Viewsroom

Viewsroom: Elon Musk’s Down-Under wager

13 Jul 2017

Tesla’s CEO is putting the firm’s reputation, and $50 mln, on the line in a deal to quickly provide energy storage to South Australia. Over in Texas, a battle is brewing between investment icons Warren Buffett and Paul Singer over a long-suffering and oft-wooed energy company.

Viewsroom: How China changed Hong Kong

6 Jul 2017

It’s 20 years since the British handed the island and adjacent territory back to the mainland. Breakingviews’ Asia columnists explain how Hong Kong’s economy and society have changed and ask whether this once-dominant regional financial center can regain some of its lost luster.

Viewsroom: Blue Apron’s debut leaves bad taste

29 Jun 2017

The meal-kit delivery firm had an unappetizing IPO, barely opening above its much-reduced price of $10 a share. Investors are starting to wise up to fluffy concoctions with little meat. The more discerning environment will make it difficult for half-baked companies with high risk.

Viewsroom: Helping Uber hail a new CEO

22 Jun 2017

Filling departed founder Travis Kalanick’s seat is no easy task, so we offer some suggestions. Elsewhere, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ seemingly crazy $13.7 bln offer for struggling grocer Whole Foods has some logic. Anbang lands in hot water in China. And the lure of 100-year debt.

Viewsroom: We need to talk about Uber 2.0

15 Jun 2017

Attempts to jump-start the ride-hailing app’s toxic culture stalled after board member and TPG founder David Bonderman’s sexist joke at a company meeting about sexism. The UK grapples with Brexit under a hung parliament. And could a Chinese invasion solve the North Korea problem?

Viewsroom: The UK goes to the polls

6 Jun 2017

The Brits are about to elect a new government that’ll take the country out of the EU. Brexit, though, has taken a back seat in the campaign to deadly attacks in London and Manchester – and growing concerns about how the new masters of Whitehall will deal with social welfare.

Viewsroom: Donald Trump can’t melt Paris accord

1 Jun 2017

The president is pulling America out of the climate pact signed by 195 countries in 2015. But the continued commitment from cities, companies, investors and other states will limit the damage. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs steps into a Venezuelan mess. Plus: advertisers as activists.

Viewsroom: Trump budgets his way to la-la land

25 May 2017

Basic economics - and decency - fall by the wayside in the administration’s pitch that it can create $2 trln of revenue by cutting $3.6 trln of costs. OPEC and U.S. fields battle for oil supremacy. Zimbabwe invents the zollar. And Bill Ford escapes his CEO’s crash unscathed.

Viewsroom: CEO presidency needs boardroom pushback

17 May 2017

Donald Trump’s promise to run the government like a business is proving difficult but Congress could act like strong independent directors to rein in his wayward management.  China’s ambitious Silk Road project could leave its people holding the bag. Plus: job cuts at Ford.

Viewsroom: Comey ouster bad for business

11 May 2017

Donald Trump’s surprise firing of the FBI director could bog down policies from tax cuts to regulatory reform and even throw the rule of law into question. South Korea elects a new leader to put its own presidential scandal in the past. Plus: Coach goes shopping for Kate Spade.

Viewsroom: Apple starts iPhone birthday bash early

4 May 2017

Lucre from apps and other services should get investors in the party mood ahead of the company’s iconic device turning 10. Big Oil gets buoyed by rising prices – and the New York Times by more readers. And Coach shows the retail industry how to cope with upheaval, up to a point.

Viewsroom: Europe’s electoral frenzy

27 Apr 2017

France is about to choose a new president. The UK has called a surprise election. Germans head to the polls soon and Italians and Greeks could be close behind. As Brexit gets in motion and President Trump settles in, Europe’s election season will bring risks and opportunities.

Viewsroom: Theresa May’s big Brexit gamble

20 Apr 2017

The UK PM wants an early general election to strengthen her majority in parliament, stoking market hopes of a friendly exit from the EU. Those may be misplaced. Elsewhere, Trump’s Buy American, Hire American plan is deeply flawed. And Goldman takes a beating from Morgan Stanley.

Viewsroom: United joins corporate culture chaos

13 Apr 2017

Taking three days to offer a basic apology to the passenger dragged off a flight suggests deeper problems at the U.S. airline. Poor leadership and processes took a toll on Wells Fargo and Toshiba, too. Executives and boards ignore the lessons of cultural failures at their peril.

Viewsroom: Jamie Dimon’s bank-reform cheat sheet

6 Apr 2017

The JPMorgan CEO’s latest shareholder letter hands President Trump and Republicans plenty of tips and sound bites for rolling back post-crisis rules. But the administration’s failure to replace the Fed’s departing top regulator throws more doubt on a Dodd-Frank overhaul.

Viewsroom: David Einhorn pokes under GM hood

30 Mar 2017

The activist’s proposal that the automaker split its stock to give some shareholders a perpetual dividend is a risky maneuver.  President Trump’s plan for skilled-worker visas may make Canada great again. Plus, Republicans face high hurdles to overhaul the U.S. tax code.

Viewsroom: Google, Facebook under the gun

23 Mar 2017

The ad kings have faced criticism over questionable content. Now Google is in the hot seat as brands like L’Oreal pull their digital spending.  Also, Lyft finds an opening as Uber hits roadblocks. Plus: Not all is copacetic between Goldman Sachs alumni in Washington.

Viewsroom: Intel’s pricey bet on driverless cars

16 Mar 2017

The chipmaker is shelling out $15 bln for autonomous-driving parts firm Mobileye, a cool 30 times estimated revenue. Intel missed the mobile-phone revolution. Is it finally on the right road? Plus: Washington bounces bitcoin’s bid for mainstream acceptance.

Viewsroom: Trump’s bad prescription for Obamacare

9 Mar 2017

The U.S. president and congressional Republicans’ rush to ditch the Affordable Care Act is spawning pox-plagued legislation. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank tries to get its financial house in order. And State Street’s fund managers are pushing to get more women on corporate boards.

Viewsroom: SoftBank deal frenzy lacks hard logic

2 Mar 2017

The giant Japanese tech firm has been on a global M&A tear, but shareholders aren’t buying it. President Trump's mix of details-free policy pledges and jingoistic militarism looks dazed, confused and dangerous. Plus: Silvio Berlusconi's AC Milan sale puts Chinese buyers offside.