Viewsroom: General Motors strike runs on hot air 10 Oct 2019 Workers downed tools over three weeks ago, despite last-minute concessions by the U.S. carmaker. Job-security fears are a sticking point. So is the union’s need to prove its worth after a kickbacks scandal. Plus: U.S. basketball plays smart defense on China’s Hong Kong backlash.
Viewsroom: Mark Zuckerberg is stuck in 2006 3 Oct 2019 That’s when the Facebook CEO rejected Yahoo’s $1 bln takeover bid. Now he uses the decision to justify his grip on control and decisions on data, privacy and the chance of a breakup under a Democratic president. Plus: How a spat over shrubbery almost felled Credit Suisse’s CEO.
Viewsroom: WeWork overhaul won’t be enough 26 Sep 2019 Adam Neumann lost his CEO role and control of the shared-office provider after its valuation plummeted in preparation for a now-postponed IPO. But WeWork’s business model remains a problem. Plus: Thomas Cook’s collapse hits China’s Fosun. And: parsing financial climate pledges.
Viewsroom: Not your mother’s oil shock 19 Sep 2019 Saudi Arabia is quickly repairing the damage drones inflicted on its oil industry. But the fallout has implications for everything from security to U.S. shale drillers to climate change-driven alternative energy. Plus: Why are AB InBev and ESR restarting Hong Kong listing plans?
Viewsroom: Nissan’s car-crash CEO 11 Sep 2019 Hiroto Saikawa is stepping down amid controversy over his pay. It has implications for the company’s rocky Renault alliance, and by extension for the French carmaker’s recent attempt to merge with Fiat Chrysler. Plus, is activist Elliott Management going soft on AT&T?
Viewsroom: How money really can grow on trees 5 Sep 2019 Done right, reforestation can capture much of the carbon causing climate change. It would improve crop yields and water quality and lessen the power of floods and storms like Hurricane Dorian. There are good financial returns to reap, too. Plus: the Alibaba competitor to watch.
Viewsroom: How to read the recession runes 22 Aug 2019 A U.S. downturn is near, judging by past early warning signals from yield curves to bank valuations. But fallout from the 2008 crisis has sapped them of some predictive power. Plus: what the exit of Cathay Pacific’s CEO says about Beijing’s response to the Hong Kong protests.
Viewsroom: WeWork unfurls the red flags 15 Aug 2019 The shared-office provider’s long-awaited IPO filing is packed with pointless life-affirming tropes. But it also details a host of conflicts of interest and other risks that should send investors running. Plus: India’s powerhouse Reliance is building a war chest for dominance.
Viewsroom: Vicious trade cycle traps U.S., China 8 Aug 2019 The White House’s decision to brand Beijing a currency manipulator is the latest move in a conflict riven by miscommunication, unrealistic expectations and no obvious way out. Plus: Why the LSE is paying $27 bln for Refinitiv, and which of the data firm’s owners comes out on top.
Viewsroom: Is Beyond Meat worth a bite? 1 Aug 2019 The meatless-burger maker is the best-performing IPO of the year by far. Now insiders are selling stock early as the company deals with rising competition, regulations and even a potential pea shortage. Plus: Using wine goggles to look at Western firms’ joint ventures in China.
Viewsroom: UK’s new PM looks for the exit 25 Jul 2019 Boris Johnson helped persuade Britons to vote to leave the EU. London’s former mayor now leads the country – and may find his pledge to quit the European bloc hard to keep. Meanwhile, U.S. watchdogs are circling Amazon, Alphabet, Apple and Facebook. Plus: Protests rock Hong Kong.
Viewsroom: AB InBev’s stubborn financial beer gut 18 Jul 2019 The $150 bln brewer of suds like Budweiser and Stella has scrapped its Asia unit’s Hong Kong float. CEO Carlos Brito now needs new ways to reduce the company’s debt. And as the second pulled IPO in weeks amid civil unrest, it puts the city’s financial hub under a spotlight.
Viewsroom: The great EU jobs carve-up 4 Jul 2019 After much unedifying horse-trading, European leaders have finally agreed on who will head the commission, central bank and other top roles. That has implications for the bloc’s future. Plus: Why Africa’s growth figures make worrying reading for the continent’s democrats.
Viewsroom: What makes companies proud of Pride? 27 Jun 2019 Neither profit nor investor pressure explain U.S. firms lining up to mark 50 years of the LGBT-rights movement. They may simply be doing the right thing. But the nation still has a long way to go. Plus: how the UK prime minister race affects the Bank of England’s next boss.
Viewsroom: UBS gets lost in translation 20 Jun 2019 A star economist at the Swiss bank sparked outrage on Chinese social media after his remarks about the country’s pigs were misconstrued. UBS’s decision to put him on leave seems overdone. And: Those weighing the benefit of a Facebook cryptocurrency must ask if “In Zuck we trust.”
Viewsroom: When dealmaking gets difficult 13 Jun 2019 Raytheon and United Technologies’ planned $114 bln tie-up raises questions about strategy, cost cuts and executive overreach. It’s prompted their shares to tank and activist Bill Ackman to oppose it. And Fiat Chrysler and Renault’s mooted merger has crashed. Can they salvage it?
Viewsroom: America’s topsy-turvy regulators 23 May 2019 Qualcomm lost a lawsuit brought by one DC overseer, even as the DOJ intervened, while $26 bln T-Mobile US-Sprint merger is getting yanked around by agencies with opposing views. Doing business is hard when agencies no longer act in unison. Plus: Is Luckin Coffee going cold?
Viewsroom: The lasting effects of Trump’s tariffs 16 May 2019 Washington and Beijing may yet find a way to end their escalating trade war soon. But for many businesses, the damage already inflicted will be hard to undo. Plus: CEO Mark Zuckerberg might not welcome more calls to break up Facebook, but shareholders could benefit.
Viewsroom: Oil M&A fight may end with no winner 9 May 2019 Occidental boss Vicki Hollub corralled BofA CEO Brian Moynihan and investor Warren Buffett to her side to seal a $38 bln offer for Anadarko. Her tactics scared off rival bidder Chevron but may alienate her own shareholders. Plus: Malaysia’s reform efforts since the 1MDB scandal.
Viewsroom: Apple versus Alphabet 2 May 2019 Both Silicon Valley giants are looking for the next big thing after a slowdown in their main product – iPhone sales at Apple and online ads at Alphabet. Lower expectations mean Tim Cook’s outfit has more time to act. Plus: Activist Dan Loeb puts Sony back under the microscope.