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petertl.bsky.social
Peter Thal Larsen
@petertl.bsky.social
6.8K followers 560 following 1.6K posts
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
The SLAPP to end all SLAPPs. Well done to everyone involved.
Trump's lawyers demand BBC retract 'Panorama' documentary or face lawsuit - Reuters News 10 Nov 2025 15:40:29BRITAIN-BBC/DAVIE-LAWSUIT (URGENT) By Jack Queen Nov 10 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's lawyers said that BBC must retract the "Panorama" documentary by November 14 or face a lawsuit for "no less" than 1 billion dollars, according to a letter sent on Sunday.
November 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
petertl.bsky.social
It's the BBC, so there's doubtless more to this story, but it is noteworthy that senior British officials keep resigning over things that their senior US counterparts just brazen out.
www.reuters.com/business/med...
Britain's BBC boss Tim Davie resigns following criticism over Trump documentary edit
The director general of Britain's BBC, Tim Davie, and the chief executive of news, Deborah Turness, have resigned following criticism over bias at the corporation, including in the way it edited a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump.
www.reuters.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Pretty impressive that the FTC managed to wave through Pfizer’s offer for Metsera AND torpedo Novo Nordisk’s counterbid, all during a government shutdown. Who says US bureaucrats can’t move quickly?

www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Metsera, in its Friday statement, said Novo's proposal presented "unacceptably high legal and regulatory risks" compared to the proposed merger with Pfizer, citing a call from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to discuss the risks of a transaction with Novo. The regulator sent a letter earlier this week to Novo and Metsera, saying their proposed deal ran the risk of violating U.S. antitrust laws.
November 8, 2025 at 10:58 AM
petertl.bsky.social
You’ve heard from all the people who think the AI boom is like the dotcom bubble. Now meet the guy who argues the AI boom is actually crazier.
www.reuters.com/commentary/b...
LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Throughout the late 1990s Fred Hickey, the editor of The High-Tech Strategist, was relentlessly critical of the wild market excesses of the time. So-called “bubbleheads” responded by leaving vile messages on his voicemail. However, he developed a cult following among bearish investors. Although Hickey was eventually vindicated, he turned out to be wrong in one respect. In December 1999 he wrote: “The lunacy of tech stock valuations is beyond description ... I’m certain I’ll never see it again in my lifetime.” Hickey still publishes his monthly investment newsletter. He finds much to remind him about the earlier dotcom mania. Except this time, he believes the market is even crazier.
November 8, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
smtuffy.bsky.social
Imagine trying to explain this headline to someone ten years ago www.thebanker.com/content/dfa7...
FCA urges CROs to take ‘more risk’ in major culture shift
No more hiding behind rules, says watchdog
www.thebanker.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:29 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Just heard about this slick-looking scam website targeting people applying for the new UK Electronic Travel Authorisation. Charges unfortunate users £97 (actual cost is £16) and extracts all their personal details including date of birth, address, photo, passport details etc.
Scam website: Apply for an ETA to come to the UK
November 7, 2025 at 9:29 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Rare sighting of an AI-related profit warning. Property website Rightmove says it's investing more in artificial intelligence: shares crash 25%.
www.reuters.com/world/uk/uks...
Nov 7 (Reuters) - Rightmove (RMV.L), opens new tab on Friday forecast slower profit growth in 2026, weighed down by investments it expects to make, primarily in artificial intelligence, as it seeks to bolster operations in the long term. Shares of Britain's biggest property portal fell 25% in early trading. "AI is now becoming absolutely central to how we run our business and plan for the future," CEO Johan Svanstrom said in a statement, adding that for 2026 to 2028, the company will accelerate investment to support double-digit growth in profit.
November 7, 2025 at 8:27 AM
petertl.bsky.social
A Sky-ITV merger would have been unthinkable a few years ago. But now…
brokenbanker.bsky.social BrokenBanker @brokenbanker.bsky.social · 4d
#ITV.L ITV break-up finally on the cards ?
November 6, 2025 at 6:47 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Every day I look at my screen and think "that's it, that's the quote that sums up this mad era." And then the next day there's another one.
www.axios.com/2025/11/06/o...
Reality check: AI evangelists on Wall Street are also skeptical that standard metrics, such as valuations, are the best way to analyze these companies. "I don't pay attention to valuations that much," Jack Janasiewicz, portfolio manager at Natixis Investment Managers, tells Axios, adding that he sees the metric as subjective.
November 6, 2025 at 5:03 PM
petertl.bsky.social
This company has a stock market valuation of $1.6 trillion. More jaw-dropping reporting by @jeffhorwitz.bsky.social.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show. And the social media giant internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day. Among its responses to suspected rogue marketers: charging them a premium for ads – and issuing reports on ’Scammiest Scammers.’
November 6, 2025 at 11:31 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Hang on, aren’t you supposed to ask for a government backstop AFTER the bubble bursts?
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
In addition to OpenAl's deals with chipmakers, the ChatGPT maker is also eying a broad mix of financing vehicles to fund its infrastructure efforts. Friar said OpenAl is "looking for an ecosystem of banks [and] private equity" to support its ambitious plans. She also hinted at a role for the US government to "backstop, the guarantee that allows the financing to happen," but did not elaborate on how this would work. Asked for clarification, an OpenAl spokesperson said Friar was speaking in the context of the broader Al industry. There are currently no immediate plans about OpenAl pursuing a federal backstop, the spokesperson said.
November 5, 2025 at 9:18 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Good morning to everyone except the local estate agent who put these words on a website.
Flow. Being completely involved. Time well spent. Every moment following inevitably from the previous one. Like playing jazz. Like living in a beautifully planned home.
November 2, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
reuters.com
How the US is preparing a military staging ground near Venezuela reut.rs/4oNN5jy
How the US is preparing a military staging ground near Venezuela
The US military is upgrading a Cold War base in the Caribbean it abandoned 20 years ago. Experts say it’s a step towards sustained operations in the region.
reut.rs
November 2, 2025 at 6:30 AM
petertl.bsky.social
The latest edition of The Week in Breakingviews just landed in subscribers’ inboxes. If you’re not already receiving it, 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! Donald Trump rated his summit with Xi Jinping a “12 out of 10”. We gave it a lower score. The confab produced an uneasy truce which did not resolve any of the tensions between the world’s two largest economies. What are we missing? Email me with your thoughts. If someone forwarded you this newsletter, sign up here to receive it every Saturday. Opening line “Xi Jinping bought peace for a handful of beans.” Five things I learned from Breakingviews this week Companies will spend $2 trillion on enterprise software by 2029, but only $76 billion on AI. (Read on Reuters.com) Capital spending by telecom operators is set to decline by 2% a year for the next three years. Switzerland’s public debt is just 25% of GDP; private lending is 10 times that figure. U.S. companies with the highest exposure to 18- to 24-year-olds have the worst-performing stocks. Japanese rice prices were up 63% year-on-year in September. (Read on Reuters.com)
November 1, 2025 at 12:08 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Every London IPO is a hostage to fortune for the UK government. Here's business secretary Peter Kyle hailing the listing of a £1.2 billion purveyor of tomatoes and canned tuna as "a great British success story" and a boost for Britain's industrial strategy....
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Princes Group unveils London listing in major vote of confidence in UK economy Princes Group - leading manufacturer known for producing tinned tuna and Napolina tomatoes - lists on London Stock Exchange in major vote of confidence in UK’s capital markets. The IPO will help drive growth and investment in key sectors – reflecting the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and Plan for Change. Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle calls Princes Group a ‘Great British success story’ and calls for more firms to follow in their footsteps. In a major vote of confidence in UK capital markets, Princes Group has listed today on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in a move that cements the City’s position as a leading hub for global capital. Today (Friday 31 October), Business Secretary Peter Kyle joined Princes Group at the LSE for its market debut, where he delivered a speech and championed the long-established company as a “great British success story”. The listing on the LSE of the manufacturer of some of Britain’s best loved brands is a boost for the government’s modern Industrial Strategy and will help leverage further investment into the UK, in particular the food and drink and advanced manufacturing sectors.
October 31, 2025 at 7:51 AM
petertl.bsky.social
The Obesity Boys are fighting!
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Novo Nordisk hijacks Pfizer with bid for US biotech Metsera By Reuters
October 30, 2025 at 10:26 AM
petertl.bsky.social
So in a nutshell it seems China and the US have agreed not to use their new chokepoints for a year, and Trump has knocked 10% off tariffs in return for Beijing buying some soybeans.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
www.reuters.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
jorisluyendijk.bsky.social
Hugely important aspect is the collapse in party-loyalty. Over half the electorate had not made up its mind on election day. Forming a government will be difficult with this result. But actually governing and doing the necessary but unpopular stuff when your base is so unstable...
leoniedejonge.bsky.social Léonie de Jonge @leoniedejonge.bsky.social · 12d
🗳️ First exit polls from the Netherlands: Wilders’ PVV appears to shrink from 37 to 25 seats. Make no mistake — the far right remains strong. Support hasn’t disappeared; it’s shifted across parties. The Dutch political landscape is more fragmented than ever — and the far right is no exception. 🇳🇱
October 29, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
michielvanhulten.eu
Dutch exit poll: centrist-liberal D66 leading.
October 29, 2025 at 8:04 PM
petertl.bsky.social
New episode of The Big View 🎧🎙️: Ahead of the COP summit in Brazil, a chat with Adair Turner, chairman of the Energy Transitions Commission:
- reasons to be (a bit) less pessimistic about global warming
- progress on carbon pricing
- removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
open.spotify.com/episode/7l5I...
October 29, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
bencoates1.bsky.social
It’s easy to be cynical but the Dutch tradition of all the party leaders going on children’s TV together to answer questions and play daft games is so lovely. Every country should do it
October 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
petertl.bsky.social
We are in the dumbest era of international diplomacy. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
South Korea to award Trump its highest medal, gift him a golden crown
South Korea will welcome U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday with a replica gold crown and award him with the "Grand Order of Mugunghwa", the country's highest decoration, the presidential office said.
www.reuters.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
reuters.com
From Breakingviews - Breakingviews - OpenAI secures freedom to dilute its investors reut.rs/3LwWSfm
Breakingviews - OpenAI secures freedom to dilute its investors
ChatGPT’s parent has ditched its quirky structure, relaxing Microsoft’s exclusive grip. The tech giant gets 27% of the $500 bln company and a $250 bln promise to buy cloud services, while keeping its revenue share. OpenAI boss Sam Altman wins the right to raise lots more capital.
reut.rs
October 28, 2025 at 9:10 PM
petertl.bsky.social
“I just invested $1 billion in Nokia and its market value jumped by $8 billion. Nothing about this is unusual.”
fintwitter.bsky.social FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 13d
Nvidia's CEO Huang: I don't believe we're in an AI bubble.
October 28, 2025 at 7:25 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Four headlines from the past four hours. We are rapidly approaching some kind of AI news singularity.
Microsoft, OpenAI reach deal removing fundraising constraints for ChatGPT maker Apple races past $4 trillion market value as new iPhone models revitalize sales PayPal unveils partnership with OpenAI for payments on ChatGPT, shares surge Nokia shares hit near 10-year high after Nvidia invests $1 billion in AI push
October 28, 2025 at 6:34 PM