Anna Szymanski
Slate
New York, United States
Contact Anna
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by Anna:
The Land of Somewhat Normal
Cathy O‘Neil returns to Slate Money to talk with Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski about Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic package, social media platforms banning Trump, and hackers attacking Parler. Oh, yes, and male chastity belts. In the Slate Plus segment: the near future of COVID. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. → Read More
Pandemic pet boom keeps running for new top dogs – Breakingviews
Locked-down humans adopted more four-legged friends in 2020 and upped spending on pet supplies and medicine, causing the stock prices of firms like Chewy and Zoetis to rally. Old-school pet chains also benefited, but as nimble e-retailers take more sales, the pack may thin. → Read More
Puppy SPAC may bite investors in the backside – Breakingviews
Barkbox, a pooch products purveyor, is going public with a blank-check company valuing it at $1.6 bln. It’s smart to pounce on the opportunity created by booms in pet goods, subscriptions and SPACs. But Chewy, the 800-lbs Great Dane in the room, guards the market like Cerberus. → Read More
Now Streaming: Slate Money Live
Slate’s money team discusses the financial impact of 2020. → Read More
Little Googlets Everywhere
Slate Money talks Google, Quibi, and Purdue Pharma. → Read More
Peltz puts the squeeze on middle-weight money men – Breakingviews
The activist’s fund Trian has taken big stakes in investment firms Invesco and Janus and wants to roll them up. Taking on powerhouses like BlackRock requires industry consolidation as low rates and fee pressure bite. Peltz may also benefit from good old-fashioned market timing. → Read More
Debate chaos is a gift for a conflicted Biden – Breakingviews
President Trump turned his face-off against his Democratic rival into a messy brawl, repeatedly interrupting from the get-go. That saved Joe Biden from being put on the spot over his greatest weakness: the need to appeal to moderates while not upsetting progressives. → Read More
Fed policy review will leave market put untouched – Breakingviews
Chair Jay Powell’s every utterance is being scoured for hints of whether a new framework will introduce innovations like average-inflation targeting. But one thing won’t change. Rate setters will backstop markets, as they have done for a decade, and investors are counting on it. → Read More
Lebanon’s gash cuts too deep for orthodox bandage – Breakingviews
France hosted an emergency conference on Sunday to arrange aid for the devastated nation - and the IMF called for reforms. But the heavily indebted country has no functioning government, banking system or economy. And the people are livid. Normal reforms look like a pipe dream. → Read More
U.S. racism’s $13 trln legacy is just the start – Breakingviews
The world’s wealthiest country built its economy on unpaid black labor. Centuries of discriminatory policies, like redlining and mass incarceration, compounded the inequity. There are many ways to weigh what reparations might be due. The racial wealth gap offers just one way in. → Read More
Vacant arenas fortify TV’s financial grip on sport – Breakingviews
When games restart, distancing rules will mean emptier soccer and baseball stadiums. Sports which rely less on live crowds, like golf or Formula 1, may benefit. More home viewers should further boost the value of media rights, already worth $51 bln, and offset lost ticket sales. → Read More
Fed jump-start leaves CLO buyout motor sputtering – Breakingviews
The vehicles that buy most leveraged loans are suffering as downgrades saddle them with too much ropey debt. The Federal Reserve’s lending facilities will help – but not enough to gin up much appetite for new loans. Private equity dealmaking could be stuck in the slow lane. → Read More
Emerging markets dollar lifeboat leakier than 2008 – Breakingviews
Capital is heading out of Indonesia, Turkey and other emerging economies faster than in the financial crisis. Like then, the Fed should set up dollar swap lines with some of their central banks, and the IMF should boost reserves. But even these fixes might not stem the torrent. → Read More
Commercial paper jam casts less menacing shadow – Breakingviews
As in 2008, investors are nervous about the $1 trln market that companies depend on for short-term funding. That could push firms to draw down credit lines, stressing banks. Last time, the Federal Reserve stepped in to ensure calm. A similar fix should be easier to execute today. → Read More
Coronavirus pushes wobbly LNG market to the edge – Breakingviews
China’s leading liquefied natural gas importer claims the coronavirus has made fulfilling its contracts impossible. This might not pass legal muster – but the desperate measure shows just how weak Chinese demand might be. The unbalanced LNG market is in trouble. → Read More
Tesla Stock Is a Demented Rollercoaster
The Slate Money hosts discuss Tesla, New York Times subscriptions, and social media revenue. → Read More
Buenos Aires dares bondholders to game of chicken – Breakingviews
Creditors vote this week on the province’s bid to delay a $250 mln debt payment. Opponents can argue the delay is unneeded and would complicate restructuring Argentina’s sovereign bonds. But they don’t have much leverage. And investors’ short memories give Buenos Aires an edge. → Read More
Slate Money: The Smoke-Filled Rooms Edition
Neil Irwin joins Slate Money this week to talk about Jeffrey Epstein, Christine Lagarde, and economic orthodoxy. → Read More
Slate Money: The Apocalyptic Vibes Edition
Slate Money on Jony Ive, Wayfair, and Baoshang. → Read More
Slate Money: The Literally Making Money Edition
Slate Money on Facebook’s new cryptocurrency, upzoning, and Beyond Meat’s IPO. → Read More