Viewsroom

Imagine Britain votes on June 23 to leave the European Union. What happens next? Breakingviews writers George Hay, John Foley, Neil Unmack, Swaha Pattanaik and Olaf Storbeck discuss the possible consequences for markets, trade, growth and the future of the EU.  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An executive at the iPhone maker proposed a bid for Time Warner, a move that would have been at odds with Apple founder Steve Jobs’ recipe for success: Reject “1,000 ideas” and focus on the very few excellent ones. Aging smartphones, a tepid stock price and a pile of idle cash, however, could make the mediocre look awfully tempting.

Meanwhile, wrestler Hulk Hogan's privacy case against news website Gawker took a bizarre turn as tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel acknowledged backing the lawsuit. Facebook, facing its own free-speech imbroglio, may want to think twice about having Thiel on its board.

And the U.S. Senate is mulling whether to continue funding a Lockheed-Boeing joint venture that supplies the Defense Department with rockets – using Russian engines. Elon Musk's SpaceX can do it cheaper and maybe better, suggesting the decision should be a no-brainer.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The presumptive Republican nominee for U.S. president boasted about the size of his 104-page financial disclosure statement filed this week with the Federal Election Commission. It may be HUGE, but what's the upside of flaunting your wealth to an electorate fed up with Wall Street and billionaires? And The Donald has yet to release his tax returns.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan shareholders resoundingly bounced a proposal to study the possible benefits of splitting up the bank. Citigroup owners gave an equally chilly reception to a similar proposal last month. Why they're missing out on a potentially lucrative idea.

And Pandora, the online music streaming service, is dealing with activist investor Keith Meister's demand that it explore putting itself on the block. The company insists it can turn things around in the cutthroat music business, but a sale makes a lot of sense.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mixed martial arts' premier promoter may be on the block for as much as $4 billion, putting it in some pricey company. Live sports events are what TV and cable viewers most want to see, though, and therein lies a lesson for the likes of fading ESPN and parent Disney.

Uber drivers, meanwhile, scored a win in New York, where the ride hailing service blessed their affiliation with a labor union that could help them negotiate better benefits. And in California, legal documents revealed how much Uber might have owed drivers if they had won their lawsuit to be treated as employees. The numbers make a $100 million settlement look like peanuts.

Finally, alternative lenders may face more regulation in the wake of a kerfuffle at Lending Club that cost the company's boss his job. Fortunately for them, Washington watchdogs can't seem to do much more than study the issue.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The newspaper chain's rejection of Gannett's hefty $815 million offer is a head-scratcher, hardly the sort of move that suggests the industry knows how to pull itself out of a prolonged slump. Can clever experiments like the New York Times' plan to deliver meals with the morning paper pump up profit?

Meanwhile, Elon Musk's electric car company is accelerating production, claiming demand is outstripping supply. Maybe that's true, but technological glitches and a lack of capital could hold the company back.

And bank customers may finally get their bite back. America's consumer watchdog – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – is reviving class-action lawsuits after  decades of corporate efforts to squelch people's right to go to court.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abbott, Abbvie and Sanofi are each paying up for takeoverpartners, while protecting the planet could be the investment dealof the century. Plus: Facebook forges ahead while Apple ambles.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peabody Energy's bankruptcy gives Big Oil a glimpse into the future, while energy losses are just one issue U.S. lenders have to contend with. Plus: startup news outlets face age-old problems.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pfizer-Allergan deal comes to a screeching halt, while a document dump exposes the elite's offshore tax finagling. Plus: An heir apparent loses the keys to the Magic Kingdom.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The music-streaming service picks a golden-oldie CEO, while the mega-insurer sheds its too-big-to-fail tag. Plus: Even Wall Street pros can fall prey to determined swindlers.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tournament head gets axed for demeaning the women's game, while two banks lighten CEO wallets. Plus: There's no drought of H2O optimism.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices