Breakingviews

Cost-cutting will help brewer AB InBev justify a $110 billion strike at SABMiller. But a convincing top-line growth story is required if existing equity investors are to roll into the new entity. There are several levers. Africa is the most important.

Loose monetary policy has helped the brash presidential contender amass riches while reneging on his debts four times. Bankruptcy laws long ago undermined “dictum meum pactum” in business dealings. But it’s unsettling to see the popularity of a man whose word is worth so little.

After replacing its chief executive, the German carmaker should look for a new chair. Picking long-term CFO Hans Dieter Poetsch was questionable even before the emissions cheating was uncovered. It’s now untenable - VW’s restart needs to be driven by an independent outsider.

The new Labour leader in the UK wants the government to use newly created money to pay for infrastructure investments. The gains are clear. It’s simpler and more just than borrowing, healthier for the financial system and not necessarily more inflationary. The risks are hypothetical.

The scandal-hit fund is seeking to ease its financial woes by selling power assets it bought for $2.8 bln. Despite the political storm and ownership limits, overseas bidders are interested. The falling ringgit, and 1MDB’s need to justify past deals, may give them the upper hand.

Martin Winterkorn’s resignation clears the way for sweeping changes at the sprawling carmaker after its costly emissions scandal. He was one of Germany’s best-paid bosses. Revamping compensation, and even trying to recoup some of the CEO’s cash, would send a strong message.

Some economists see the unexpected inflow into Europe as an easy win, adding to GDP and countering ageing. But those changes hardly matter. More important is that migration challenges the idea of a global economy. Political borders still set the economic agenda.

Martin Winterkorn should go, having presided over an emissions-cheating scandal that wiped a third off the German carmaker’s market value in two days. But VW’s over-complex structure and poor corporate governance look like culprits too. It is time for some urgent retooling.

The big-screen movie company is floating its Chinese unit at a valuation of up to $1.6 bln. The offering gives private equity backers an exit and helps lock in local partners. More importantly, it allows IMAX to show shareholders back home the value of mainland audiences.

If the 92-year-old mogul doesn’t live forever as planned, his empire will be controlled by a trust. Either way, ending the dual-class share structure could lift the value of CBS by 20 pct, according to a Breakingviews calculator. The price of doing so would be more than worth it.