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Tech

Microsoft’s gaming M&A takes it to the next level

27 Sep 2023

The $2.4 trln group’s Activision deal has been picked at by regulators, and it’s exposed to consoles that may be upended by cloud gaming. Still, the $69 bln play diversifies Microsoft into mobile. And it leaves the group better placed to fight the industry’s content wars.

EU regulators have tech giants in their sights

26 Sep 2023

Brussels is taking on the likes of Amazon and Apple with a slew of new rules aimed at curbing market dominance and taking back control over data. Former EU Commission economist Bertin Martens explains to The Exchange podcast how the industry giants could be forced to open up.

Listing duo offers followers a cautious playbook

21 Sep 2023

Chip designer Arm and grocery delivery company Instacart have secured relatively successful stock launches, offering hope of a wider reopening of the IPO market. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain how cornerstone investors and lowly valuations helped.

Capital Calls: Deliveroo

14 Sep 2023

Concise views on global finance: The UK food delivery company’s shares rose 5% amid hopes of a potential deal, but a rich takeout looks unlikely.

Daniel Zhang leaves Alibaba under a cloud

11 Sep 2023

The $230 bln e-commerce group’s outgoing boss has also stepped down as chief of its key computer services unit. The sudden decision upends what seemed a smooth transition of power. It may also delay AliCloud’s spinoff, and with it hopes of boosting the parent company’s valuation.

Apple’s high valuation exposes it to China’s whims

7 Sep 2023

The $2.8 trln tech giant's shares lost 7% in two days after reports said Beijing will impose a ban on officials using iPhones. Current retaliatory measures shouldn’t matter much to valuation. But more draconian assumptions show a problem, especially at Apple’s elevated multiple.

EU steps up lengthy attack on winner-take-all Tech

6 Sep 2023

The European Commission wants technology giants including Apple and Microsoft to give rivals more access to key services and data. It’s a serious push against Big Tech’s ability to dominate markets and squeeze out competitors. Legal battles and compliance challenges look certain.

SoftBank’s reduced Arm price tag is still too high

5 Sep 2023

The Japanese group may float its UK chip designer for $50-54 bln. That’s lower than initially hoped, but still implies an implausible future where revenue and profitability soar. If Arm merely grows at recent rates and nudges up margins, its market worth is more like $35 bln.

Nvidia gives Arm IPO a double leg-up

4 Sep 2023

The $1.2 trln semiconductor designer’s AI-inflated stock price provides a following wind for the UK group’s float. Now Nvidia and two peers may endorse its valuation by buying into Arm’s offering. Owner SoftBank will be hoping other investors buy into the somewhat circular logic.

SoftBank could live with a cut-price Arm IPO

30 Aug 2023

The Japanese conglomerate wants a $60-70 bln price tag for the UK chip designer, according to reports. But it has reasons to push on even at a lower value, in part because a float would boost the parent group’s creditworthiness. That gives investors an incentive to play hardball.

Arm’s changing business model is wildcard for IPO

24 Aug 2023

As well as jumping on the AI bandwagon, SoftBank’s soon-to-float chip designer has altered the way it charges big customers to boost growth and smooth out revenue. If it works, a valuation north of $60 bln looks slightly less implausible. But investors lack evidence so far.

Capital Calls: Shein/Forever 21

24 Aug 2023

Concise views on global finance: The Chinese retailer is partnering with Sparc, the operator behind Forever 21. That helps validate Shein before a public listing without the messiness of a merger. Forever 21 gets a new omnichannel and potentially a way to an IPO.

Arm’s IPO risks shine brighter than its potential

22 Aug 2023

SoftBank’s chip group is leaning on the artificial-intelligence boom to justify a hoped-for float valuation north of $60 bln. There’s no evidence to support that in the numbers, which show lumpy, shrinking sales. China risks and lack of investor control also call for a discount.

Arm float may deepen cracks in IPO market

17 Aug 2023

The chip designer is preparing a stock market listing in the US. Orders are already being lined up from customers like Amazon.com but in this Viewroom podcast Breakingviews columnists explain why it may not get a lofty valuation and how that could put off possible followers.

Capital Calls: Selling Salesforce

15 Aug 2023

Concise views on global finance: After successfully agitating for change at the $200 bln software developer, Jeff Smith’s Starboard and Dan Loeb’s Third Point are offloading their stakes. It’s probably a good time to pocket gains considering the challenges ahead for Big Tech.

Capital Calls: Exor/Philips

14 Aug 2023

Concise views on global finance: The Agnelli family is making a well-timed bet on the troubled 18 bln euro conglomerate that makes everything from toothbrushes to defibrillators.

Big Tech is mostly leaping a low bar

10 Aug 2023

The stock market’s mood increasingly hinges on the vagaries of tech giants like Meta, Amazon and Apple. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how most of their recent earnings held up – even if only compared to muted expectations for their core businesses.

Superconductivity is wild card for stock market

2 Aug 2023

The possible discovery of material that efficiently carries electricity is a fresh disruption for investors grappling with artificial intelligence. They must decide if it’s real, if it’s viable; how it affects existing markets; if it creates new ones; and when change will happen.

France wins more than Kretinsky in Atos breakup

1 Aug 2023

Billionaire Daniel Kretinsky will buy the IT group’s older assets for 2 bln euros including debt. Paris will be pleased that the other, sexier cybersecurity division stays French. Meanwhile the Czech tycoon gets the ailing unit with little relevance to his other recent purchases.