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.

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

Goldman Sachs and Warren Buffett have found a way to scratch each other’s backs – again. The mutual assistance started during the crisis when the Sage of Omaha stepped in with a $5 billion rescue investment in 2008 that provided him with a healthy 10 percent yield on Goldman preferred shares. Now, they’re amending terms of warrants granted to Buffett in the same deal that also works well both ways.

By Antony Currie

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

It’s harder to grade the Federal Reserve over its handling of the stress tests than it is the 18 banks which take them. On the face of it, the regulator has devised a rigorous but fair system. This year, it rapped Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan over the knuckles for their flawed models, though still approved their plans to return capital to shareholders. It vetoed proposals by Ally and BB&T, and gave its blessing to former dunce Bank of America. But the Fed’s math and much of the results remain a secret. That makes some of the toughness seem more for show.