NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - HBO’s hit series is ending as parent AT&T, Amazon, Apple and Walt Disney launch their claims to the streaming-video crown. Netflix, though, will be hard to usurp. Elsewhere, India’s weeks-long election gets underway. And global economic growth collides with nationalism’s rise.
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - "Game of Thrones" entered its final season on Sunday. Five episodes of the fantasy TV show from now, both viewers and broadcaster HBO will have a dragon-shaped hole to fill. The network has weathered successful finales before. This time it has additional challenges.
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. bank may be tempted to recruit from splashy peers like Goldman Sachs. But there are better reasons to poach from smaller firms. Meanwhile, the $170 bln Chinese liquor maker Kweichow Moutai is worth more than Diageo. Breakingviews columnists discuss the firewater’s draw.
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - The ride-hailing firm is worth $30 bln after its stock-market debut, even though its losses are growing. Shareholders are betting a shift to autonomous driving will steer it to a profit, but that may be a long way off. Plus: Saudi Aramco lets investors drill into its finances.
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - Mark Zuckerberg is realizing more regulation has its merits. The founder and chief executive of $480 billion Facebook wants governments to develop standardized rules for the internet. There’s a lot to be said for the idea. But it also smacks of a way for tech firms to keep profits private while socializing responsibility and costs.
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - Peugeot and Renault both seem keen to merge with the Italo-American carmaker. Either deal could improve earnings from smaller cars, but couldn’t plug all Fiat Chrysler’s gaps in Asia and new tech. Plus: Apple’s underwhelming new services. And can Huawei’s charm offensive succeed?
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - Apple has one big challenge – create new revenue streams – and many less than convincing solutions. Chief Executive Tim Cook unveiled a dizzying array of new subscription services on Monday that cover news, television and gaming. The $880 billion tech firm introduced a credit card too. The offerings ranged from confusing to mildly innovative.
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Breakingviews) - Mark Zuckerberg’s inner circle just got smaller. Chris Cox, the Facebook chief executive's long-time lieutenant and chief product officer, is quitting after Zuckerberg last week outlined a new direction for the $470 billion social network. It’s hard to overstate how instrumental Cox has been. His departure is a wake-up call for investors.
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Breakingviews) - Facebook's presidential foes are also its customers. Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats running for the White House have turned Silicon Valley into a political punching bag, but their campaigns are big users of Facebook and other online platforms. It reflects the power of tech giants and suggests bashing them may not persuade voters.
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. aircraft maker is facing a crisis after a second crash involving an updated version of its workhorse 737 jet. There’s a financial hit to Boeing from countries grounding the plane; but there are geopolitical implications, too. Plus: China tries to stimulate its economy.
Sri Lanka said on Monday it was invoking emergency powers in the aftermath of devastating bomb attacks on hotels and churches, blamed on militants with foreign links, which killed 290 people and wounded nearly 500.