Podcasts

Viewsroom: German election all about runners-up

21 September 2017

Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democrats should win more votes than rivals. But they’ll need coalition partners to form a government. Choosing among them promises to be a nail-biter. Also: the Toys R Us bankruptcy won’t be a total loss for its private-equity owners.

Viewsroom: Ray Dalio taps his inner communist

14 September 2017

Bridgewater’s founder thinks his kindred spirit resides in China’s anti-corruption czar Wang Qishan. Both seek radical transparency – though Dalio’s hunt is tied to forging a business in the Middle Kingdom. Plus: Exxon’s salvation may lie in the oil fields of West Texas.

Viewsroom: Harvey’s path of financial destruction

7 September 2017

Texas is facing $180 bln in hurricane cleanup costs, the most of any U.S. natural disaster. The Lone Star State has the wherewithal and chutzpah to cover a large chunk, yet expects Washington to pick up most of the tab. Global water risks, meanwhile, may require $12 trln to fix.

Trump may unite Congress – against him

31 August 2017

The U.S. runs out of money in a month and the president is attacking lawmakers in his own party. That could prompt Republicans and Democrats to work together to keep the lights on. Plus: Rupert Murdoch could be overpaying for Sky.

Viewsroom: Fiat Chrysler’s painful choices

24 August 2017

Great Wall Motor wants to buy Jeep. That’d leave the Italian-American carmaker cash rich but devoid of profit in a fast-changing industry. Meanwhile, Uber tries to find a silver lining to the cloud its drivers are under. Plus: what makes China’s unicorns a different breed.

Viewsroom: Corporate America dumps CEO president

17 August 2017

Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments about white supremacists have lost him the support and advice of business leaders, leaving him increasingly isolated and ineffectual. Qatar’s stake in the LSE may prompt Saudi Aramco to shun the exchange for its IPO. Plus: M&A for the MAGA era.

Exchange Podcast: Jason Furman

15 August 2017

There is almost nothing that the Trump administration is doing right on tax, trade, immigration, infrastructure, energy or regulatory policy. At least that's the view of economist Jason Furman who spent eight years working for the previous White House.

Viewsroom: Diplomatically challenged Trump

10 August 2017

The U.S. president needs Beijing’s help with North Korea even more after his recent warmongering outburst. Yet his administration just slapped petty import tariffs on Chinese aluminum. Also: what a Google engineer’s sexist memo says about the firm, Silicon Valley and society.

Exchange Podcast: Art Laffer

8 August 2017

U.S. Republicans are pursuing the holy grail of Washington policy: tax reform. The last comprehensive overhaul was in 1986 under Ronald Reagan. The Exchange met with Reagan adviser Art Laffer, known as the father of supply-side economics, to discuss the prospects for reform today.

Viewsroom: Venezuela’s downward spiral

3 August 2017

Questionable elections for a rubber-stamping new assembly may give President Nicolas Maduro more power. But the country’s people, economy - and some U.S. companies - will suffer. Also: Sprint, under a ton of debt yet overvalued, weighs up its M&A options.