June, 2019

• 18 June

  VW to launch ‘vw.os’ operating system in software push

  

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG is stepping up the pace of its digital transformation with a plan to pool some 5,000 digital experts into a single unit that will develop “vw.os,” a uniform software operating system across all new models. Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess has mapped out a “massive expansion” in software and digital investments, and the manufacturer earlier this year ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Infineon sells $1.7bn in new shares to fund Cypress deal

  

  Bloomberg Infineon Technologies AG raised about 1.55 billion euros ($1.74 billion) in a capital increase to help finance its acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. The German chipmaker, which analysts have said may be paying too much for its US rival, sold about 113 million new shares at 13.70 euros each, the company said on Tuesday in a statement. The price ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Democrats must practice ‘modesty’ to beat Trump

  

  “It is a great advantage to a president,” said the 30th of them, “and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know he is not a great man.” Or, Calvin Coolidge would say today, a great woman. While today’s incumbent advertises himself as an “extremely stable genius” and those who would replace him promise national transformation, ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Macron gets a lesson in capitalism

  

  The hunt for a scapegoat for the collapse of the merger talks between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Renault SA is in full cry. There’s furious leaking on all sides: The Italians blame the French, the French blame Fiat and the reluctance of Renault’s partner Nissan Motor Co Ltd. to bless the deal. A lot of people on both sides ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  This Japanese puzzle has many moving parts

  Believe what you want to believe: Japan’s machines are humming, or heading for trouble. There’s support for both points of view. For months, Japan watchers have been waiting for business activity to drop. However, core machine orders, which typically point to future spending, have continued to rise, as have industrial output and capital spending. Machinery orders in April came in ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  UK May’s sad legacy is bigger than Brexit

  Theresa May will be remembered as the prime minister who couldn’t deliver Brexit. But she also leaves her successor another testing legacy: her failure to confront what she has called the UK’s “burning injustices.” Britain is a rich country by any definition, but it scores badly on a range of social measures. Income inequality is higher than in many comparable ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Russia’s power grid is an easy target for US hacking

  

  A report in the New York Times that the US Cyber Command has intensified secret efforts to hack the Russian power grid is less interesting for its content than because of US officials’ apparent cooperation in publicizing the activity. Like any power grid undergoing a digital transformation, the Russian one is quite hackable – but why would the US want ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  India’s exotic funds are a $40 billion time bomb for investors

  

  Even as the fate of India’s shadow banks swings precariously between unexpected defaults and sudden downgrades, there’s trouble brewing in another unlit corner of finance. Exotic funds, designed for wealthy investors, have grown to $40 billion from nothing in just seven years, expanding by 71% in the 12 months through March. Since September, when the surprise bankruptcy of infrastructure financier ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Lufthansa’s superstar pilot goes from hero to zero

  

  If it’s true that all political lives end in failure, then the same could be said for business. Carsten Spohr became Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s chief executive in 2014, made an impressive start, and had his contract extended to the end of 2023. He may regret signing up for that long. The German airline’s shares tumbled 12 percent on June 17after ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Fed set to consider half-point move for interest rate cuts

  

  Bloomberg Financial markets have gotten used to the Federal Reserve adjusting its benchmark interest rate in small increments. They might want to be ready for a change. While no move is expected as officials gather this week, economists and investors generally agree the Fed is going to cut rates this year. The last two times the Fed began an easing ...

  Read More »