Xi’s new year’s resolutions are hard balancing act 13 Dec 2021 China's president wants to tap the brakes on tech and other crackdowns in 2022. He's also softening his energy-transition stance while pushing for more infrastructure. Yet he plans no U-turns on property or how regions raise funds. Officials will be walking a tightrope to comply.
Europe’s phone firms line up for last tower dance 10 Dec 2021 Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom bosses both want to hook up their mast divisions with a partner. France’s Orange is also in the mix, having just completed an internal carveout. With its tower unit already listed, Vodafone has an advantage. An Orange tie-up is the simplest fit.
Jack Dorsey’s fintech firm stumbles out of block 9 Dec 2021 Renaming Square to Block should have been bottom on his to-do list. Bigger priorities include integrating its $29 bln purchase of Afterpay, improving profitability and fending off rivals. Dorsey is more of a visionary. When it comes to Square, he’ll have to get his hands dirty.
EU gig economy faces lengthy fight with Brussels 9 Dec 2021 Draft rules would reclassify up to 4 mln of the bloc’s freelancers as employees. That will raise costs and dent demand for firms relying on the self-employed. Ride-hailing and food-delivery groups can tweak business models or argue in court. The winner won’t be clear for years.
Visa-Mastercard payments duopoly has staying power 8 Dec 2021 The $770 bln duo’s shares are down 5% in 2021. Investors worry that Amazon and banks will negotiate sweeter terms, or that fintech will cut out middlemen. But even if they have to give up some revenue, none of the threats are existential. Current valuations are too pessimistic.
Apple’s ugly China deal mostly bought time 8 Dec 2021 The iPhone maker in 2016 secretly promised Beijing $275 bln of investment in exchange for relaxing pressure on its business, per a new report. The sum exceeds its sales in the country since then. Boss Tim Cook may have had little choice, but it muddles the return calculus.
LG’s $11 bln battery spinoff is fully charged 8 Dec 2021 The South Korean group is eyeing a $60 bln valuation for its crown jewel in what could be the country's biggest IPO. The hot play on electric vehicles hopes to entice investors by offering a discount to peer CATL. LG's track record of recalls, though, warrants caution.
Prominent SPACs like Lucid make good lessons 7 Dec 2021 The electric-car maker drew an SEC subpoena related to its blank-check merger. It was backed by seasoned dealmaker Michael Klein. But that, and size, made it a target. Amid a flurry, making examples of deals like Lucid or the Trump SPAC helps the swamped agency flex its muscles.
Zegna tailors elegant fix for BuzzFeed problem 6 Dec 2021 The Italian suit-maker and the millennial media group are both going public through SPACs. But Zegna has raised extra funds that kick in if investors extract money before the deal closes, as 94% of BuzzFeed’s did. With cash comes confidence; Buzzfeed ended up with less of both.
Alibaba’s new CFO signals shifting priorities 6 Dec 2021 The Chinese e-commerce company, whose market value has halved to $300 bln this year, is replacing finance chief Maggie Wu. During her seven-year tenure, Alibaba successfully courted foreign investors. Successor Toby Xu’s experience suggests there will be a greater focus at home.
DocuSign shows risk of investing along dotted line 3 Dec 2021 A slowdown in demand ripped $18 bln off the digital document-signing firm’s market value. The company’s response – spending more to revive sales – adds to the near-term pain. For profitless companies reliant on ambitious forecasts, sharp corrections are a signature move.
Transatlantic food delivery value gap will narrow 3 Dec 2021 DoorDash and Just Eat Takeaway have similar revenue and growth prospects, but the $57 bln U.S. firm is worth four times as much as its Dutch rival. Better profitability and an earlier move into groceries helps explain the gap. DoorDash’s push into Europe suggests it won’t last.
Didi faces long and perilous journey to Hong Kong 3 Dec 2021 The $38 bln ride-hailing group is eschewing its New York listing for one in the Asian hub amid pressure from Beijing. A take-private would be costly; migrating American depositary receipts could be tricky. Didi will have to navigate Hong Kong's tougher IPO requirements too.
Legal challenge affirms logic of Nvidia mega-deal 3 Dec 2021 U.S. trustbusters are suing to block the chipmaker’s controversial Arm acquisition. A growing price tag, from $40 bln to about $75 bln, undermines the financial value. At least the FTC is, in a way, buttressing the strategic rationale of buying the Switzerland of semiconductors.
Alibaba looms larger than Beijing in Weibo IPO 3 Dec 2021 China's $8 bln answer to Twitter is readying a secondary listing in Hong Kong. The company’s sway over public opinion means it is a frequent target of censorship campaigns and regulatory crackdowns. That makes the e-commerce giant's 30% stake a political liability for both.
Super-app Grab gets rear-ended 3 Dec 2021 The group’s shares plunged 20% on debut following its $31 bln SPAC merger. Unlike China’s Didi or India’s Paytm, the crash wasn't so much its fault; the Altimeter- and Temasek-backed deal was well-enough constructed. But Grab is in a market pile-up that won’t clear soon.
Viewsroom: Omicron hits, Dorsey quits 2 Dec 2021 As the world gets to grips with a new coronavirus variant, Swaha Pattanaik looks ahead to how Omicron could frustrate attempts to rein in rising prices. Meanwhile, Gina Chon watches Twitter say goodbye to founder Jack Dorsey and usher in a new, still-quirky governance setup.
Jack Dorsey’s exit puts Twitter in play 1 Dec 2021 Dorsey’s departure sets up the social network as an attractive target for his other firm Square in the race to build a super-app. Even PayPal or Salesforce may take another stab. Regulators may get in the way but China’s WeChat shows why the effort may be worth the headache.
UK’s Facebook slap-down raises bar for US watchdog 1 Dec 2021 Britain’s antitrust body told the social media giant now named Meta to sell GIF maker Giphy. Its ruling hinges on a view of how the online ad market will evolve, not what it’s like now. CEO Mark Zuckerberg can appeal but the order still sets a punchy precedent for Big Tech deals.
Super-app Grab rides high into New York debut 1 Dec 2021 The Southeast Asian giant held firm in a difficult year. It’s on track to hit targets set from its record $31 bln SPAC merger, supporting a rich 13 times sales valuation multiple. Margins in its ride-hailing business show the promise of its food-delivery-to-fintech ambitions.