Tony Tassell
@tonytassell.bsky.social
Financial Opinion Editor at the FT. I have views. A spotter of things in markets, companies, world affairs. Also interested in food and climbing.
The £500mn sale of the Telegraph to US private equity firm RedBird has collapsed, throwing the future of the newspaper into question as it enters its third year without an owner - www.ft.com/content/c48e...
Telegraph sale to RedBird collapses
US private equity group walked away due to regulatory uncertainty and negative commentary from newspaper
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:41 PM
The £500mn sale of the Telegraph to US private equity firm RedBird has collapsed, throwing the future of the newspaper into question as it enters its third year without an owner - www.ft.com/content/c48e...
Reposted by Tony Tassell
My future as a motivational speaker is now assured - by me for @financialtimes.com - Should we just give up now that it's winter? With added Kafka (a great "joke" from him in fact) and prescription of some improving Victorian literature www.ft.com/content/2ca1...
Should we just give up now it’s winter?
Modern life isn’t very indulgent of just going back to bed. But there’s nothing wrong with doing it from time to time
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:34 AM
My future as a motivational speaker is now assured - by me for @financialtimes.com - Should we just give up now that it's winter? With added Kafka (a great "joke" from him in fact) and prescription of some improving Victorian literature www.ft.com/content/2ca1...
"Trying to raise a lot of revenue through small tweaks and novel taxes is a risky endeavour at any point, but it surely compounds the potential adverse consequences if so much is happening at the eleventh hour." @stephenkb.bsky.social here www.ft.com/content/1cea...
November 14, 2025 at 9:52 AM
"Trying to raise a lot of revenue through small tweaks and novel taxes is a risky endeavour at any point, but it surely compounds the potential adverse consequences if so much is happening at the eleventh hour." @stephenkb.bsky.social here www.ft.com/content/1cea...
The Treasury is trying to calm markets - from the FT live blog www.ft.com/content/abfe...
UK government bonds sink after Reeves ditches plan to raise income tax
Dramatic U-turn ahead of Budget sparks sell-off in gilt market
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:47 AM
The Treasury is trying to calm markets - from the FT live blog www.ft.com/content/abfe...
This is not going down well www.ft.com/content/6cbb...
Starmer and Reeves ditch plan to increase income tax rates in the Budget
U-turn on measures to raise revenue to fill fiscal hole sparks sell-off in gilt market
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:12 AM
This is not going down well www.ft.com/content/6cbb...
Always instructive after a credit disaster to look what red flags were missed - report here from Julie Steinberg, @bondhack.ft.com and @ericgplatt.ft.com on First Brands www.ft.com/content/2459...
How Apollo, Soros and others spotted red flags at First Brands
Small group of businesses avoided losses on car parts supplier’s collapse by refusing credit or cutting exposure
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Always instructive after a credit disaster to look what red flags were missed - report here from Julie Steinberg, @bondhack.ft.com and @ericgplatt.ft.com on First Brands www.ft.com/content/2459...
Schroders has always been influential in the UK corp governance debate. Now it is rethinking one shareholder orthodoxy: directors should not serve longer than 9 yrs/ Kimberley Lewis of Schroders writes here on why. Highlights a shift in power in corp gov to execs/directors www.ft.com/content/c646...
It is time for a rethink on board tenure
The ‘nine-year’ limit for UK directors should not be seen as a hard rule
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Schroders has always been influential in the UK corp governance debate. Now it is rethinking one shareholder orthodoxy: directors should not serve longer than 9 yrs/ Kimberley Lewis of Schroders writes here on why. Highlights a shift in power in corp gov to execs/directors www.ft.com/content/c646...
The AI bubble trouble talk is overblown argues Richard Waters in this column www.ft.com/content/7c26...
AI bubble trouble talk is overblown
For the foreseeable future, the market is facing a shortage of capacity — hardly the conditions that spell imminent disaster
www.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:20 PM
The AI bubble trouble talk is overblown argues Richard Waters in this column www.ft.com/content/7c26...
France commemorates victims of Paris attacks 10 years on – in pictures. A terrible, terrible night www.theguardian.com/world/galler...
France commemorates victims of Paris attacks 10 years on – in pictures
France pays tribute to the 130 people killed during a rampage by Islamic State gunmen and suicide bombers targeting cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall in Paris
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:43 PM
France commemorates victims of Paris attacks 10 years on – in pictures. A terrible, terrible night www.theguardian.com/world/galler...
Trump is considering an executive order to curb the power of the two big proxy advisers as well as that of asset managers with big passive investing businesses such as BlackRock and Vanguard, sources told the FT www.ft.com/content/95c0...
US antitrust regulator launches probe into ISS and Glass Lewis
Federal Trade Commission’s investigation comes as Trump administration targets influential proxy advisers
www.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Trump is considering an executive order to curb the power of the two big proxy advisers as well as that of asset managers with big passive investing businesses such as BlackRock and Vanguard, sources told the FT www.ft.com/content/95c0...
Reposted by Tony Tassell
Why populism become popular
on.ft.com/3WPrxXX
on.ft.com/3WPrxXX
Why populism became popular
[FREE TO READ] It appeals more to a way of thinking than to a set of ideas — but is it just wrong?
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Why populism become popular
on.ft.com/3WPrxXX
on.ft.com/3WPrxXX
Apple unveil £220 iPhone Pocket resembling an ‘insanely expensive sock’ - well at least it is on trend with the whole craft movement www.thetimes.com/uk/technolog...
Apple unveil £220 iPhone Pocket resembling ‘insanely expensive sock’
The release of the pocket, designed by Issey Miyake and ‘inspired by the concept of a piece of cloth’ left some baffled as to its purpose and hefty price tag
www.thetimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Apple unveil £220 iPhone Pocket resembling an ‘insanely expensive sock’ - well at least it is on trend with the whole craft movement www.thetimes.com/uk/technolog...
The trove of documents released on Epstein communications is pretty extraordinary - even scanning by random oversight.house.gov/release/over...
Oversight Committee Releases Additional Epstein Estate Documents - United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
oversight.house.gov
November 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM
The trove of documents released on Epstein communications is pretty extraordinary - even scanning by random oversight.house.gov/release/over...
Reposted by Tony Tassell
“Are you still talking about Epstein?” Trump keeps asking. Epstein is a “dead issue”, he says. The man stays dead but his issue is very much alive. That is because the system that protected Epstein has still not been held to account." My column. on.ft.com/43p8IhQ
Epstein is not going away
[FREE TO READ] The issue is Trump’s Achilles heel — and the US president knows it
on.ft.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:03 AM
“Are you still talking about Epstein?” Trump keeps asking. Epstein is a “dead issue”, he says. The man stays dead but his issue is very much alive. That is because the system that protected Epstein has still not been held to account." My column. on.ft.com/43p8IhQ
Much debate over the squeeze on the living standards of the less well off focuses on prices. @elerianm.bsky.social argues here focus will shift more to income as AI brings change. The resulting political pressure will demand policy responses that will also impact markets. www.ft.com/content/88b0...
Markets should pay heed to the affordability squeeze
Political pressure in response to public anxiety will demand policy responses
www.ft.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Much debate over the squeeze on the living standards of the less well off focuses on prices. @elerianm.bsky.social argues here focus will shift more to income as AI brings change. The resulting political pressure will demand policy responses that will also impact markets. www.ft.com/content/88b0...
FT Editorial on the BBC - The broadcaster has made errors, but its board has failed to defend it www.ft.com/content/406e...
November 11, 2025 at 7:46 AM
FT Editorial on the BBC - The broadcaster has made errors, but its board has failed to defend it www.ft.com/content/406e...
Important column here from Gita Gopinath - former chief economist at the IMF - questioning the frequency of the OBR assessments and the volatility that induces www.ft.com/content/a2ef...
November 11, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Important column here from Gita Gopinath - former chief economist at the IMF - questioning the frequency of the OBR assessments and the volatility that induces www.ft.com/content/a2ef...
There is a lot of concern about an AI bubble in markets - Mark McDonald of HSBC argues against that here citing some academic research on gains to companies from using the technology and this striking chart www.ft.com/content/0439...
November 10, 2025 at 7:11 AM
There is a lot of concern about an AI bubble in markets - Mark McDonald of HSBC argues against that here citing some academic research on gains to companies from using the technology and this striking chart www.ft.com/content/0439...
ECB to kick off race for top roles as Lagarde era enters final stretch - @olafstorbeck.ft.com and @paolatamma.bsky.social report on the contenders www.ft.com/content/45fc...
ECB to kick off race for top roles as Lagarde era enters final stretch
Four of six jobs on central bank’s executive board become vacant before end of 2027, including the presidency
www.ft.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:08 AM
ECB to kick off race for top roles as Lagarde era enters final stretch - @olafstorbeck.ft.com and @paolatamma.bsky.social report on the contenders www.ft.com/content/45fc...
Martin Wolf argues there is a connection here between these two charts on UK employment/minimum wages www.ft.com/content/b88e...
November 10, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Martin Wolf argues there is a connection here between these two charts on UK employment/minimum wages www.ft.com/content/b88e...
Have had a quite a few non-Arsenal fans come up to recently and say we are going to win the league. Replied love the squad but who knows? Very long way to go. This result underlines that. Sunderland and Ballard were superb. Very strong teams in this league
November 8, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Have had a quite a few non-Arsenal fans come up to recently and say we are going to win the league. Replied love the squad but who knows? Very long way to go. This result underlines that. Sunderland and Ballard were superb. Very strong teams in this league
Non-bank lenders may be fair-weather friends - @haonanzhou.bsky.social column here on research here with @aldasoro.bsky.social and Sebastian Doerr of the BIS showing non-banks pull back more sharply after a crisis than banks www.ft.com/content/d4da...
Non-bank lenders may be fair-weather friends
Research shows they don’t just retreat in a crisis — they run for the exit
www.ft.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Non-bank lenders may be fair-weather friends - @haonanzhou.bsky.social column here on research here with @aldasoro.bsky.social and Sebastian Doerr of the BIS showing non-banks pull back more sharply after a crisis than banks www.ft.com/content/d4da...
Numbers vs more judgment: the US-Europe regulatory divide widens - @dsquareddigest.bsky.social column here www.ft.com/content/b12c...
Numbers vs more judgment: the US-Europe regulatory divide widens
Cuts to the Fed’s supervisory staff reflect a particularly American approach to financial oversight
www.ft.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Numbers vs more judgment: the US-Europe regulatory divide widens - @dsquareddigest.bsky.social column here www.ft.com/content/b12c...
Sequoia’s shake-up may be a VC turning point - column here from Richard Waters www.ft.com/content/1d8f...
Sequoia’s shake-up may be a VC turning point
Turnover of leaders shows how hard it can be to ride out the vicious financial and tech cycles
www.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Sequoia’s shake-up may be a VC turning point - column here from Richard Waters www.ft.com/content/1d8f...
Reposted by Tony Tassell
If anyone is interested in what Transport for London’s own in-house pay-per-mile scheme might have looked like, all the leaked details here. Have lifted this out of the paywall in case it helps anyone writing about today’s Treasury briefings/leaks… www.londoncentric.media/p/london-roa...
Exclusive: The secret plan to charge London's drivers by the mile
Sadiq Khan and Transport for London were on the cusp of transforming the capital's roads. London Centric has all the details.
www.londoncentric.media
November 6, 2025 at 7:16 AM
If anyone is interested in what Transport for London’s own in-house pay-per-mile scheme might have looked like, all the leaked details here. Have lifted this out of the paywall in case it helps anyone writing about today’s Treasury briefings/leaks… www.londoncentric.media/p/london-roa...