Viewsroom

The rapid economic slowdown caused by the spread of Covid-19 has brought to the fore the prospect of companies getting help from taxpayers. Which firms to target and what strings to attach will be the big questions. Plus: Pepsi, credit cards and cancer drugs drive virus-era M&A. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

A major rift between Saudi Arabia and Russia has sent oil prices plummeting just as the Covid-19 outbreak saps demand. The fallout is pummeling U.S. shale producers and calling traditional energy-security concepts into question. Plus, market fallout in Japan, China and India. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell surprised markets with a rate cut ahead of schedule. Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden unexpectedly won the most states on Super Tuesday. Covid-19 may show up in China M&A clauses. The coronavirus is inspiring flights to safety. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Small businesses are hurting, while bankers sit idle and families struggle with school closures and other containment efforts. Despite having only some 80 coronavirus cases, life – as well as retail, tourism and real estate – feels noticeably different in the Asian financial hub. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

The British fossil-fuel giant and the largest U.S. airline have each pledged to effectively stop emitting carbon over time. The ambition is encouraging and puts them ahead of most rivals. But both fall short on all-important details. There’s plenty of runway to do better. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Activist Elliott is targeting Masayoshi Son’s firm for poor governance and performance. SoftBank could appease the hedge fund by selling investments to finance buybacks. That could include Sprint, whose deal with T-Mobile US just got the nod. Plus: the race for the White House. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neither car sales nor the potential of robo-taxis justifies the $136 bln electric-vehicle maker’s shares almost doubling this year. Defying logic, Elon Musk’s barely profitable firm is now the world’s second most valuable car company. Plus, the U.S. elections fiasco in Iowa. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of the World Economic Forum, Breakingviews’ three delegates reflected on the highs and lows of the annual gathering of world leaders, corporate executives and do-gooders. Overall, they conclude that Greta outdid Trump, and sustainability is now a boardroom fixture. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The outbreak of a contagious disease before the Lunar New Year holiday evokes memories of SARS’ human and economic toll in 2003. Beijing’s swift reaction this time, imposing travel bans on five cities as 18 died, is encouraging. Plus: the cost of the UK royal family’s new schism. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

The international car boss who fled Japanese authorities is now lambasting Nissan and suing Renault for money due. Breakingviews columnists discuss why the latest twists overshadow the fraying global alliance of three automakers. Also, why China’s Geely wants Aston Martin. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political unrest continues to roil the financial hub. For investors, though, it’s mostly business as usual as markets take protests in their stride. As Beijing replaces its top representative in the city, and makes other changes, that uneasy balance may be hard to sustain.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CEOs increasingly talk a good game on climate change, but the financial implications of global warming have played a small role in dealmaking so far. That will change in the year ahead. Also: why the video-game industry should be bracing for a political backlash. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From banning political ads to developing cryptocurrency plans, the CEO of Twitter and Square has been politically more astute than rivals like Facebook. That sets him up for a good 2020. Also: the different ways that shareholders, the Fed and M&A bankers will tackle climate risk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

House democrats are backing Trump’s deal with Canada and Mexico even as they charge the president with impeachment. A looming deadline heaping more tariffs on Chinese imports could be kicked down the road, too. The chances of bipartisan support elsewhere, though, are slim. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The German chancellor’s administration is in peril after coalition partner SPD chose left-wingers to lead the party. A snap 2020 election would probably end her 14 years in power and remove another of the world’s centrist governments. Plus: Australia’s colossal bank scandal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The country’s two main political parties are slugging it out over spending pledges before the Dec. 12 vote. But the campaign is also about how soon the UK will leave the European Union and the terms on which it will trade with its nearest neighbours. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After more than five months of unrest in the city, a prolonged violent siege on a university campus ratcheted things up anew. Blocked roads and trains shuttered schools as tear gas wafted through the central business district. Its status as a financial hub may be under threat.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Japanese firm is eyeing T-Mobile US CEO John Legere to take over leadership of WeWork. That is an additional twist in an already convoluted relationship. Legere is also trying to finalize a $26 bln deal with SoftBank’s Sprint, another asset in need of saving.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

McDonald’s has provided a map for other firms after ousting boss Steve Easterbrook over a consensual relationship with an employee. Elsewhere, Aramco’s IPO and Fiat Chrysler’s merger with Peugeot. Plus: Breaking Japan’s love of hard cash.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The $200 bln luxury conglomerate is making a $14.5 bln bid for Tiffany. The iconic brand known for putting its bling in blue boxes would be wise to accept the proposal. Plus: Venezuela’s leadership saga and a surreal debt drama collide. And: the world’s most expensive chocolate. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

Beijing-based Kr Space switched from renting out space held on long-term leases to selling services after the shared-office market crashed. Following suit may help WeWork stem losses. Also: climate change and Canada’s election. Plus: the gloomy IMF and unrest in Latin America. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump is touting the latest Sino-American talks as a real win, especially for farmers. China agreed to buy more agricultural goods like soybeans, but big issues like intellectual-property theft are still up in the air. Plus: The pros and cons of direct listings. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices