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate the $170 bln choice.

How investing in news can make sense

7 May 2024

The media industry has been struggling since the digital era and VC-led initiatives like BuzzFeed and Vice failed. Yet betting on independent outlets can reap decent financial rewards, Harlan Mandel, who runs a specialised impact fund, tells The Exchange podcast.

Clash of the mining titans will get more bruising

2 May 2024

Australian giant BHP’s $39 bln swing for Anglo American is a contentious, complex land grab for the metals key to a renewable future. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss the political and financial hurdles, and why this M&A contest has a way to run.

Global retailers are headed for Shein reckoning

30 Apr 2024

Zara owner Inditex, H&M and other apparel giants are holding ground against the Asian fast-fashion upstart. However, AlixPartners’ retail expert Matt Clark argues in this Exchange podcast that Shein’s focus on garment quality could threaten the dominance of pricier rivals.

US economy is a victim of its own success

25 Apr 2024

The United States emerged as the world’s growth engine at the IMF summit last week. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate whether this debt-fuelled strength means that interest rates will stay high for longer and how that could raise the risk of a recession.

Telecom tycoon ensnared by his hefty debt machine

18 Apr 2024

Patrick Drahi built the ocean-spanning Altice empire on the back of aggressive dealmaking and $60 bln of borrowing. The bill is coming due with interest rates elevated. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss what comes next as bondholders get restless.

Why rich nations have to keep helping poorer ones

16 Apr 2024

The world faces many onerous financial and climate challenges. Still, as Axel van Trotsenburg, the World Bank’s Senior Managing Director, explains in this Exchange podcast, governments and companies in advanced economies cannot afford to stop supporting developing ones.

How Boeing’s woes change everything but planes

11 Apr 2024

Grave problems with the jetmaker’s 737 MAX have sparked a crisis. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain whether rival Airbus offers a template for policymakers, the impact of a US export champion floundering, and why others may struggle to capitalize.

How new stock rules are boosting Europe’s startups

9 Apr 2024

Young companies in the European Union have traditionally lagged US rivals in both value and numbers. But in this Exchange podcast, Index Ventures Partner Hannah Seal explains how friendlier regulations on employee share ownership are helping EU-based entrepreneurs fill that gap.

US antitrust push invites creative dealmaking

4 Apr 2024

Policymakers and trustbusters are eyeing new restrictions on mergers and acquisitions. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists unpack some imaginative workarounds being used by companies ranging from Big Tech to fast food.

Europe’s IPO window opens slowly for buyout barons

28 Mar 2024

CVC floated beauty retailer Douglas, whose shares fell, while EQT received a warmer welcome for skincare group Galderma. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain how to interpret the mixed message for private equity groups sitting on $3 trln of unsold assets.

Big banks’ shock absorbers are still far too slim

26 Mar 2024

Credit Suisse and a string of US regional banks failed last year. In this Exchange podcast, Stanford Professor Anat Admati argues that lenders’ equity buffers are punier than they seem – and that fixing the problem needn’t cause a credit crunch.

Bank crises proved a mixed blessing for rivals

21 Mar 2024

It’s 12 months since Silicon Valley Bank failed and Credit Suisse collapsed into the arms of UBS. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain how bigger banks gorged on these lenders’ carcasses – and how the system’s underlying weaknesses have not gone away.

Crypto’s roaring comeback may be harder to undo

19 Mar 2024

Bitcoin’s price broke its record, nearly two years after crypto exchange FTX went bust. In this Exchange podcast, Andreessen Horowitz’s Arianna Simpson explains why digital assets and the ledgers underpinning them are inextricable, and what’s driving new excitement around both.

Japan’s rate shift will hit zombie firms hardest

14 Mar 2024

The central bank could end an era of negative borrowing costs as early as next week. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists argue that large companies are ready for the tightening, but many struggling small businesses could hit the wall even if policymakers go slow.

How to sustain the big rebound in dealmaking

12 Mar 2024

The year kicked off with a 75% increase in global M&A activity, to $525 bln. Speaking to The Exchange podcast from a gathering of merger mavens in New Orleans, Evercore banker Bill Anderson discusses the resurgence and what’s needed to keep the momentum after a two-year slump.

Lower rates, office return will ease property pain

7 Mar 2024

The post-pandemic boom in hybrid work is causing trouble for banks that have lent heavily to office developers. But in this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain how losses may be limited if central banks bring borrowing costs down and bosses call employees back.

How to solve Europe’s defence riddle

5 Mar 2024

At 360 bln euros, the bloc’s military expenses are three times Russia’s. Yet fragmented defence systems are a problem, Bruegel senior fellow Guntram Wolff tells The Exchange podcast. To improve scale and boost aid for Ukraine, Europe should consider more joint debt.

Post-crisis Adani is cranking up his IPO factory

29 Feb 2024

Indian tycoon Gautam Adani is on a comeback from a short-seller attack that stress-tested his $200 bln empire. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain how the spotlight impacted his group and look at the next crop of listed companies it is set to produce.

Why central banks risk making more mistakes

27 Feb 2024

Western rate-setters were late in fighting inflation. In this Exchange podcast, TS Lombard economists Dario Perkins and Davide Oneglia argue that, as price growth abates, the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank may be too slow in easing monetary policy.