Breakingviews

Emerging markets hit by double troubles

By Robert Cole and Jeff Glekin

The authors are Reuters Breakingviews columnists. The opinions expressed are their own.

Emerging-market investors seem to get hit by trouble near and far. They suffer when euro zone troubles erode investment confidence generally. But they also have their own particular concerns about a slowing China and an intensification of resource nationalism.

Law site’s IPO evokes a future beyond dying firms

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

LegalZoom’s planned initial public offering evokes a future beyond dying law firms. It’s coincidence that the U.S. self-help legal website’s $120 million filing has landed just as New York partnership Dewey & LeBoeuf is evaporating. But the rise of the online provider of legal documents sends old-line lawyers a sharp warning.

Oracle suit gives Google a chance not to be evil

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

An Oracle lawsuit is giving Google a golden opportunity to regain its non-evil image. The search giant has been thumped lately on privacy, antitrust and governance grounds. But it looks almost virtuous in a patent spat with Larry Ellison’s Oracle.

Facebook winning Keynesian beauty contest

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

Give Facebook the tiara. The social network may be worth more than $100 billion on its debut. As a result, the art of valuing Facebook has officially entered what economist John Maynard Keynes called the “beauty contest” realm. In justifying such a lofty number, Facebook’s supporters are resorting to increasingly wacky rationalizations, from the old chestnut monetization of eyeballs to comparing the company to credit scorers. But Facebook’s value, like beauty, is merely in the eyes of the beholder.

Euro stocks discount lion’s share of new fear

By Robert Cole

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

It’s hard to be bullish about European equities. The economies look weak both inside and outside the euro zone and the single currency’s crisis only seems to get worse. But the share prices may be discounting even more bad news.

Murky U.S. bribery law gets a dose of clarity

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

America’s murky bribery law is finally getting a dose of clarity. Morgan Stanley showed last month how to avoid legal charges for infractions by one of its executives, and an appeals court will soon define whose palm cannot be greased. That’s good news for multinationals sweating unpredictable enforcement of a confusing statute.

Dodd-Frank opponents return to the drawing board

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

JPMorgan has given financial reformers at least two billion reasons to insist on more aggressive oversight of the banking industry. In the wake of last week’s trading loss, presidential contender Mitt Romney and other Republicans will have to rethink their rhetoric around gutting the Dodd-Frank Act and, more specifically, its Volcker Rule provision. Voters may no longer believe that big banks can manage their own risks, which leaves making banks smaller the alternative to tighter regulation.

Coty’s freshened offer hard for Avon to resist

By Agnes T. Crane

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

Coty is making its advances harder for Avon Products to resist. The European fragrance maker has given the down-in-the-dumps U.S. makeup firm until Monday to engage in discussions. But Coty has raised its offer to $10.7 billion, added Warren Buffett’s cash and blessing, and hinted at the possibility of a still higher price – while Avon is, if anything, looking weaker.

Boardroom botches call for checklist fix

By Jeffrey Goldfarb

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

If checklists can save lives, surely they can help shareholders. The scandals at Yahoo, Green Mountain Coffee, Chesapeake Energy and other U.S. companies suggest boards of directors could do with some simple reminders to prevent them from making stupid mistakes. Breakingviews has drawn up a starter set.

Boardroom gamblers roasted by their own hubris

By Robert Cyran

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

Someone should have told Robert Stiller and William Davis to wake up and smell the coffee. The top two board members of cup-of-Joe maker Green Mountain were removed from their posts on Tuesday by their fellow directors after having to sell stock in the company during a quiet period to meet margin calls. The fate of Stiller, the company’s founder and chairman, and Davis, its lead independent director, should serve as a lesson to all.