Features

Guest view: Another lost decade for Latin America?

29 September 2020

The region is grappling with three challenges, which when combined pose the gravest threat seen in over a century, argues former Citibank Chairman William Rhodes. Leaders can, and must, use the Covid-19 crisis to make long overdue reforms, build institutions and expand trade.

China’s green goal could lead to a virtuous circle

29 September 2020

Beijing’s pledge to decarbonise before 2060 requires major electrification using renewable energy. The catch is that key parts of that strategy, like hydrogen power, remain too pricey. Yet if political focus helps make them cheaper, the benefits will not just be felt in China.

Ant IPO offers rose-tinted view of Chinese finance

28 September 2020

Alibaba’s payments offshoot has grown into a $200 bln-plus digital middleman for loans, funds and insurance. That’s allowed it to avoid the dodgy credit and opaque transactions which weigh down China’s financial system. New investors are betting regulators will let that continue.

Review: GE’s decline is the story of corporate BS

25 September 2020

This is the main lesson from “Lights Out”, an account of how America’s once-admired industrial conglomerate lost its way. GE bosses from Jeff Immelt on down believed they, and the company they worked for, were infallible. Mistaking a story for a strategy is how companies die.

How to build a European JPMorgan

25 September 2020

An EU bank of the U.S. behemoth’s size could help ensure reliable corporate funding and more tech investment. Fragmented liquidity, capital and bankruptcy rules make the necessary mega-deals hard. Though the ECB is helping, it’s really up to national regulators and politicians.

Review: Oil historian of record drops his compass

18 September 2020

Three decades after his celebrated history of the hydrocarbon industry, “The Prize”, Daniel Yergin has published “The New Map”. His account of recent energy geopolitics is typically authoritative. A discussion of the ongoing energy transition, however, lacks clear signposts.

Review: MbS, Saudi Arabia’s sharpest prince

4 September 2020

From the Ritz rumble to unleashing a sovereign fund, "Blood and Oil" brings together the antics of the kingdom’s crown prince in a gripping page-turner. Mohammed bin Salman’s rise through grisly palace politics to unprecedented power elicits horror and, sometimes, admiration.

Review: Indonesia’s Jokowi learns limits to change

28 August 2020

Furniture seller-turned-president Joko Widodo was tipped to end corruption and push reforms. In “Man of Contradictions”, Ben Bland concludes the leader is weak and the hopes placed in him were unrealistic. Even a popular outsider cannot easily take on an entrenched system.

Guest view: Crisis demands reformer at WTO helm

27 August 2020

Covid-19 has exposed the dangers of connectedness without cooperation, argues Paul Polman, the former Unilever CEO. Recruiting a new director general with strong political skills, and who is unafraid of change, can ensure the WTO helps reverse the world’s inward turn.

Guest view: Freeing Abenomics from Abe

26 August 2020

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s return to hospital has raised concerns about a change of power. His signature economic policy fell short even before the pandemic. A strong successor could reinvent it, but that seems unlikely, argues ex-BOJ policy board member Sayuri Shirai.