Viewsroom

Viewsroom: Reparations math, the coming WFH battle

25 Jun 2020

As America continues to grapple with the legacy of slavery, Breakingviews columnists debate the financial question of whether the government, and some corporations, have a debt to repay. And Pete Sweeney dives deep into the post-pandemic future of working from home – or not.

Viewsroom: Stock underwriting bonanza, Vietnam

18 Jun 2020

Equity capital markets bankers are having their day in the sun as companies scramble to raise money while central banks pump liquidity into the financial system, Breakingviews editors explain. Plus: Asia columnists Robyn Mak and Una Galani chew over Vietnam’s productive pandemic.

Viewsroom: Global takeaway and Cathay

11 Jun 2020

Nothing sums up pandemic dealmaking quite like this: As a merger of America’s top shopping mall operators crashed and burned, two of the world’s biggest food-delivery companies joined forces. Also, Cathay gets a bailout and so might the Mets. Breakingviews columnists discuss.

Viewsroom: Reopening after the pandemic

21 May 2020

Major economies like Italy and Switzerland are attempting to return to normal, but with notable differences, as columnists in both countries discuss. And Sharon Lam in Hong Kong talks about the future of leisure and business travel with Global Editor Rob Cox.

Viewsroom: Cashing out of BlackRock

14 May 2020

Boss Larry Fink has lost his biggest shareholder, and former owner as U.S. bank PNC sells its 22% stake in the world’s largest money manager. But the exit could be beneficial for both firms. Plus: Sweden’s Covid-19 plan will be hard to replicate. And: online dating in a pandemic.

Viewsroom: Mega-mega mergers

7 May 2020

The Great Lockdown will inevitably encourage governments to foster the creation of ever-larger “national champions” through corporate consolidation. Rob Cox, Edward Chancellor and Lauren Silva Laughlin discuss possible combos – and why this would be a bad outcome for capitalism.

Viewsroom: Big trouble ahead

30 Apr 2020

Breakingviews columnist and founder Hugo Dixon discusses his column with Rob Cox on how taxpayer-funded bailouts are likely to encourage excessive risk-taking in the future and provoke new populist backlashes when the bills need to be paid. Also, where’s Kim Jong Un?

Viewsroom: The F’d up oil market

23 Apr 2020

Breakingviews columnists in London, Mumbai and Brooklyn discuss what’s going on in the global energy markets amid the coronavirus crisis, as well as Facebook’s big Indian deal and the U.S. government’s attempt to prop up small businesses with the Paycheck Protection Program.

Viewsroom: Freebies no more

16 Apr 2020

Breakingviews columnists check in from home in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong to discuss disappearing Silicon Valley perks like free meals and booze, office activism at tech firms, the mystery of China’s 20 million lost mobile-phone subscribers and an ascendant TikTok.

Viewsroom: Vices and more

9 Apr 2020

Breakingviews columnists in Ireland, New York and Lantau check in with Editor Rob Cox to discuss Jamie Dimon’s annual letter and coming earnings onslaught, fraud at Luckin Coffee and, everybody’s favorite coronavirus obsession: a boom in sales of porn, weed, booze and junk food.

Viewsroom: Lingering lockdowns

2 Apr 2020

Breakingviews journalists around the globe check in with Editor Rob Cox to discuss Silicon Valley’s response to the coronavirus, how European regulators are forcing banks to hoard dividends, and one of the biggest corporate rescues yet of the crisis: Singapore Airlines.

Viewsroom: Lives under lockdown

25 Mar 2020

From Milan to Mumbai to Manhattan, Breakingviews journalists are staying put to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Editor Rob Cox checks in with columnists in India, where 1.3 bln people are housebound; New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. crisis; and hard-hit Italy.

Viewsroom: How to run virus bailouts

20 Mar 2020

The rapid economic slowdown caused by the spread of Covid-19 has brought to the fore the prospect of companies getting help from taxpayers. Which firms to target and what strings to attach will be the big questions. Plus: Pepsi, credit cards and cancer drugs drive virus-era M&A.

Viewsroom: Oil shock

12 Mar 2020

A major rift between Saudi Arabia and Russia has sent oil prices plummeting just as the Covid-19 outbreak saps demand. The fallout is pummeling U.S. shale producers and calling traditional energy-security concepts into question. Plus, market fallout in Japan, China and India.

Viewsroom: Fear factor

5 Mar 2020

U.S. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell surprised markets with a rate cut ahead of schedule. Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden unexpectedly won the most states on Super Tuesday. Covid-19 may show up in China M&A clauses. The coronavirus is inspiring flights to safety.

Viewsroom: SoftBank in the crosshairs

13 Feb 2020

Activist Elliott is targeting Masayoshi Son’s firm for poor governance and performance. SoftBank could appease the hedge fund by selling investments to finance buybacks. That could include Sprint, whose deal with T-Mobile US just got the nod. Plus: the race for the White House.

Viewsroom: Tesla’s improbable ride

6 Feb 2020

Neither car sales nor the potential of robo-taxis justifies the $136 bln electric-vehicle maker’s shares almost doubling this year. Defying logic, Elon Musk’s barely profitable firm is now the world’s second most valuable car company. Plus, the U.S. elections fiasco in Iowa.

Viewsroom: Over beers from Davos

27 Jan 2020

At the end of the World Economic Forum, Breakingviews’ three delegates reflected on the highs and lows of the annual gathering of world leaders, corporate executives and do-gooders. Overall, they conclude that Greta outdid Trump, and sustainability is now a boardroom fixture.

Viewsroom: China’s latest viral threat

23 Jan 2020

The outbreak of a contagious disease before the Lunar New Year holiday evokes memories of SARS’ human and economic toll in 2003. Beijing’s swift reaction this time, imposing travel bans on five cities as 18 died, is encouraging. Plus: the cost of the UK royal family’s new schism.

Viewsroom: Carlos Ghosn’s great escape

16 Jan 2020

The international car boss who fled Japanese authorities is now lambasting Nissan and suing Renault for money due. Breakingviews columnists discuss why the latest twists overshadow the fraying global alliance of three automakers. Also, why China’s Geely wants Aston Martin.