Dimon’s pay represents board’s own whale of a fail
By Antony Currie
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
Jamie Dimon’s bonus represents another whale of a fail for JPMorgan. The board’s decision to give its chairman and chief executive a 73 percent raise, to $20 million, is unjustifiable after last year’s performance. Shareholders should have a loud say against this pay – and lead director Lee Raymond.
China’s capital flight may be banks’ next headache
By Peter Thal Larsen
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
Western banks’ next regulatory headache could be made in China. Most of the recent scrutiny of financial institutions’ business practices has come from the developed world – particularly the United States. But as Chinese citizens become more aware of the offshore wealth held by the country’s elites, banks are increasingly at risk of a regulatory backlash.
Unilever washes off emerging-market uncertainties
By Robert Cole
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
Emerging-market uncertainties are washing off Unilever. Currencies are working against it: groupwide earnings were knocked by 7 percent thanks to exchange-rate swings across the globe. But forex aside, the trends in developing economies remain firmly positive. The declines in developed markets’ revenues and profits are more worrying.
China’s growth slower but no more believable
By John Foley
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
China’s GDP growth may be getting more sustainable, but it’s no more believable. The country’s 31 provinces are on course to report aggregate nominal GDP far in excess of the total central figure for 2013 – and not for the first time. Big numbers are getting less reliable, which strengthens the case for new ones.
Quitting China is all about knowing how to go
By Ethan Bilby
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
An increasing number of foreign businesses are folding their tents in China. Multinationals used to be desperate to get into the People’s Republic. Now, as easy growth vanishes, leaving China is becoming less unusual. While some have kept a foot in the door, others have made a show of slamming it.
GM’s dividend hits right spot on multiple levels
By Antony Currie
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
General Motors is hitting the right spot on several levels with its return to paying a common stock dividend. The $1.7 billion annual payout looks punchy at some 30 percent of what analysts reckon the company’s net income will be for 2013. Ford Motor, after all, restarted its shareholder payouts at a more cautious 10 percent of profit just over two years ago and only last week took it up to around a third. But GM looks positioned to handle it.
Suntory lives up to motto with $16 bln Beam bid
By Rob Cox
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
For a Japanese corporation, Suntory Holdings has an especially aggressive corporate slogan: “Yatte Minahare,” which roughly translates as “Go For It.” That sums up Suntory’s willingness to pay $16 billion, or a hefty 20 times EBITDA, for the U.S. distiller of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and other tipples. That number won’t be lost in translation for Diageo, Pernod Ricard or others who might also covet Beam.
Hong Kong power IPO less generous than it looks
By Peter Thal Larsen
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
Li Ka-shing is betting that a generous dividend will lure investors into the spin-off of his Hong Kong power utility. The tycoon has lowered the price range for HK Electric to ensure buyers of the investment trust get a yield of more than 6 percent. But the possibility of market-wide higher interest rates makes that look less than electrifying.
Difficult second coming pays off for Chinese IPOs
By John Foley
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
Free money, anyone? China’s equity markets have just reopened after a fourteen-month hiatus, starting with a batch of eight companies planning initial public offerings in the week ending Jan. 10. With so much pent-up demand, and rules in place to protect investors from losses, exuberance is inevitable. But better to have frothy IPOs than none at all.
Predictions 2014: Reversals and Revivals
By Breakingviews columnists
The authors are Reuters Breakingviews columnists. The opinions expressed are their own.
Breakingviews’ annual compendium of financial foresight sets the agenda for the next 12 months. From Wall Street to the Great Wall, who has most potential to surprise, where are markets heading, and which are the companies to watch? Plus, we predict the winner of soccer’s World Cup.
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Breakingviews: Malos AiresJan 24 - Antony Currie and Christopher Swann discuss how the Argentine peso's huge drop on Thursday could mark the start of a larger financial markets rout for poorly run emerging market countries.Video
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Breakingviews: Forward guidance miss - think again markets!Jan. 24 - In an embarrassing turn for Mark Carney, the central bank governor has signalled an early end to forward guidance. Reuters Breakingviews on why this means markets must think again.Video
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Predictions 2014: Reversals and Revivals
Edited by John Foley
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