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☆ German budget crisis will haunt economy for years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The German government is working hard to demonstrate the foolishness of the country’s iron-clad ban on large budget deficits. The budget crisis will cripple the economy for years to come, for three reasons. The debt brake, which limits structural budget deficits to 0.35% of GDP, has only been suspended for this year’s budget. Public net investment has been negative for 20 years, Marcel Fratzscher, head of the German Institute for Economic Research, has pointed out. The country is not on the cusp of a debt crisis.

Persons: Carsten Brzeski, That’s, Marcel Fratzscher, Christian Lindner, Lindner, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Constitutional, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, ING, German Economic Institute, Public, German Institute for Economic Research, German, Germany’s, Thomson Locations: Europe, Berlin

☆ Upstart steals march on Atos’s M&A battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Atos (ATOS.PA) may have found a helper, and potential acquirer. Smaller rival Onepoint said on Wednesday that it had bought a 9.9% stake in the ailing French IT company. Mustier is trying to implement a plan devised before he took over, which will see Atos split into two entities. Its 10% stake will have cost no more than 70 million euros. If a 900 million euro rights issue included in the split plan is confirmed, the total outlay for the stake will be about 160 million euros.

Persons: Atos, Sarah Meyssonnier, Onepoint, Jean, Pierre Mustier, Daniel Kretinsky, Mustier, Pierre Briançon, Aston Martin, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, French IT, Airbus, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, French, Czech, Orange, cybersecurity

☆ Russian war economy is overheating on a powder keg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters Breakingviews) - His war on Ukraine may not be unfolding according to plan, but President Vladimir Putin can still claim that the Russian economy is performing, as he says, “better than previously expected”. This kind of understatement is unusual for the Kremlin leader: with a tight labour market and inflation showing no signs of abating, the Russian economy is in fact overheating. And these are conservative numbers, because other types of war spending – such as new construction in the occupied territories – are hidden in other sections of the budget. The Russian currency is down 30% since its January high. Follow @pierrebri on XCONTEXT NEWSThe Russian economy will grow by 2.2% in 2023, the International Monetary Fund said in its October World Economic Outlook.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, Alexandra Prokopenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, International Monetary, Bank of Russia, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bank of, Danone, Carlsberg, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, –, Moscow, Europe, Lithuania, microchips, Kazakhstan, Bank of Russia, United States, China, U.S, Beijing

☆ Jean-Pierre Mustier enters Atos last chance saloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Atos (ATOS.PA) is ending its long-running governance farce by starting at the top. Former UniCredit (CRDI.MI) CEO Jean-Pierre Mustier is taking over as chairman of the 540 million euro French IT group. Mustier, who led a recapitalisation for UniCredit in 2017, has his work cut out. On Monday, Atos also delayed the split until the second quarter of 2024, sending its shares down as much as 4%. Atos’s growing cybersecurity unit Evidian, which accounts for two-thirds of its current operating profit, will remain listed after the split.

Persons: Jean, Pierre Mustier, Mustier, Atos, Daniel Kretinsky, Pierre Briancon, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HSBC, UBS, X, Infosys, Thomson Locations: UniCredit, Czech, Europe

☆ German voters send ominous message to Brussels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s resounding defeat in key local elections on Sunday will be as traumatic in Brussels as in Berlin. Voters dealt a sharp blow to all three parties in Scholz’s centre-left executive. The victory of conservative opposition party CDU came together with a strong showing of far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), who won 15% of the votes in the populous state of Bavaria and 18% in Hesse. In Berlin, divisions on the pace and cost of the green transition between the Green Party and the liberal FDP, whose leader Christian Lindner is the coalition’s finance minister, have already led to a watering down of a planned boiler ban from 2024. In Brussels, a German government preoccupied with its domestic travails may be unable to rally other member states around the sort of compromise proposals the EU needs to clinch some key deals.

Persons: Olaf Scholz’s, Christian Lindner, Scholz, Pierre Briancon, Sandoz, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Voters, Social Democrats, Greens, European Union, Green Party, X, Alstom, Brookfield, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Berlin, Scholz’s, Bavaria, Hesse, Germany, France, EU

☆ Alstom cash crunch dents management credibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Alstom (ALSO.PA) CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge faces an uphill struggle to shore up his credibility. The French train maker lost 35% of its market value – amounting to 3 billion euros - on Thursday after announcing that it would book negative free cash flow of 500 to 750 million euros this year. Finally, weaker than expected orders in the first half of the year generated less cash in the form of down payments. Given the potential for the group’s net debt to be 3 billion euros by year-end, 1 billion euros more than expected, Deutsche Bank analysts reckon it may soon need a capital increase. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Henri Poupart, Pierre Briancon, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: Alstom, REUTERS, Reuters, London Underground, Deutsche Bank, X, Sandoz, Brookfield, Temasek, Thomson Locations: Saint, Ouen, Paris, France

☆ Germany risks letting a good crisis go to waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Germany, the European Union’s largest economy and its traditional growth engine, is headed towards a contraction this year. Exports account for more than half of Germany’s GDP, compared to just a third in France and 37% in Italy, according to the World Bank. Germany’s growth potential is estimated at an annual 0.7% over the medium term by the Scope rating agency, about half the euro zone average. Exempting net public investment from the debt brake rule would help to reverse years of underspending. Unless they do, Europe’s leading economy risks letting a good crisis go to waste.

Persons: –, Hubertus Bardt, Germany’s, Carsten Brzeski, Oliver Rakau, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner’s, Sebastian Dullien, Scholz, Destatis, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, World Bank, EU, International Monetary Fund, Reuters Graphics Reuters, German Economic Institute, ING, Oxford Economics, BASF, Finance, Christian Democrats, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, France, Italy, China –, Spain, Weimar Republic, China, Ukraine

☆ Cellnex’s Nordic towers sale is a good omen
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Marco Patuano is starting with a small but firm step. After years of M&A-fuelled expansion, the new CEO wants to return Cellnex to investment grade and focus on organic growth and efficiency. Cellnex shares shot up 4% Friday, adding 1 billion euros to the group’s market capitalisation. If Patuano can keep finding buyers for his assets, he may soon return his company to investment grade. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Marco Patuano, Patuano, Pierre Briancon, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: Italian

☆ How Ukraine’s banks can survive another war: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The country’s former central bank Governor Valeria Gontareva explains on The Exchange podcast how the radical steps implemented in 2014 helped Ukrainian lenders withstand the Russian invasion and kept the financial system afloat, and why Ukraine needs to keep reforming. Listen to the podcastFollow @pierrebri on XSubscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Valeria Gontareva, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine

☆ Pinault’s Hollywood foray is untimely distraction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Charles Platiau Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The story of European business trying to mingle with Hollywood has often led to unhappy endings. The Pinault family, which controls $61 billion luxury group Kering (PRTP.PA), thinks it can buck the trend. Pinault may have overpaid for CAA, especially in the middle of a major strike of Hollywood writers and actors. The transaction, through holding company Artemis, adds Hollywood's premiere talent agency to Pinault’s family empire which spans fashion, wine and contemporary art. CAA was valued at $1.1 billion when TPG acquired a majority stake in 2014, four years after having originally invested in the talent agency.

Persons: Francois, Henri Pinault, Kering, Charles Platiau, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, François, Ari Emanuel’s, Artemis ’, Gucci, Alessandro Michele, Pinault, Jean, Kering’s, Valentino, Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Creative Artists Agency, CAA, Gucci, TPG, Endeavor, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, bask

☆ Shady export leaks suggest Russian sanctions work
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That may be true, but the cracks mostly demonstrate the sanctions’ impact, and why they can be tightened. EU exporters did ship nearly 17 billion euros’ worth of goods to Kazakhstan in the 18 months starting in January 2022. And if exports had grown at the 17% pace of previous years, some 6 billion euros would remain unexplained. Meanwhile, Russia’s efforts to circumvent a G7 price cap on its oil shipments are another sign of Western sanctions’ overall effectiveness. EU exports to Russia declined by 30% to 75.7 billion euros over the same period.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, European Union, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Western, Union, Eurostat, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, Soviet, Moscow, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China, India, Europe, United States, Central Asia, EU

A Russian rouble banknote is seen in front of a descending and rising stock graph in this illustration taken March 1, 2022. So it’s no surprise that a day after prodding by a Kremlin official, the central bank announced an emergency rate increase of 350 basis points to 12%. Stricter fiscal or monetary policies would hurt an economy weakened by the war effort and Western sanctions. After a record high in 2022, it fell 85% in the first seven months of the year, to some $25 billion, according to the Russian central bank. Before the plunge in the currency, the central bank forecast prices rising 5% to 6.5% this year, above its 4% target.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Vladimir Putin, it’s, Putin, Elvira Nabiullina, Vladimir Putin’s, Maxim Oreshkin, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Kremlin, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Europe

☆ Black Sea wheat war is sideshow for grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Aug 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A fast-escalating wheat war in the Black Sea may have a silver lining. The Turkey-brokered accord had allowed Kyiv, the world’s fifth largest wheat producer, to export food via Odesa across the Black Sea. As a result, global wheat prices on the Chicago Board of Trade declined by nearly 40% between October and May. Reuters GraphicsNervousness around the unravelling of last year’s grain deal triggered short-lived spikes of 17% to 20% in wheat prices. Both Moscow and Kyiv know by now that protecting their vital grain exports is in both countries’ interest.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, Tayyip Erdogan, Russia ”, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Agriculture, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Chicago Board of Trade, NATO, SWIFT, Russia’s Defence, Security, Thomson Locations: Novorossiysk, Ukraine, Izmail, The Turkey, Kyiv, Russia, Romania, Moscow, United States, Europe, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Maersk has ways to grow again despite headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Container ship "Evelyn Maersk" is loaded during snowfall at a container terminal in a harbour amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Hamburg, Germany, April 6, 2021. Arch rival and privately-owned Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is deploying cash reserves on acquisitions to diversify away from container shipping. Maersk also needs to strengthen its logistics and services unit, where organic revenue fell 19%, dragged down by lower retail demand, particularly in North America. Last year's purchases of Pilot and LF Logistics helped prop up the division, but Maersk needs to invest more. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Evelyn Maersk, Fabian Bimmer, A.P, Moller, Boss Vincent Clerc, EBITDA, Clerc, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Fabian Bimmer LONDON, Reuters, Maersk, Walmart, Nike, Unilever, CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping Company, LF Logistics, Twitter, Adidas, InBev, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, North America

☆ New BT boss’s biggest test is investor relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - BT’s (BT.L) board faced the challenge of hiring a new CEO willing to implement a turnaround strategy decided by their predecessor. It has solved that problem by appointing one of its own members, Allison Kirkby, to the post vacated by outgoing Philip Jansen. Shares in the Swedish telco sank 4% on news of her departure, suggesting Telia’s loss is a gain for BT. Kirkby won’t take over until January 2024 but, having sat on BT’s board for more than four years, she should be able to hit the road running. Keeping these two investors on her side will be the real test for Kirkby at BT.

Persons: Allison Kirkby, Philip Jansen ., Swedish telco, Kirkby won’t, Patrick Drahi’s, Jansen, Pierre Briançon, Liam Proud, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telia Company, BT, Kirkby, Deutsche Telekom, Twitter, Soaring, of Japan, Thomson Locations: Swedish, Kirkby

☆ EU has to come clean on costs of green transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

European Union governments have agreed on the strategy, but they tend to paper over the short-term economic costs of the green transition. French economist Jean Pisani-Ferry has compared the impact of the green transition to an economic shock equivalent to the sharp spikes in oil prices in the 1970s. But unlike previous shocks triggered by geopolitical instability or trade wars, the green transition has been initiated and managed by governments, and largely financed by them. Germany looks like the country most able to afford the green transition, but its over-emphasis on regulation on environmental matters is running into fierce opposition. On Sunday Paolo Gentiloni, the EU economy commissioner, told the Financial Times that Europe will have to fund its own industrial green transition.

Persons: Jean Pisani, won’t, Pisani, Selma Mahfouz, Paolo Gentiloni, Bruno Le Maire, Christian Lindner, Keir Starmer, –, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Union, Reuters Graphics Reuters, International Energy Agency, Ferry, Social Democrats, Greens, Opposition, Financial Times, French Finance, German, Labour Party, Twitter, Southern, European Commission, Deal, Zero, Thomson Locations: Europe, France, Italy, Germany, EU, Paris, Southern Europe, Spain, Greece

☆ Cora strengthens Carrefour’s inflation defences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Carrefour’s (CARR.PA) 1 billion euros acquisition of smaller rival Cora could be seen as a consequence of the French group’s ability to navigate rocketing inflation. It will give the combined company a near 23% share of the fragmented and competitive French market, consolidating Carrefour’s leadership on its home turf. Five years ago, Carrefour and Casino had begun tentative talks for a possible merger that ultimately collapsed. If anything, Cora’s acquisition will make Carrefour a more attractive target. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Cora, Daniel Kretinsky, Xavier Niel ., Pierre Briançon, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Carrefour, Casino, Twitter, Thomson Locations: French, France

☆ Casino extends creditors’ losing streak
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Casino had previously hinted that it was seeking to restructure the unsecured portion of its debt, worth around 3.6 billion euros, implying that the remaining 4 billion euros of secured debt would remain intact. That implies borrowings of less than 2.7 billion euros, based on analysts’ forecasts compiled by Refinitiv. As a result, between 1 and 1.5 billion euros of the secured debt may also be converted into equity. Casino reckons it needs at least 900 million euros of new money to finance the company’s business plan in the next few years. The winner, who will be the group’s largest shareholder, will then determine whether they can end Casino’s losing streak.

Persons: Daniel Kretinsky, Xavier Niel, Pierre Briancon, crouch, Eli Lilly, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Casino, Refinitiv, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Czech

☆ Time for world to dust off its post-Putin plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, June 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Whatever happens after Vladimir Putin’s humiliation at the hand of his former protégé Yevgeny Prigozhin, the rest of the world sees the Russian president as wounded. The United States, Europe and China will need to dust off their post-Putin plans. The worst outcome would be a period of long uncertainty with different clans vying for power in Moscow. Confusion about who runs the show in the Kremlin would also send shivers among world governments worried about the fate of Russia’s nuclear weapons. And the balance of power in Russia, where vaguely liberal reformers have remained in charge of the economy, could be destabilised.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Wagner, shivers, Xi Jinping, Alexander Lukashenko, Prighozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Peter Thal Larsen, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, The, Moscow, Kremlin, Russian Defense, Staff, Thomson Locations: Moscow, The United States, Europe, China, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Crimea, States, India, Prigozhin’s, Russian, Rostov

☆ Siemens Energy’s green windfall fades over horizon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - It would be logical to assume that wind turbine manufacturers would be the first to benefit from the many government incentives designed to combat climate change. The German company issued late on Thursday a major profit warning, and scrapped its profit guidance this year. Siemens Energy’s stock dropped by more than 30% on Friday morning, wiping some 5.5 billion euros off the company’s market price. After Friday’s hit, Siemens Energy is trading at 0.4 times sales, way below rival Vestas Wind Systems’ (VWS.CO) multiple of 1.7. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Christian Bruch, Friday’s, Karen Kwok, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Siemens Energy, Siemens, Systems, Twitter, Telecom Italia, Vivendi, Intel, Thomson

☆ Telecom Italia grid talks leave Vivendi in a bind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) is moving ahead with the long-awaited sale of its grid. The 5.5 billion euro Italian group has entered exclusive talks with private equity powerhouse KKR (KKR.N), and wants a binding offer by Sept. 30. Vivendi however is valuing the NetCo at 31 billion euros. A 26 billion euro price tag would imply an EV/EBITDA multiple of 14 times. That’s almost three times that of Vodafone (VOD.L) or Telefonica (TEF.MC), assuming the grid’s EBITDA at 1.8 billion euros, according to Barclays estimates.

Persons: Pietro Labriola, Il Messaggero, That’s, – Labriola, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telecom, KKR, Vivendi, hardball, Telecom Italia’s, Vodafone, Telefonica, Barclays, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: Rome, York, French

☆ Generali’s pounce may win over in-house sceptics
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 29 billion euro Italian insurer on Thursday agreed to purchase Liberty Seguros, a group of European businesses, from U.S. insurer Liberty Mutual for 2.3 billion euros in cash. The Italian insurer’s largest acquisition since 2013 nearly exhausts its M&A firepower, which the group had assessed at between 2.5 billion euros and 3 billion euros. At 2.3 billion euros, or nearly two times its 1.2 billion euros of annual revenue, Liberty Seguros’ price tag does not look cheap. But the real price falls to 1.8 billion euros after factoring in around 500 million euros of cash expected from a sale of Brazilian assets announced earlier this year. Assuming three-quarters of these are cost cuts, they may be worth around 800 million euros once taxed at 25% and capitalised.

Persons: Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, Philippe Donnet, Generali, Lisa Jucca, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: MILAN, Reuters, Liberty, Liberty Mutual, Axa, Allianz, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Italian, Iberia, Spain, Portugal, Europe, Cava

☆ Using frozen Russian money for Kyiv is barmy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European officials are still discussing options to use the proceeds of Russia’s frozen funds to help Ukraine. Yet funnelling the money to the war-torn country, which looks justifiable on moral grounds, would set a bad precedent. Euroclear, the Belgium-based settlement house, is sitting on some 180 billion euros of Russian central bank reserves – part of the 280 billion euros Ukraine’s allies froze last year after Russia’s invasion. The clearing firm also holds another 17 billion euros from sanctioned Russian individuals. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ BT’s miss may spur big investors into action
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Trumpeting massive job cuts is usually one way to boost a share price. The 14 billion pound telco said on Thursday it would shed 55,000 jobs over the next seven years, but shares slumped 8%. That will stretch the patience of Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Patrick Drahi’s Altice, which collectively control 30% of the UK group. The catch for Drahi and Höttges is that it’s not obvious what they should demand to reinvigorate BT’s share price. Still, if the two bigwigs decide to join forces, BT’s job cuts may yet move up to the company’s C-suite.

☆ Ukraine rebuilding would be small wager for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The irony is that effort had started when Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in 2014, thus ensuring that Ukraine would firmly aspire to belong to Europe. The war inflicted severe damage on Ukraine, with GDP down 30% last year according to the International Monetary Fund. Rebuilding Ukraine will require help, expertise and guidance – and a lot of time and money. And the United States, Japan and multilateral organisations such as the IMF will continue to flank Europe in its efforts to rebuild Ukraine. Nevertheless, it is in Europe’s interest to play a major part in Ukraine’s reconstruction before the country is accepted as a formal candidate member of the EU.

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