Activist investors tend to rely on an element of surprise to catch their target company off guard: quietly building up a stake and swooping in with a slide deck full of strategic changes at just the right moment. That’s not what happened at the beginning of a recent campaign led by the hedge fund Starboard Value against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The FT’s Oliver Barnes, US pharmaceutical and biotech correspondent, and Maria Heeter, US deals correspondent, examine what went awry and what happens next.      Clips from CBS, ABC, CNBC, NBC    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Starboard plotted a campaign against Pfizer’s chief. Then a blank email dropped in his inbox Why Pfizer sorely needs the activist treatment  Starboard-Pfizer battle strains Guggenheim’s relationship with drugmaker - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Oliver Barnes (@mroliverbarnes), Maria Heeter (@HeeterMaria) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Attend the FT Global Banking Summit, December 3 and 4 in London: Enter BTM20 for a 20% discount (applicable on all ticket types), register here.   Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the financial crisis, dealmaking among banks in different countries in Europe fell to a standstill. But recently, Italian lender UniCredit revealed that it had built up a stake in Germany’s Commerzbank, prompting discussions of a possible tie-up. EU policymakers and politicians believe cross-border deals like this could unlock European banking and make it more competitive globally. So why is there resistance? The FT’s European banking correspondent Owen Walker explains.  Clips from Bloomberg, BBC  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further reading: Andrea Orcel plots UniCredit’s boldest move yet on Commerzbank Andrea Orcel, Commerzbank and the redemption trade Europe’s most notorious banking dealmaker returns - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  On X, follow Owen Walker (@OwenWalker0) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.  Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.