By Antony Currie
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Jefferies’ second-quarter earnings probably aren’t a reliable bellwether for the rest of Wall Street this time round. The mid-sized investment bank blamed a tough March and April for most of the 35 percent drop in second-quarter profit compared to the same period last year. That, though, is at odds with both market data and hints from some of its larger rivals.

By Antony Currie
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Chief Executive Elon Musk has to sell 540,000 Tesla vehicles a year. At least that’s what may be needed for the electric automaker to be worth $43 billion, according to a Breakingviews calculator. Reaching that stock market valuation by 2022 is one target in Tesla’s rocket-scientist founder’s long-term incentive plan. Hitting that and 10 operational targets could, on simplified assumptions, bag him up to $1.8 billion.

By Antony Currie

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Jamie Dimon has little to lose if JPMorgan’s shareholders choose to split the chairman and chief executive roles at Tuesday’s annual meeting. Quitting, a response that has been hinted at by the board in recent weeks, would be a rather childish move. There are better options for all concerned.

By Antony Currie

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

Listening to the Australians, you could be forgiven for thinking their economy is dead in the water – or about to be. The land Down Under has its problems, including a China-driven commodities downturn and an A$18 billion deficit ($17.9 billion) in this week’s budget announcement from Treasurer Wayne Swan, months after he projected a surplus. But the economy, now in its 22nd year of unbroken economic growth, still boasts the stability other countries only dream of.

By Antony Currie

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Tesla’s shareholders seem to be assuming Chief Executive Elon Musk is infallible. The $10 billion U.S. electric carmaker is on a roll, last week recording its first quarterly profit and receiving the best score the Consumer Reports publication has bestowed on a car for six years. The company’s stock has since surged as much as 70 percent, leaving Tesla worth more than Fiat and Peugeot combined and trading at a whopping 27 times estimates for earnings in 2016.

By Antony Currie

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own)

The weakening yen is good news for Japan’s automakers. The more than 20 percent drop in the currency’s value against the dollar since early October will boost profit from overseas sales – and probably market share, too. A return to the glory days of 2006, though, is likely to prove elusive.