The Business Times

Chris Bryant

Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi, introduces the YU7 in Beijing. The vehicle is the complete package, says the writer – a stylish and tech-laden SUV with up to 835 km of driving range, all for an affordable price.

Xiaomi made a cheap Ferrari EV. Who needs Porsche?

The danger for luxury automakers is that their products become commoditised; rapid acceleration, a chief selling point of Western sports-car brands, is now commonplace in electric vehicles

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was the former chairman and chief executive officer of Cantor Fitzgerald, which leads the pack of Spac IPO bookrunners this year, underwriting around a dozen transactions. The company is now chaired by his son Brandon.

Spacs are back. What could go wrong this time?

While market participants have learned some hard lessons, the trend towards speculative crypto deals isn’t reassuring

In theory, most of us should be able to work longer because in general, we are healthier than previous generations were at the same stage in life.

Working until 70 isn’t so bad provided you feel 55

Extending healthy life expectancy can cement public acceptance of later retirement, providing governments address inequalities

Weighing German plant closures and compulsory redundancies for the first time, managers at Volkswagen have warned that around 10 per cent of production line workers are now absent, according to German tabloid Bild.
THE BROAD VIEW

Why the sick man Germany is paying up to curb sick days

While they’re still known internationally for their work ethic, Germans aren’t shy about calling in sick

A campaign rally by the far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of the Thuringia state elections. To keep fringe parties at bay and remain a dependable partner for international allies, Germany must rediscover its economic and political mojo.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Why German angst is a worry for the world

If the economy doesn’t grow, battles about immigration, fairness and spending will only get worse

Oliver Blume, CEO of both Porsche and Volkswagen, has batted away critics saying that both companies benefit “enormously” from the set-up.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Porsche and Volkswagen deserve full-time drivers at the wheel

Oliver Blume’s dual-CEO role is becoming harder to justify

Some of the industry’s best returns came during or following recessions, as starting valuations were lower and there was less competition to acquire assets.

Private equity’s bubble vintage may fizzle

It matters not just what you buy but when you buy it, and 2021 wasn’t a great moment to deploy capital

A permanently closed Bed Bath & Beyond store in Hawthorne, California, on May 1, 2023. The home goods chain filed voluntary petitions for relief in April under Chapter 11 at the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

The corporate bankruptcy wave will get even uglier

In America, Europe and beyond, business distress is only just beginning

There are hundreds of listed cash-shells looking for targets, and plenty of de-Spacs that badly need the cash. It does seem an incredibly convoluted way to raise money, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Spac-squared is Wall Street’s latest wheeze

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in Spac-land, along comes a money-losing company that only recently went public via a blank-cheque firm announcing a merger with a second special purpose acquisi...

SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) sponsors are hard put to find attractive deals within the allowed time limits and risk having to liquidate.

SPAC-squared is Wall Street’s latest wheeze

Financial engineering has found a way to keep ailing SPACs afloat

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