Schwab eyes TD Ameritrade, PayPal strikes biggest deal, and women leave the trading floor: This Week in Finance

Welcome to This Week in Finance, your weekly roundup of the conversations trending among financial professionals on LinkedIn. Click Subscribe above to be notified of each edition. This week:

Schwab's $26B broker bet?

Charles Schwab is looking to buy rival TD Ameritrade for $26 billion as the brokerage industry undergoes a price war, according to anonymously sourced reports. The acquisition would create a company with $5 trillion in combined assets. Schwab recently revealed plans to eliminate commissions, and the deal could help it better compete with companies like BlackRock as the industry undergoes rapid change. ?? Here's what people are saying.

2019’s biggest listing so far

Alibaba is on track to raise about $12.9 billion in its latest share sale, putting Hong Kong on top of the global leaderboard for fundraising in 2019 despite months of unrest in China's semiautonomous region. The e-commerce group's listing on Nov. 26 is also set to be the world's biggest this year — and the biggest equity offering in Hong Kong since 2010. If oil firm Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering in Riyadh goes ahead in December as anticipated, however, it could outrun Alibaba. ?? Here's what people are saying.

A bigger problem than recession?

The biggest threats to world growth now include climate change and technology over faltering trade and investment, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said for the first time. The intergovernmental research group — which usually sticks to growth forecasts — also said the new threats will require more than near-term fiscal and monetary solutions. Even trade issues will require more structural solutions than rolling back tariffs of the past two years, it said. Meanwhile, its global growth estimate slipped to 2.9% from 3% in September, and its U.S. outlook to 2.3% from 2.4%. ?? Here's what people are saying.

Slump unlikely in next year: Yellen

Former Fed Chair Janet Yellen told the World Business Forum in New York that she doesn’t expect a recession during the next year. But Yellen, who led policymakers at the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, added that she thinks “the odds of a recession are higher than normal and at a level I am frankly not comfortable with … so there is reason to worry.” The central bank cut rates for the third time this year in September, as trade battles between the world’s biggest economies stall business investment globally. ?? Here's what people are saying.

PayPal lands a sweet deal

PayPal will acquire Honey Science for $4 billion — the company's largest acquisition to date — to simplify the shopping experience for its 300 million monthly customers and target new segments. Honey offers a browser add-on that applies discounts for nearly 30,000 online retailers, a feature expected to drive engagement while enhancing PayPal's price-tracking, product discovery, and loyalty capabilities. Pushing back against competition from tech companies, the company hopes the deal will serve as a "springboard for PayPal's broader commerce initiatives." ?? Here's what people are saying.

Why women are leaving trading

Despite banks' recent efforts to promote gender equality, women are leaving the trading floor and make up as little as 11% of director and managing director roles in finance, according to one study. What’s behind the gap? A relatively hostile environment may be preventing some women from climbing the ranks, according to a Bloomberg report, with female trading professionals citing constant interruptions when speaking at meetings, getting paid less than male colleagues, and working without women role models as taking a toll. ?? Here's what people are saying.

—With Riva Gold, Cate Chapman, and Lauren Lee.

Don't miss each edition of This Week in Finance: Click Subscribe above or below to be notified.