Aimee Donnellan
ReutersBreakingviews
United Kingdom
Contact Aimee
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Aimee:
Zara owner has $10 bln for online shopping spree – Breakingviews
Marta Ortega, the fresh-faced boss of the world’s largest fashion retailer, is sitting on a record cash pile. Typically, such spoils trickle back to shareholders as special dividends. But with its battered share price, buying an online upstart like Zalando may create more value. → Read More
Allianz’s U.S. wound is not entirely staunched – Breakingviews
Europe’s largest insurer has effectively been kicked out of the U.S. market after admitting fraud and being forced to pay $6 bln in fines and compensation. CEO Oliver Baete will hope these body blows enable closure. But the fiasco raises questions about the rest of the business. → Read More
Super chemo will be Big Pharma’s next tussle – Breakingviews
AstraZeneca and Sanofi are among peers developing drugs that attack tumours more efficiently than traditional chemotherapy. The treatments, dubbed ADCs, may fight diseases from breast to blood cancer and make $60 bln of annual sales. Laggards, like Novartis, may need to catch up. → Read More
Property tie-up puts London landlords in charge – Breakingviews
Capco, owner of retail hub Covent Garden, is planning a 3.6 bln pound merger with West End neighbour Shaftesbury. Capco’s 25% stake in its larger rival helps explain the absence of a premium. If regulators approve, the main benefit will be greater bargaining power with tenants. → Read More
Adler gifts German watchdog a shot at redemption – Breakingviews
BaFin’s probe into the property group has gained added weight after KPMG’s refusal to approve its 2021 accounts. The mess is an important test for new boss Mark Branson after the regulator’s Wirecard failings. Adler’s patchy disclosure and shaky governance make it an easy target. → Read More
UK grocer buyout creates bond market indigestion – Breakingviews
Banks led by Goldman and BNP Paribas that funded CD&R’s $9 bln Morrisons buyout have sold a chunk of the debt at a big discount. Inflation and a supermarket price war mean bondholders can now name their price. The debt hangover may make other deals trickier. → Read More
Energy efficiency starts to attract the big bucks – Breakingviews
Brookfield’s potential $4 bln pitch for UK boiler repair group HomeServe sounds like small fry for a group with $690 bln of funds. But decarbonising buildings is a key growth area in the energy transition. Institutional investors are manoeuvring to ensure they don’t miss out. → Read More
Fertiliser makers face long wait for free lunch – Breakingviews
Soaring gas prices are making products of crop nutrient producers like Norway’s Yara and Austria’s Borealis unaffordable for farmers. Subsidising the companies might be the least bad way to avoid a food inflation crisis. Waiting for grains to fail will store up bigger problems. → Read More
Petrol forecourts can shift to fuel-free future – Breakingviews
Despite a push to phase out gas-guzzlers, Britain’s Motor Fuel Group may fetch 5 bln pounds. Selling pricey coffee to drivers charging electric cars offers relatively zippy returns. But beside the threat from home chargers, retailers are muscling in with the same idea. → Read More
Britain’s limp economic fix leaves need to do more – Breakingviews
Finance minister Rishi Sunak cut taxes on fuel and incomes to ease a cost-of-living squeeze. Still, the measures are blunt and less generous than countries like France. With energy bills set to soar, he’ll soon need to dip into the 30 bln pounds of wiggle room he has left over. → Read More
Prologis has to go extra mile for Blackstone sheds – Breakingviews
The property giant offered over $23 bln for Mileway, which owns European warehouses. Sky-high valuations and frenetic M&A imply it’s a good time for Steve Schwarzman’s group to cash out. But limited city space and booming online deliveries mean asset values can keep rising. → Read More
Future militaries will be pricey and fully loaded – Breakingviews
Western armies may get an extra $100 bln a year to counter Russian aggression. Orders for tanks, missiles and bombers have boosted defence stocks like Britain’s BAE and Germany’s Rheinmetall. NATO allies will also need more soldiers and revamped nuclear arsenals. → Read More
EU housing boom risk is more social than financial – Breakingviews
Watchdogs in Germany and elsewhere have hiked bank capital requirements and warned property may be 30% overvalued. Yet mortgage-lending standards remain solid, suggesting pandemic savings are mainly to blame for the runup. There’s little regulators can do about wealth inequality. → Read More
Buyout barons’ M&A freeze will soon thaw – Breakingviews
After hitting $469 bln in 2021, private equity acquisitions of public companies have slowed. Volatile markets due to the Ukraine war and rising rates make deals harder to fund. Yet depressed stock markets mean beaten-up technology and healthcare firms are now juicier targets. → Read More
UAE could be Russian oligarchs’ next playground – Breakingviews
Amid U.S. and European asset freezes, Moscow’s billionaires need new bases. The United Arab Emirates has international schools, a Western feel and, in Dubai, a relaxed approach to sanctioned parties. Most of all, it’s currently taking a different stance over Ukraine to the West. → Read More
West’s best cyber move is to stick to defence – Breakingviews
Malware attacks on Ukrainian banks and state agencies make better protection for governments and companies essential. Western nations may consider retaliation. Given the shortage of cyber experts and the risk of badly targeted strikes, they’d be better off focusing on defence. → Read More
Climate change hands states an insurance dilemma – Breakingviews
Severe weather caused $343 bln worth of damage last year, and prompted insurers to either drive up premiums or cease home coverage altogether. States can avoid creating insurance black spots by taking over from the likes of Zurich. The catch is they may not be very good at it. → Read More
UK insurers’ Brexit bonus carries hidden charges – Breakingviews
PM Boris Johnson wants to unleash an investment boom by slashing red tape for the sector. In theory, his plans could free up nearly $130 billion for green-energy projects. But regulators may impose other rules. And any added risk means insurers like L&G and Aviva raising prices. → Read More
Allianz’s U.S. fund misery is only half over – Breakingviews
Europe’s largest insurer has set aside $4.2 bln to compensate savers for complex derivative bets that went wrong. The figure, less than the $6 bln claimed, looks positive for shareholders. But with so much extra cash, U.S. regulators may impose a heftier fine to even things out. → Read More
Rich stocks have yet to feel cost-of-living crisis – Breakingviews
Rising inflation and higher energy bills are hitting consumers. UK punters in particular look vulnerable, given uneven savings and tax hikes. Mass belt-tightening could mean fewer holidays and less spending on luxuries like streaming, hurting companies from Ryanair to BT. → Read More