The Big View

Ageing workers, high debt, obsolete tech and polarised politics weigh on the continent’s prospects. But is the gloom excessive? In this episode of The Big View, ING Chief Economist Marieke Blom tells Peter Thal Larsen some flaws are exaggerated and others a chance to catch up. Marieke Blom: Europe’s Pitch Book Mario Draghi: The Draghi report on EU competitiveness Breakingviews: Why Europe could be...

Stock markets are flashing familiar warnings: abundant liquidity, high leverage, frantic trading, and exuberant retail investors. In this episode of The Big View, the financial historian Edward Chancellor tells Peter Thal Larsen why this market may be the most speculative ever. Edward Chancellor: “The Everything Bubble is back and bigger than ever” Edward Chancellor: “China’s slow bull market is p...

Global data traffic depends on a 1.4 mln-kilometre underwater network that has become a geopolitical battleground. On this episode of The Big View Katja Bego, author of ‘Deep Connections’, tells Peter Thal Larsen why the cables are vulnerable, and whether they can become less so. Katja Bego: Deep Connections: The Hidden Battles to Control Subsea Cables The Big View: Why trade flows are so enduring...

The notion that stocks and bonds follow a rational path has been widely debunked. But are idiosyncrasies becoming more visible? In this episode of The Big View Peter Thal Larsen and Alex Edmans, author of ‘The Madness of Markets’, debate how the rules of investing have changed. Alex Edmans: “The Madness of Markets: Why Smart Investors Make Crazy Decisions and How to Exploit Them” The Big View: A s...

Teaching kids to code was supposed to equip them for tomorrow. Then artificial intelligence came along. In this episode of The Big View, academic and author Daniel Susskind tells Peter Thal Larsen why predicting future jobs is folly and why critical thinking will matter more. Daniel Susskind: “What Should My Children Do? A Human’s Guide to the Age of AI” Daniel Susskind: “A World Without Work: Tec...

With US debt at $40 trln and yields near two-decade highs, government bonds are causing economic jitters. On this episode of The Big View, financial journalist Robin Wigglesworth tells Peter Thal Larsen how state borrowing built the modern world – with many bumps along the way. Robin Wigglesworth: “A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World” The Big View: Why central banke...

Today’s business leaders spent most of their careers in an era of relative stability. In this episode of The Big View, strategist Tina Fordham tells Peter Thal Larsen why geopolitical uncertainty is here to stay – and what unexpected shocks companies should be preparing for. Tina Fordham: “Mad World: A Geostrategy Survival Guide for Leaders” Liaquat Ahamed: “1873: The First Great Depression and th...

The private equity and credit firm elbowed aside big banks to amass $1 trln of assets. In this episode of The Big View, William D. Cohan, author of ‘Money to Burn’, and Peter Thal Larsen discuss how Apollo rose from the 1990s junk bond wreck and whether its new model will endure. William Cohan, “Money to Burn: The Unvarnished Truth About Leon Black, Apollo, and the Rise of a New Wall Street” The B...

Donald Trump’s tariffs and Chinese rare earths have scrambled global commerce. Yet as Ed Conway describes in ‘Trade World’, rulers have wielded chokepoints for centuries, with mixed results. In this episode of The Big View, he tells Peter Thal Larsen that advantages rarely last. Ed Conway: “Trade World: The Ties that Bound Our Past and Could Unravel Our Future” Leonard Read: “I, Pencil” The Big Vi...

Daron Acemoglu has spent years studying the origins of prosperity. Now he says the institutions, laws and freedoms that made the West rich are under threat. On this episode of The Big View, the Nobel laureate tells Peter Thal Larsen why any solution starts with the working class. Daron Acemoglu: What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Nobel Lecture Daron Acemoglu, David Autor and Simon Johnson: Buildi...

The world’s second-largest economy experienced the largest credit boom and bust in recent history. On this episode of The Big View, Logan Wright of Rhodium Group explains why debt, deflation, slow growth and industrial overcapacity will be hard to shift in the People’s Republic. Logan Wright: “Broken China: How the Economic Miracle Shattered and What it Means for the World” Rhodium Group: China’s...

It’s 20 years since the economist Nicholas Stern made the financial case for stopping global warming. Though temperatures have risen, green energy is cheaper. In this episode of The Big View, he tells Peter Thal Larsen that needed investments can boost the economy and the planet. Nicholas Stern: “The Growth Story...

The global consulting firm is using artificial intelligence while advising clients on rolling it out. In this episode of The Big View, finance chief Yuval Atsmon talks to Peter Thal Larsen about taming token bills, the threat to jobs, and the new appeal of generalists. The Big View: OpenAI’s curious business conundrum⁠ Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and...

The €40 bln Saint-Gobain counters geopolitical divisions by emphasising local management and production. In this episode of The Big View, CEO Benoît Bazin tells Peter Thal Larsen why the 361-year-old company can keep expanding, and which countries he is targeting next. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megap...

Technology true believers argue digital cash does not need an institutional backstop. In this episode of The Big View, Gaston Gelos of the Bank for International Settlements tells Peter Thal Larsen why stablecoins and other tokens still need central banks to work smoothly. Bank for International Settlements: Anchoring trust in money: innovation beyond stablecoins Bank of England: Sterling-denomina...

The SpaceX boss became the first trillionaire by defying business wisdom, upending financial standards and embracing far-right politics. On The Big View this week Peter Thal Larsen asks Quinn Slobodian, co-author of “Muskism”, whether Musk is a one-off or a model of the future. Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff: "Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed" The Big View: Separating science fiction from fact...

Ageing populations, indebted governments and geopolitical splits undermine price stability. That leaves independent central banks unanchored, say Charles Goodhart and Manoj Pradhan. On this episode of The Big View, the economists tell Peter Thal Larsen the status quo cannot last. Charles Goodhart and Manoj Pradhan: “The Unanchored Central Banker: Demography, Fiscal Instability, and an Erosion of t...

Diagnosing malaise is easy; coming up with solutions is harder. Mariana Mazzucato, the academic and author of ‘The Common Good Economy’, argues for a wider approach to economic purpose. In this episode of The Big View, she tells Peter Thal Larsen how the discipline can improve. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also vi...

Jeremy Grantham’s investment firm GMO made its name betting against the mania of the late 1990s and the mid-2000s housing boom. In this episode of The Big View, he tells Peter Thal Larsen how artificial intelligence has forced Big Tech firms into a fight to the death. Jeremy Grantham and Edward Chancellor: The Making of a Permabear: The Perils of Long-term Investing in a Short-term World Breakingv...

Breakneck growth for private equity and credit has led to worries of overheated dealmaking. In this episode of The Big View, Bain Capital Managing Partner David Gross tells Jonathan Guilford about what the industry did right and wrong, and where it might go next around the globe. The Exchange, January 2024: Bain is keeping the private in private equity Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement f...

Elon Musk’s rockets-to-AI venture is getting closer to a $1.8 trln IPO. In this episode of The Big View, astrophysicist Adam Becker, author of ‘More Everything Forever,’ tells Jeff Goldfarb about the folly of ascribing value to plans to put data centers in space or colonize Mars. Adam Becker: More Everything Forever Breakingviews: SpaceX’s $1.75 trln hope rests on Musk imagination Podcast: Dreamin...

In the developed world, many people are both better off and unsatisfied. On this episode of The Big View, Peter Thal Larsen talks to Ryan Avent, author of ‘In Good Faith’, about the eroding beliefs underpinning growth, and whether AI will force us to confront what progress means. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also...

The US inherited rather than invented its currency, argues Brendan Greeley, author of ‘The Almighty Dollar’. In this episode of The Big View he tells Peter Thal Larsen about the greenback’s origins and why its global appeal might survive American fiscal and military recklessness. “The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World’s Most Powerful Money”, by Brendan Greeley The Big View: Global currencies...

Great power rivalry and upstart technology are testing financial infrastructure. In this episode of The Big View, Stephan Leithner, CEO of Deutsche Boerse, tells Peter Thal Larsen how the $58 bln exchange group is coping with volatility, and how the EU can become more autonomous. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also...

Donald Trump’s war with Iran has exposed how much countries depend on oil and gas imports. In this episode of The Big View, Helen Thompson of Cambridge University tells Peter Thal Larsen how energy rivalry is shaping US foreign policy – and why the fault line runs through Europe. Helen Thompson: “Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century” The Big View: How the Strait of Hormuz changes economic warf...