Journalists
Rob Cox helped establish breakingviews in 2000 in London. From 2004 he spearheaded the firm's expansion in the US and edited its American edition, including the daily breakingviews column in the New York Times. Prior to joining breakingviews, Rob held senior editorial positions at Bloomberg News in London, Milan and New York. Rob is a frequent contributor on CNBC and his work has appeared in many prestigious publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine the Times, Esquire, Barron's and the Daily Telegraph. He is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Vermont.
The German bank sold a Giacometti sculpture it bought in 1980 for 65 mln stg, an art auction record. The result compares favorably with the $3 bln-plus it spent on Kleinwort Benson and Wasserstein Perella - both now worth pfennigs on the D-mark. Art has again trumped commerce.
Suppose it's 2011 and the Volcker Act has recently passed, curtailing US banks' riskier activities. Now imagine Tim Geithner is hired as head of Citi's strategy and investor relations by Bob Steel, the new CEO who is dismantling the group. Oddly the scenario isn't such a stretch.
In theory, repaying bailout losses from a tax on banks' wholesale funding is clever and defensible. But the so-called Goldman Sachs Tax fails to catch some of the institutions most "responsible" for taxpayers' losses. And it throws up other inequities, too. Here are some of them.
In Schumpeterian fashion, the once-humble cellphone has killed the PDA, is devouring the landline, feasting on cameras, iPods and watches. Next up: GPS systems, car keys, radar detectors and more. Herewith an investing roundup.
Brian Roberts, the cable group's boss, said buying control of GE's media business made him "strategically complete." But if NBC Universal keeps growing, GE’s remaining stake could be worth some $20 bln in a few years. Thankfully, however, the deal could end up paying for itself.
That's what Morgan Stanley is doing with the appointment of Greg Fleming to run investment management. Recruiting the banker who saved Merrill Lynch (and snookered BofA), it's reasonable to assume the firm will be on the prowl for acquisitions.
With their business models under threat and their stocks in the doldrums, video game publishers like Electronic Arts and Take-Two might look ripe for the picking by media conglomerates such as Disney. But much as shareholders might like a quick exit, they may have to wait for it.
That's what the US president proposed with a pledge to give them $30 bln of TARP money to make small business loans. But small banks already have lots of capital and would only take the money if it came without strings that protect taxpayers. It's great rhetoric - but a bad idea.
The Mexican billionaire has done the seemingly impossible: made money in the newspaper racket. His investment in the New York Times a year ago was well timed. By contrast, Rupert Murdoch wrote down most of Dow Jones’ value and Sam Zell's Tribune went bust.
It’s a long shot – but possible. While Goldman has set aside more for staff, the big awards will come in stock. And Goldman has had a huge run. Give Citi and other banks' shares a chance to catch up, and bankers paid in the laggards' equity could end up richer on 2009's spoils.
America’s community banks have been lauded by President Obama and legislators because they avoided many of the excesses of their bigger rivals. But with high exposure to commercial real estate, small banks may find 2010 more challenging – and small businesses may feel the pinch.
There's nothing ambitious about anointing Brian Moynihan to succeed Ken Lewis. He's an insider untainted by the bank's big fumbles. His ascension suggests compromise not vision, which may not be bad. But to succeed, fend off rivals and keep Merrill Lynch whole, he'll need help.
The firm's paying its top 30 executives entirely in stock with five-year lockups and enhanced claw-back features. The structure, reminiscent of its old partnership, sets the bar for the rest of Wall Street. But it may not be enough to prevent a public backlash on payday.
CEO Brian Roberts is finally a media mogul. At least the wait is over for the cable operator’s shareholders. But as owners of Vivendi and General Electric learned, transformational deals involving NBC assets haven’t always turned out so well.