Transportation

Shared scooters jump into a profitable future

14 Jan 2021

The pandemic has given a new boost to startups offering two-wheeled rentals, previously dented by high operating costs and safety fears. With increased demand, more European cities legalising e-scooters, and funding from investors like SoftBank, the business is gaining speed.

Next London, New York mayors can breathe easier

28 Dec 2020

Fuggedaboutit. That’s what the world’s two top finance centers would love to do with Covid-19. With budgetary, property and transport wounds to heal, it won’t be so easy as 2021 arrives. But after mayoral polls respectively in May and November, urban buzz should start returning.

Heathrow expansion faces long Covid-19 quarantine

16 Dec 2020

Britain’s Supreme Court cleared the way for the London airport to build a third runway, boosting its capacity by two-thirds. The pandemic-induced collapse in air travel makes passenger forecasts obsolete. Even if demand recovers, airlines will struggle to cover the extra costs.

Corona Capital: New York City, Fed/climate change

15 Dec 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: New York City’s exodus puts local government in a tight spot; the Fed’s belated move shows a change in Washington.

Corona Capital: Gaming M&A, Beauty’s bold face

9 Dec 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Consolidation in video games reaches the next level as Sweden’s MTG buys Hutch Games for $375 million; and Spanish cosmetics, fashion and perfume group Puig predicts revenue will double by 2023.

The Exchange: Journey of a vaccine

8 Dec 2020

Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca may soon be available for distribution. But how do you deliver billions of vials across the world? Rob Coyle, pharma head at freight giant Kuehne+Nagel joins Lisa Jucca to discuss how to meet the logistics challenge.

Corona Capital: Airbnb IPO, IKEA catalog

7 Dec 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Vacation-rental app Airbnb ups its likely market valuation when it goes public later this week; and IKEA kills off its doormat-denting printed catalog after 70 years.

Corona Capital: Merck sells Moderna stake

2 Dec 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: The U.S. drugmaker is banking its winnings on an investment in Covid-19 vaccine producer Moderna that dates back to 2015.

Corona Capital: Brexit curveball, Sonos

19 Nov 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: a Covid-19 scare for European Brexit negotiators puts an already-optimistic deadline to the test; and wireless-speaker maker Sonos joins the list of companies profiting from consumers being stuck indoors.

Corona Capital: Dimon weighs in, Gen Z

18 Nov 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: JPMorgan’s chief executive calls for U.S. politicians to “just split the baby” on stimulus; and Generation Z deals a new body blow to the idea that office life will emerge from the pandemic unscathed.

Corona Capital: Salvatore Ferragamo

10 Nov 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Faded heels-and-loafers brand Salvatore Ferragamo could benefit from a coronavirus vaccine-induced return to airport shopping, but the Florentine fashion house would still need a makeover.

Viewsroom: What Biden bodes for money and markets

7 Nov 2020

Without a clear Senate majority, the former vice president will need to tack to the center when he occupies the White House. For Wall Street that’s a bullet dodged. For other industries, it’s a mixed bag. For multilateral institutions, it’s an improvement from Donald Trump.

Corporate America prepares for life in purple

7 Nov 2020

From finance to tech to weed to transport, companies have had plenty of time to consider what a Joe Biden presidency means. Without a clear Senate shift one way or the other, legislative gridlock appears likely. Here is what the 2020 election will mean industry by industry.

Uber victory saves its model not its valuation

4 Nov 2020

California voters approved measures that keep the ride-sharing firm from treating drivers as employees but require it to pay healthcare and other perks. Uber avoided punishing costs. But its expensive fight underscores how much the environment for the shared economy has changed.

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.

Corona Capital: Covid-19 tests, Bed Bath & Beyond

1 Oct 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Diagnostic company Quidel predicts a quarterly earnings bonanza; meanwhile the pandemic turns a struggling retailer into a winner, at least temporarily.

Corona Capital: NYC

30 Sep 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: New York City’s economic reboot comes up against a new outbreak.

Rolls-Royce repair job has 18-month warranty

29 Sep 2020

The UK jet engine maker wants to raise 2.5 bln pounds from existing and new investors, including sovereign funds. That should keep it aloft even if the airlines that use its kit have a bad 2021. Beyond that, a slow recovery could mean more financial warning lights.

Corona Capital: U.S. sports’ virus-bubble success

29 Sep 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Professional hockey and basketball associations scored victories keeping infection rates low or at zero in spectator-free games. And less traveling and more sleep helped players up their game. Wall Street take note.

Corona Capital: Shale merger, Logistics startup

28 Sep 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Two Permian Basin oil drillers agree to merge to share their coronavirus demand-shock woes; and delivery upstart ShipBob gets some SoftBank cash to help it compete with Amazon.