Society

Corona Capital: Warren Buffett, Burger boost

9 Nov 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Rising share prices take the sting out of Berkshire Hathaway’s Covid-19 profit hit; and McDonald’s reports a good quarter for American nugget-lovers.

Bank investors blithely bet on benign EU lockdowns

6 Nov 2020

Shares in lenders like Deutsche Bank, Lloyds and BNP are higher than a month ago despite new restrictions in Germany, Britain and France. Short, mild quarantines may indeed leave them unscathed. Yet that’s a risky bet since past predictions of a “V-shaped” recovery were wrong.

Corona Capital: GM earnings, Third-quarter readout

5 Nov 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: General Motors swerves around Covid-19 potholes; and U.S. companies look to have emerged from a difficult three months in better shape than expected.

UK’s moonshot Covid test plan risks crash landing

3 Nov 2020

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is rolling out mass testing in the city of Liverpool to fight the coronavirus. Such plans have worked in China, but infected British citizens may resist being quarantined. Without penalties or more help, the scheme may be an elaborate waste of money.

Corona Capital: Ferrari, E-commerce, Fox

3 Nov 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Ferrari leaves its auto rivals in the dust; Russia’s online marketplace Ozon heads for a New York IPO; and Fox avoids the virus-induced advertising drought.

Only a twin-track approach will rescue UK economy

2 Nov 2020

Finance minister Rishi Sunak will spend more to soften the impact of a new lockdown and the Bank of England is likely to loosen policy again. It won’t stop insolvencies or economic scarring. Retraining workers of all ages and encouraging productivity-boosting investment is vital.

Review: What can be more premium than luxury?

30 Oct 2020

The next generation of affluent shoppers will spend more on experiences and edgy products, says Erwan Rambourg in “Future Luxe”. That may dim the appeal of classic deluxe products like Gucci bags or Cartier watches. Luxury will be more about what you do than just what you own.

Corona Capital: Netflix price hike

30 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: The streaming-video service hiked the price on subscriptions as binge-watching booms during the pandemic.

Europe virus defences can manage one more lockdown

29 Oct 2020

France and Germany are imposing tough restrictions to stem the pandemic. The economic shock should be milder than the first Covid-19 crisis, and government spending and the ECB can cushion the blow. Yet the region would struggle to cope with a protracted shutdown.

Europe’s new lockdowns are Covid-19 reality check

28 Oct 2020

France is the latest nation to mull tough restrictions to curb infections. Companies are in a weaker state than in the first wave having racked up $765 bln of new debt. Despite the selloff, investors are pricing in a swift recovery. That’s hard to square with a lingering virus.

Corona Capital: Drugmaker’s pick-me-up, Golf M&A

28 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Drugmaker GSK sees a recovery in vaccinations against old-school ailments; meanwhile Covid-19 turns out to be a handy driver when it comes to golf-related dealmaking.

Corona Capital: Binge-watching, Gaming

27 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Streaming viewers like to binge-watch, but they are being stingy; a fresh surge of Covid-19 cases could be a boon for gaming developers.

The Exchange: IMF and sub-Saharan Africa

27 Oct 2020

The regional head of the International Monetary Fund, Abebe Aemro Selassie, joins Swaha Pattanaik to discuss how the Washington-based lender is helping hard-hit countries, debt difficulties, the need for reforms, and why policy choices are more limited than in advanced economies.

U.S. election could be Twitter’s darkest day

26 Oct 2020

The $40 bln firm, Facebook and other online platforms can’t win in the Nov. 3 ballot. Banning political ads and premature claims of victory will be controversial and messy. Breakingviews imagines Jack Dorsey proposing one radical option to Mark Zuckerberg: a temporary shutdown.

Corona Capital: Mixed market messages, Chile votes

26 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Global stocks slumped on Monday as Covid-19 cases rose – yet some prognosticators are readying for major stimulus; and Chile has shown that pandemics don’t have to squash voter turnout.

Review: Green sceptic sheds more heat than light

23 Oct 2020

Bjorn Lomborg wants the world to understand the risks of doing too much on climate change as well as too little. The green firmament should not be immune to constructive criticism. But the Danish academic’s arguments are not convincing enough to warrant societal complacency.

Corona Capital: Gilead Sciences, Virtual Santa

23 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Remdesivir gets formal approval; Santa goes missing from Macy’s.

Nigeria unrest throws petrol on economic bonfire

23 Oct 2020

The army is offering to deploy to quell protests against police brutality. That would fan tensions, the last thing the country needs. Africa’s biggest economy is on the ropes due to Covid-19 and low oil prices. Trouble in the oil-producing Niger Delta would bring it to its knees.

Corona Capital: Quibi

22 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Video streaming company Quibi’s failure is in spite of – not because of – the Covid-19 pandemic.

Corona Capital: U.S. state budget woes

20 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Some conservative U.S. states are hurting as much as liberal New York.