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Passive investors actively pump up market bubble

Index-tracking funds are on ⁠track to ​buy a large chunk ​of the shares sold in SpaceX’s record $75 ​billion offering. ​With more than half the ‌U.S. ⁠market now invested by hands-off managers, benchmarks are ​distorting ​markets. ⁠It’s a recipe for buying ​high and ​selling ⁠low.

The SpaceX building, as the company prepares to file for an initial public offering (IPO), in Hawthorne California, U.S., April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Latest Columns

  • Passive investors actively pump up market bubble
    The Big Viewcategory

    Index-tracking funds are on ⁠track to ​buy a large chunk ​of the shares sold in SpaceX’s record $75 ​billion offering. ​With more than half the ‌U.S. ⁠market now invested by hands-off managers, benchmarks are ​distorting ​markets. ⁠It’s a recipe for buying ​high and ​selling ⁠low.

  • Physical shocks are shrinking the power of money
    The Big Viewcategory

    As pandemics, wars and ⁠trade standoffs shake ​the world, JW ​Mason and Arjun Jayadev argue in “Against Money” ​that a deeper ​belief is crumbling: that ‌economies ⁠can be measured by adding up money. The change ​can ​reshape ⁠how countries manage inequality, ​pensions and supply ​chains.

  • Corporate AI sticker shock will force restraint
    The Big Viewcategory

    Businesses ​may spend $680 bln on ⁠models, agents ​and more next ​year. Unlike predictable software subscriptions, pay-as-you-go AI bills ​are volatile. ​A correction looms for OpenAI ‌and ⁠its peers. But cloud computing shows the market ​can still ​grow ⁠even as CFOs try ​to rein in ​costs.

  • Private credit’s motor can hum again, at a price
    The Big Viewcategory

    Blackstone, Apollo and peers ⁠face an ​exodus from fast-growing ​funds that channel everyday investors into illiquid ​loans. Better ​matching assets with liabilities and ‌clarifying ⁠iffy pricing could help the $232 bln market ​but ​could ⁠dent returns or growth. The ​trade-off is ​worth ⁠it.

Take population caps seriously, but not literally

The far-right proposal to cap Switzerland’s population at 10 mln, scheduled for ​a referendum in June, would ​damage the economy and likely struggle ⁠to translate into coherent measures. ​It still suggests that, above certain ​levels of migration, feelings may well trump economics.

FILE PHOTO: A Swiss flag is pictured in Bern, Switzerland, December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Latest Columns

  • Brussels’ JD probe is an M&A head-scratcher 
    Considered Viewcategory

    The European Commission is ​investigating the Chinese retailer’s $2.6 bln offer for fridge-to-TV seller ‌Ceconomy. Intervention looks hard to square with a crowded consumer electronics sector. The odd target suggests the EU will cast a wide net in its ​attack on foreign subsidies.

  • DeepSeek's A-list investors tick three boxes
    Considered Viewcategory

    CATL and Tencent may invest $2 ‌bln to become the startup’s largest external backers. Both want to use AI to hone their products. ​DeepSeek could become a major customer. And ​Beijing will be happy for the support ⁠of domestic champions. That makes it a ​step up from past dud bets.

  • Dutch deal veto puts big cloud over US buyers
    Considered Viewcategory

    In nixing ‌Kyndryl’s €100 mln plan to buy Solvinity, the government effectively likened Washington to Beijing when it comes ​to data protection. Transatlantic clashes over tech ​sovereignty made the timing tough. The ⁠decision also signals new hurdles for globetrotting ​American CEOs.

  • Reliance hiring slump is calm before AI storm
    Considered Viewcategory

    Headcount growth at the $190 bln energy-to-retail group is slowing ​sharply, partly as an ​investment binge for its energy ⁠business fades. But a ​chronic skills shortage will push ​India Inc toward faster AI adoption. That will turn the hiring ​squeeze into a deeper, ​structural slump.

Ackman’s Universal bruising proves activism limits

The hedgie's five-year investment in ‌the record label ended on a low note: his $64 bln takeover bid flopped and his returns look ​thin. As expected, top shareholder Vincent Bolloré ​got in the way. The saga shows ⁠even the loudest investor campaigns need someone ​willing to listen.

Bill Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, attends the Milken Conference 2025 in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 6, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Latest Columns

  • Hong Kong cross-border wealth boom is over for now
    Breaking Viewcategory

    Freshly crowned ‌as the world's top wealth hub with $2.9 trln of flows, that status is at risk from China’s ​fresh scrutiny of outbound money. AIA, ​Pru, StanChart and HSBC shares slipped. Long-tolerated ⁠grey zones are narrowing. Growth hinges ​on how much opacity Beijing permits.

  • Taiwan forges a thicker silicon shield
    Breaking Viewcategory

    At two mega tech ‌confabs this week leaders from Nvidia and Intel lavished praise on the island’s role in global supply chains. As AI moves from the cloud to local devices, Taiwan's importance will grow. And with GDP set to expand 10%, Taipei also can boost spending on defense.

  • SpaceX straps bankers to the first autonomous IPO
    Breaking Viewcategory

    Wall Street seems a mere passenger on ​the rocket-maker’s flight to ​a $75 bln debut. Fixing the ⁠offer early at $135 a share ​skips price discovery. Index buying ​and Elon Musk’s aura serve as propulsion. The risk is that ​others copy the launch ​sequence but lack the hype to lift ‌off.

  • EU's tech breakaway stops short of independence
    Breaking Viewcategory

    With 70% of ‌Europe's cloud and AI market controlled by US hyperscalers, politicians worry that their access to ​vital tech could be severed by ​a 'kill switch'. New legislation aims to drive ⁠demand for sovereign alternatives. It’s a ​noble blueprint but needs funds to make ​it work.