The Exchange: Will home working outlive Covid-19? 16 Mar 2021 The pandemic has relocated many office workers to their studies and dining tables. Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom tells Dasha Afanasieva that many companies will continue working from home two days a week. But allowing too much flexibility could bring diversity risks.
Capital Calls: McKinsey, Celebrity SPACs 10 Mar 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: McKinsey’s new boss isn’t new enough; the SEC tells investors to be careful of celebrities bearing SPACs.
Capital Calls: TV’s royal boost, Shared offices 9 Mar 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan is a boon for ViacomCBS’s streaming ambitions; IWG’s revamp depends on a workplace revolution.
Capital Calls: American Airlines, Crypto PayPal 8 Mar 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: The U.S. carrier is issuing new debt and hocking some airline miles to pay back the U.S. Treasury loan that carried restrictions on pay and dividends; PayPal investors give a shrug over another dive into bitcoin-land.
White supremacy dies hard on the grocery shelf 5 Mar 2021 New Orleans craft beer Dixie will soon shed its name for a less racially divisive marque. It’s a big risk for a small company. But if a Southern staple can jettison a racially insensitive brand, what’s taking $60 bln giant Colgate, maker of “Black person toothpaste,” so long?
Review: The human response to a man-made disaster 5 Mar 2021 Mankind’s impact on the planet is irreversible, Elizabeth Kolbert writes in “Under a White Sky”. She focuses on people trying to limit the damage, whether by breeding hardy coral or reflecting the sun. Wilfully shaping nature raises new dilemmas. But we may have no choice.
Capital Calls: Soho House, Aston Martin 25 Feb 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: The private members’ club shrugs off lockdowns to plan a New York IPO; The loss-making luxury carmaker’s shareholders need to buckle up.
Putin has the cash to ease one driver of protests 22 Feb 2021 Anger at the Kremlin is about falling living standards as well as Alexei Navalny. Fiscal rules have complicated efforts to help the poorest Russians. But higher oil prices make it easier to placate those opposition supporters whose gripes are economic rather than political.
Review: Bill Gates engineers climate risk clarity 19 Feb 2021 In “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” the Microsoft founder argues states should throw money at climate change research. Technology will indeed be critical in figuring out how to eliminate carbon emissions. But his book’s main quality is to define the challenge in a graspable way.
The Exchange: Editorial lessons from Lionel Barber 16 Feb 2021 The former Financial Times editor discusses his views on journalism in the post-Trump, post-Brexit, post-print era with Rob Cox. He also shares some of the juicier stories from his memoir, “The Powerful and the Damned,” like the time he told off Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman.
Capital Calls: Deloitte castoff, Banks and Brexit 15 Feb 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: The UK auditor chooses an unfortunate moment to offload its lucrative restructuring practice; The Bank of England pours cold water on the idea of a regulatory bonfire after Britain leaves the European Union.
Review: Bellingcat’s model upends journalism 12 Feb 2021 Eliot Higgins’ book describes how the open-source investigator used online images to reveal who downed a plane in Ukraine and poisoned a Russian defector in Britain. His donor-funded and volunteer-driven approach offers broader lessons for the newsgathering business.
Breakdown: Slaying virus Hydra is Herculean task 12 Feb 2021 Like the Greek serpentine monster, Covid-19 is mutating. Though vaccines are effective at defeating the original virus, their ability to protect against new variants is uncertain. Breakingviews explains why the world faces a prolonged fight to get back to normal.
Capital Calls: Third Point, Kraft Heinz/Hormel 11 Feb 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: Dan Loeb’s hedge fund gets a good start in 2021, while Hormel Foods buys peanuts, but pays anything but.
Capital Calls: Jay vs. Larry 10 Feb 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: Jerome Powell takes on Larry Summers in the inflation debate.
EQT leaves hot markets behind with $15 bln pet LBO 10 Feb 2021 Instead of floating vet group IVC Evidensia, the buyout shop is selling it to its new fund, and Silver Lake. Stock valuations may be choppier when it finally lists, but the company’s rapid growth should help. Even in an IPO rush, private equity is hanging on to the best assets.
The Exchange: Economic roots of Russia’s protests 9 Feb 2021 Police cracked down on mass demonstrations in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after his alleged poisoning and arrest. Exiled economist Sergei Guriev explains how lower real incomes, corruption and YouTube drove people to the streets – and what could happen next.
Guest view: Virus teaches the limits of economics 8 Feb 2021 Faced with ballooning deficits, governments are reversing decades of reduced corporate taxes. It’s an overdue recognition the policy never delivered the promised benefits, argues Tom Bergin. Other misguided theories, from labour taxes to tobacco levies, are also due a rethink.
Review: “Empireland” puts modern Britain on couch 5 Feb 2021 From curries to its health service, Sathnam Sanghera shows how today’s UK is entwined with its imperial past. Yet its inhabitants have, at best, a lopsided, jingoistic grasp. Without education and a proper reckoning, this skewed identity will spawn mistakes beyond Brexit.
Review: Mission economy may be mission impossible 29 Jan 2021 Mariana Mazzucato wants states to embrace the 1960s spirit of the U.S. moon race to improve the planet. The race for a Covid-19 vaccine and the 750 bln euro EU recovery fund come close to her vision. Yet the pandemic also shows politicians can be unfit to tackle big challenges.