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Peter Thal Larsen
@petertl.bsky.social
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Global Editor, Reuters Breakingviews. Usual disclaimers apply. Signal: petertl.17
www.breakingviews.com
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Peter Thal Larsen @petertl.bsky.social · Nov 27
Here’s a starter pack of all the @breakingviews.reuters.com columnists currently on this thing.
bsky.app/start/did:pl...
Reuters Breakingviews
Join the conversation
bsky.app
petertl.bsky.social
Just sent the latest edition of the Week in Breakingviews to the virtual printing press. Thoughts on AI stragglers, the dollar, and prediction markets - plus other highlights from the @breakingviews.reuters.com team - landing in inboxes tomorrow. Sign up here: www.reuters.com/newsletters/...
The Week in Breakingviews Insights from Reuters global financial commentary team   By Peter Thal Larsen, Global Editor Welcome back! The dollar is down and gold is up, prompting chatter about a “sell America” trade. At Breakingviews, we don’t see much evidence of it. Let us know what we’re missing. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to receive it in your inbox every weekend.
January 30, 2026 at 3:29 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Well this is going to be fun
Republican US Senator Tillis: position has not changed. Will oppose any nominee until DOJ query into Powell is resolved.
January 30, 2026 at 1:49 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Assuming Kevin Warsh is announced as the next Fed chair today, this lecture from last spring will be required reading. Hard to see how this approach is compatible with the Fed cutting interest rates anytime soon.
www.hoover.org/research/g30...
G30 Spring Lecture 2025 - Kevin Warsh, "Commanding Heights: Central Banks At A Crossroads"
Hoover Institution Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics Kevin Warsh delivers a lecture titled “Commanding Heights: Central Banks at a Crossroads" at the International Monetary Fun...
www.hoover.org
January 30, 2026 at 8:23 AM
petertl.bsky.social
The upcoming SpaceX IPO raised two questions: why does Elon Musk’s rocket company need so much cash, and how can it justify a $1 trillion valuation? Mashing it together with xAI may provide some answers. By @robcyran.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/commentary/b...
Breakingviews - Elon Musk engineers his sky-high meme machine
Rocket-maker SpaceX dominates its market but needs bold new frontiers to vaunt for a $1 trln-plus IPO. Chatbot lab xAI needs cash. Merging into an outlandish servers-in-space concern may help both, wh...
www.reuters.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:48 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Largest Amazon gift voucher ever
January 29, 2026 at 9:14 PM
petertl.bsky.social
No regulations about deepfake nudes in space… www.reuters.com/world/musks-...
Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX in merger talks with xAI ahead of planned IPO, source says
The merger would bring Musk’s rockets, Starlink satellites, the X social media platform and ​Grok AI chatbot together and could boost his efforts to launch data centers into orbit, according to a pers...
www.reuters.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:49 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Literally a year between these two diametrically opposed M&A announcements
International Paper Completes Acquisition of DS Smith 01/31/2025 Creates Significant Shareholder Value and a Global Leader in Sustainable Packaging Solutions with a Focus on Attractive and Growing North American and European Regions International Paper to Create Two Independent Public Companies 01/29/2026 Accelerating path to profitable growth by building two scaled, regional packaging solutions leaders in North America and EM
January 29, 2026 at 1:45 PM
petertl.bsky.social
The ultimate humiliation
www.reuters.com/world/uk/bri...
Starmer gifted Xi a ball from a recent match between Manchester United, the Chinese president's favoured team, and the British premier's team Arsenal.
January 29, 2026 at 1:27 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Once again find myself thinking about this movie
Scene from Civil War: “Three hundred buys you a sandwich” Scene from Civil War: “Three hundred Canadian”
January 27, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
petertl.bsky.social
New episode of 🎙️THE BIG VIEW 🎧: After 10 months of tariff turmoil, how are US importers faring? I spoke to Mike Musheinesh, CEO of Detroit Axle, a family-owned car parts firm. We talked about uncertainty, bringing back manufacturing, and suing the US government.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
How a Detroit firm is dealing with tariff turmoil
Podcast Episode · The Big View · 27/01/2026 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:58 AM
petertl.bsky.social
New episode of 🎙️THE BIG VIEW 🎧: After 10 months of tariff turmoil, how are US importers faring? I spoke to Mike Musheinesh, CEO of Detroit Axle, a family-owned car parts firm. We talked about uncertainty, bringing back manufacturing, and suing the US government.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
How a Detroit firm is dealing with tariff turmoil
Podcast Episode · The Big View · 27/01/2026 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
rtodkelly.bsky.social
Now I want to know which CNN reporter or producer doesn't know the word "sycophant."
January 26, 2026 at 7:26 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Owen Goal is unstoppable at the Emirates. What a signing he’s been.
January 25, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
petertl.bsky.social
For once, Davos made history. Impressions from a consequential week in the Swiss mountains.
Poles apart The conventional critique of the World Economic Forum is that it's a talking shop where nothing happens. Not this year. The elite gathering in Davos provided a scenic backdrop to geopolitical thuggery, economic bombast, and frenzied diplomacy. In the end, participants and financial markets breathed a sigh of relief that a showdown over Greenland had been averted. Yet future historians may mark the week in the Swiss mountain resort - held under a banner of "The Spirit of Dialogue" - as the moment the eight-decade-old transatlantic military alliance definitively unravelled. The immediate crisis began and ended with Donald Trump. The U.S. president's threat to slap fresh tariffs on several European countries unless the United States was allowed to buy Greenland prompted protests and hurried discussions about retaliation. It culminated on Wednesday with Trump's rambling Davos speech, where he pledged not to take the Danish territory by force but issued a threat with all the subtlety of a mob boss: "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember." A few hours later, the former reality TV star declared he had reached a deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Although their agreement to cooperate on security in the Arctic remains vague, stock markets rallied on both sides of the Atlantic. Even so, European leaders must now confront a future outside the American security umbrella. They have increased defence spending in response to Trump's justified complaint that they were contributing too little, boosting the stock market appeal of European defence manufacturers like CSG. But the president's transactional approach devalues any promise of future support. Even before the latest showdown, many military analysts questioned whether the U.S. would step in if Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened a NATO member. The Greenland crisis confirms the club urgently needs alternative arrangements. The consequences of ripping up the global order stretch far beyond military matters. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared in a powerful and clear-eyed Davos speech on Tuesday: “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” Behind closed doors, financiers and business leaders debated the ongoing consequences for trade, capital flows, and technology. One recurring theme was that investors are diversifying away from the United States, seeking fresh opportunities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The world cannot collectively dump U.S. financial assets without a corresponding shift in trade flows. Even so, large institutions that previously slashed their holdings of Chinese stocks are rebuilding exposure to the world’s second-largest economy. Financial protectionism is also on the rise. One private equity executive said a Scandinavian institution had ruled out investing in funds managed by an American firm. Denmark’s AkademikerPension declared it was selling its $100 million portfolio of U.S. Treasury bonds, prompting Scott Bessent to dismiss the investment – and Denmark itself – as “irrelevant”.
January 24, 2026 at 2:19 PM
petertl.bsky.social
For once, Davos made history. Impressions from a consequential week in the Swiss mountains.
Poles apart The conventional critique of the World Economic Forum is that it's a talking shop where nothing happens. Not this year. The elite gathering in Davos provided a scenic backdrop to geopolitical thuggery, economic bombast, and frenzied diplomacy. In the end, participants and financial markets breathed a sigh of relief that a showdown over Greenland had been averted. Yet future historians may mark the week in the Swiss mountain resort - held under a banner of "The Spirit of Dialogue" - as the moment the eight-decade-old transatlantic military alliance definitively unravelled. The immediate crisis began and ended with Donald Trump. The U.S. president's threat to slap fresh tariffs on several European countries unless the United States was allowed to buy Greenland prompted protests and hurried discussions about retaliation. It culminated on Wednesday with Trump's rambling Davos speech, where he pledged not to take the Danish territory by force but issued a threat with all the subtlety of a mob boss: "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember." A few hours later, the former reality TV star declared he had reached a deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Although their agreement to cooperate on security in the Arctic remains vague, stock markets rallied on both sides of the Atlantic. Even so, European leaders must now confront a future outside the American security umbrella. They have increased defence spending in response to Trump's justified complaint that they were contributing too little, boosting the stock market appeal of European defence manufacturers like CSG. But the president's transactional approach devalues any promise of future support. Even before the latest showdown, many military analysts questioned whether the U.S. would step in if Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened a NATO member. The Greenland crisis confirms the club urgently needs alternative arrangements. The consequences of ripping up the global order stretch far beyond military matters. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared in a powerful and clear-eyed Davos speech on Tuesday: “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” Behind closed doors, financiers and business leaders debated the ongoing consequences for trade, capital flows, and technology. One recurring theme was that investors are diversifying away from the United States, seeking fresh opportunities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The world cannot collectively dump U.S. financial assets without a corresponding shift in trade flows. Even so, large institutions that previously slashed their holdings of Chinese stocks are rebuilding exposure to the world’s second-largest economy. Financial protectionism is also on the rise. One private equity executive said a Scandinavian institution had ruled out investing in funds managed by an American firm. Denmark’s AkademikerPension declared it was selling its $100 million portfolio of U.S. Treasury bonds, prompting Scott Bessent to dismiss the investment – and Denmark itself – as “irrelevant”.
January 24, 2026 at 2:19 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Kiss of death from @financialtimes.com
Arsenal’s business tactics bring rewards on pitch
January 24, 2026 at 9:47 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Beginning to suspect TikTok’s social impact is less than wholly positive.
January 24, 2026 at 8:07 AM
petertl.bsky.social
The LIV Golf of multilateral institutions.
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Trump, who will chair the board, invited dozens of other world leaders to join, saying he wants it to address challenges beyond the stuttering Gaza ceasefire, stirring misgivings that it could undermine the U.N.'s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution. While regional Middle East powers including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as major emerging nations such as Indonesia, have joined the board, global powers and traditional Western U.S. allies have been more cautious.
January 22, 2026 at 1:18 PM
petertl.bsky.social
NATO’s Mark Rutte frames the Trump talks in Davos as a debate about Arctic security. No mention of any deal over Greenland.
DAVOS - NATO'S RUTTE: WE DISCUSSED HOW TO ENSURE RUSSIANS, CHINESE DO NOT GAIN ACCESS TO GREENLAND'S ECONOMY OR IN... NEWS Reuters News 4 minutes ago DAVOS - NATO'S RUTTE: WE DISCUSSED WITH TRUMP HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE NATO CAN ENSURE ARCTIC IS SAFE NEWS Reuters News 5 minutes ago
January 22, 2026 at 6:58 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Nice transatlantic military alliance you’ve got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.
shashj.bsky.social Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 10d
Trump to Europe on Greenland: "You can yes and we will be very appreciative or you can say no and we will remember"
January 21, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
roberthutton.co.uk
Without America, "right now, you'd all be speaking German" Trump tells an audience in Switzerland.
January 21, 2026 at 2:02 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Globalist elites queuing up for the opportunity to be insulted in person
Crowd at the World Economic Forum in Davos waits to enter the room where Donald Trump will deliver his speech
January 21, 2026 at 1:07 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Interesting historical parallel drawn by @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu in Davos.
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
gone back to your roots with this year's theme - A Spirit of Dialogue. Because this sirit is all the more important in a world that is more fractured and more fractious than ever. 1971 was the year of the so-called Nixon shock and the decision to delink the US dollar from gold. In an instant, the foundations of the Bretton Woods System and the entire global economic order - set up after the war - effectively collapsed. But it also had two major effects. It inadvertently created the conditions for what would become a truly global order. And it provided a sharp lesson for Europe on the need to strengthen its economic and political power. It was a warning to reduce our dependencies - in this case on a foreign currency.
January 20, 2026 at 11:33 AM
petertl.bsky.social
This is the second administration official who has essentially said “pay no attention to the guy upstairs”
antongerashchenko.bsky.social Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 11d
US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent:

What I am urging everyone here to do is sit back, take a deep breath, and let things play out. The worst thing countries can do is escalate against the United States.
January 20, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
reuters.com
🔊The US has long been interested in Venezuela’s resources. Abducting its president opens a new, turbulent chapter. In The Big View podcast, Peter Thal Larsen talks to Ed Crooks, vice chair of energy research firm Wood Mackenzie, about what happens next reut.rs/45eMtw8
The murky economics and politics of Venezuelan oil: podcast
The US has long been interested in the South American country’s resources. Abducting its president opens a new and turbulent chapter. In this episode of The Big View Peter Thal Larsen talks to Ed Croo...
reut.rs
January 20, 2026 at 5:48 AM