Wanda’s sports spinoff would help trim flab 5 Jan 2018 The Chinese conglomerate could float sports assets acquired in haste, including a sports marketer and a triathlon organiser, Reuters says. Fresh funds could help cover offshore debts. Streamlining might also persuade regulators to let the main property unit list onshore.
Viewsroom: Debt markets set for wild ride 4 Jan 2018 More government borrowing and less central bank buying will force bondholders to fend for themselves, Breakingviews predicts. Plus, passive funds will force out a CEO, electric vehicles give gasoline cars a run for their money and soccer clubs’ spending splurge will intensify.
Our 2018 predictions on Reuters TV 31 Dec 2017 From the CEOs who should run for U.S. president, to the banks that ought to be sizing up mergers, our writers give their take on the coming year in a series of Reuters video reports.
European soccer’s spending splurge will intensify 29 Dec 2017 Transfer fees like the $263 mln Paris St Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar have stoked talk of a bubble. But increased spending is mostly justified by the soaring value of broadcasting rights. If U.S. tech giants join the action in 2018, players will reap the benefits.
Man City can narrow the deficit in Chinese soccer 29 Dec 2017 When it comes to mainland investment in European soccer and vice versa, the score is $3bln-nil. China’s splurge is over, but connecting old teams and new fans still makes sense. The Abu Dhabi-owned group behind Manchester City could be the first heavyweight to go the other way.
Gym chain’s China private equity workout has legs 19 Dec 2017 An ex-Goldman banker’s buyout firm is backing posh Hong Kong gym chain Pure. Fitness investments can turn ugly. One big opportunity, however, is expansion in China where the $4.4 bln health club market is expected to grow 20 pct annually. That sweat could help to pump up returns.
New Delhi bowls Rupert Murdoch a bouncer 4 Dec 2017 Star India may be forced to share its $2.5 bln cricket rights with a state broadcaster if the league is deemed of “national importance.” That might score the government some points. For Murdoch, who is fielding interest for parts of his Fox empire, it would be a sticky wicket.
Holding: Bet on Supreme Court to lift gambling ban 1 Dec 2017 New Jersey’s suit to legalize sports wagers makes financial policy sense, but the constitutional argument is stronger. Limits on the feds’ power mean states do their own thing on everything from pot to guns. A court already inclined that way is likely to extend it to betting.
College-sports fraud case obscures the real crime 26 Sep 2017 Federal prosecutors have charged 10 people, including four coaches, with using bribes to influence university basketball players. The government says the case exposes the dark underbelly of the sport. But fraud flourishes largely because the NCAA cartel refuses to pay athletes.
NFL fumble leaves broadcasters facing the penalty 25 Sep 2017 President Trump is attacking football players who don’t stand for the national anthem. But falling TV ratings are a deeper-seated problem for the sport. The likes of Disney and Fox that shelled out billions for the rights face pain. But CBS could be in for a major sack.
Cheap data feeds Murdoch’s Indian cricket pitch 7 Sep 2017 Rupert Murdoch-backed Star India is paying $2.6 bln for IPL rights, outbidding new rivals like Facebook. The huge sum highlights the sport’s rapid rise and a rush to secure local content. Cheap mobile data could help lure the viewers and advertisers needed for this to pay off.
Record basketball price is timely bet on Houston 6 Sep 2017 The owner of the Landry's restaurant empire will pay $2.2 bln for the NBA's Rockets. Buying a trophy asset as the city rebuilds after Hurricane Harvey makes for awkward timing. And yet sports often unify a community and the big investment suggests abiding faith in a recovery.
Soccer world will miss Chinese sugar daddies 20 Jul 2017 State media has questioned Suning’s purchase of Inter Milan, part of a $3 billion mainland soccer splurge, amid an offshore M&A clampdown. The acrobatic financing of AC Milan may attract Beijing’s attention next. Benching Chinese buyers could hurt cash-strapped European clubs.
Yoga-studio IPO stretches investor chakras 10 Jul 2017 A California chain wants to raise $75 mln for centers teaching cobra and other poses. Despite the popularity of the discipline and fitness broadly, YogaWorks' model is easy to copy. After the pain of trendy Blue Apron and Snap, resistance now offers a better path to inner peace.
Soccer attack weirdly converges risk factors 21 Apr 2017 A bombing of Borussia Dortmund's team bus was carried out by a man using leveraged options to bet against the club’s stock, prosecutors say. A similar unsuccessful plot recently involved U.S. retailer Target. The mix of financial weapons and real ones is a disturbing new trend.
China’s soccer dreams lead to strange bedfellows 28 Mar 2017 Elliott is saving a Chinese takeover of Italian club AC Milan with 300 mln euros of funding, Reuters says. The U.S. hedge fund must be driving a hard bargain. But the buyers may have been boxed in by Chinese curbs on moving capital and the prospect of losing a hefty down-payment.
Scuba instructors teach a private-equity lesson 22 Mar 2017 With their $2.5 trln of assets, buyout shops have been struggling to find promising new targets. Instead, they increasingly pass companies among themselves. A deal for scuba service PADI by families and endowments shows how some investors are cutting out the middlemen.
Adidas has the speed, now for the destination 8 Mar 2017 The sports brand shows how quickly fortunes in the consumer goods industry can turn. Better products and marketing are boosting sales. Profit is up too, but margins are still trailing Nike’s by a mile. Closing that gap will be the ultimate test for new boss Kasper Rorsted.
BT’s Champions League win could be an own goal 6 Mar 2017 The UK telco’s 1.2 bln pound bid beat rival Sky to retain rights to Europe’s elite soccer tournament. It’ll help BT’s TV push. But justifying the 32 pct price rise requires heroic assumptions about the boost to subscribers elsewhere in the business.
Viewsroom: SoftBank deal frenzy lacks hard logic 2 Mar 2017 The giant Japanese tech firm has been on a global M&A tear, but shareholders aren’t buying it. President Trump's mix of details-free policy pledges and jingoistic militarism looks dazed, confused and dangerous. Plus: Silvio Berlusconi's AC Milan sale puts Chinese buyers offside.