Palantir mystery extends to public-market value 7 Jul 2020 The data-analytics firm, co-founded by Peter Thiel in 2003, has ramped up revenue slowly – it's set to reach $1 bln this year. A $20 bln valuation, the private mark in 2015, looks optimistic. Yet growth is on the up. The company's worth depends on how durable that is.
U.S. economic reboot menaced by bug in the system 2 Jul 2020 Almost 5 million Americans found work in June as the unemployment rate fell to 11%. But the recovery could easily crash again, or freeze, because of coronavirus spikes caused by premature reopenings. Infections, not jobs, are the better numbers to track.
IPO pricing gets back to business-as-unusual 1 Jul 2020 Dun & Bradstreet shares leapt 18% on their debut, even after its underwriters raised the price range – as they also did with insurer Lemonade, which starts trading on Thursday. Last week Albertsons aimed too high in its debut. Which strategy is better depends who is asking.
Real-time economic data show Covid-19 wariness 25 Jun 2020 The pandemic has placed a premium on figures that give rapid hints about how the economy is doing. TomTom’s traffic flows and OpenTable’s restaurant data reveal the positive impact of U.S. states easing restrictions – but also how worsening outbreaks send people back home.
Old is new in frothy U.S. IPO market 18 Jun 2020 Dun & Bradstreet, the 179-year-old data firm that plans to raise up to $1 bln, is a stark contrast to new-fangled tech hopefuls like Lemonade. Yet its private equity owners may make a handy return using an old-fashioned playbook: cutting staff, and surfing a rising market tide.
EU’s data harpoon won’t be last shot at Amazon 11 Jun 2020 The European Commission may soon charge Jeff Bezos’s company over the alleged use of data gathered from third-party sellers to unfairly compete against them. Antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager may well already be lining up the next salvo, perhaps targeting Amazon's advertising.
Chancellor: A catastrophic failure of risk control 5 Jun 2020 Dependency on risk models may be leading policymakers astray in handling the pandemic, just as such models did ahead of the financial crisis. If “risk societies” are to prosper, they must apply large doses of common sense to avoid the groupthink that hinders smart decisions.
New data will track reopening in real time 21 May 2020 Plenty of financial-market information is available instantaneously, but economic metrics can be months out of date. In the ongoing pandemic, that has proved too slow. Novel sources like Klaviyo's online spending tracker and TomTom's traffic flows may have staying power.
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.
Bank of England’s AI approach will toughen up 21 Feb 2020 UK finance has yet to face many restrictions on using artificial intelligence. But the technology brings risks as well as opportunities, the BoE’s fintech director told Breakingviews. A light-touch approach will change as machines make increasingly important financial decisions.
Equifax hack shows China aims wide as well as high 10 Feb 2020 The U.S. government blamed China’s military for 2017’s giant credit-reporting breach. It contends Beijing seeks not just kompromat and trade secrets, but also material to hone its own AI tools. That potentially makes any company with large data troves an espionage target.
Democratizing U.S. data access has drawbacks 21 Jan 2020 Plans to change how journalists handle some releases, including the crucial jobs report, aim to ensure traders and the public get them at the same time. But markets may become jumpier. And those with big bucks will still contrive to get the data a few microseconds sooner.
Finablr faces tricky reboot after Travelex hack 14 Jan 2020 Shares in the London-listed fintech group have fallen 23% after a cyberattack on its bureau de change unit. The $350 mln decline probably overstates the immediate damage. The bigger risk is whether the mess deters corporate clients from Finablr’s faster-growing payments business.
Infrastructure investors catch the tech bug 9 Jan 2020 Macquarie may be in talks to buy AirTrunk for over $2 bln. It follows a record year for data centre M&A which saw volumes triple. Growing consumption of the new oil is fuelling demands for storage warehouses. And the hunger for yield is building up towering multiples.
Guest view: Europe beating U.S. in antitrust race 26 Nov 2019 American regulators are getting ready to put big tech companies through their paces. But it’s Europe that has been keeping big companies in check for years – and other countries are starting to look to the EU for leadership. A new study shows the U.S. is falling badly behind.
Facebook should keep the confessions coming 22 Nov 2019 The $570 bln social network has been unveiling a steady stream of data sins. The belated proactivity is welcome. Rising compliance costs may dent profitability but if Mark Zuckerberg can keep his ad machine going, an improved reputation will pay off financially.
TikTok has escape route that Huawei lacks 18 Nov 2019 The Chinese-owned video app and its telecom compatriot are both under fire from U.S. lawmakers who fear political meddling. TikTok may have fewer allies to lobby on its behalf, but owner ByteDance could sell or spin its subsidiary off. Huawei, though, is in a long-term trap.
YouTube spinoff would be a must-watch 15 Nov 2019 The video service is stifled under parent Alphabet, which is valued more like Twitter than faster-growing Netflix. Sharing a stable with search engine Google hurts both in dealing with separate regulatory probes. And Alphabet’s siloed setup means it’s part way to a split already.
Health data’s value blooms as anxiety looms 13 Nov 2019 Google’s tie-up with a large hospital chain and purchase of wearable device maker Fitbit aren’t inherently troubling, but expose some gray areas. Laws already protect personal data gathered from the former deal, but not the latter. Google’s interest may prompt a change.
U.S. crackdown on TikTok gets help from Beijing 6 Nov 2019 A new Chinese cybersecurity law will give the government unfettered access to data that companies collect. It gives American lawmakers more excuses to probe the popular ByteDance-owned video app. The pressure could also squeeze the likes of Apple to limit their mainland exposure.