Campden Research

There must be something in the Gujarat water. India’s westernmost state is the birthplace of some of the country’s best-known businesspeople—from Mukesh Ambani, to Azim Premji, and Uday Kotak. Enterprise is a cultural obligation for Gujaratis—with just 5% of India’s workforce, the state produces 22% of the country’s exports.

Warren Buffett tops up cash pile to $128 billion

The family office of prolific US investor Warren Buffett (pictured) has conserved $128 billion in cash in its third quarter, up from $122.4 billion in the previous quarter, backing up a recession-warning trend revealed in The Global Family Office Report 2019.

European family business titans Fiat Chrysler and LVMH look to consolidate their dominance in their automaking and luxury goods markets in an uncertain world by eyeing multi-billion dollar mergers.

The Italian Agnelli family, which controls Fiat Chrysler through its holding company Exor, was expected to approve the proposed $48 billion union with Peugeot-owner PSA, itself 12.2% owned by the French Peugeot family.

More than half of the world’s leading family office principals say they expect a market downturn to start in 2020 and are considering how to safeguard against potential losses and capitalise on new opportunities.

Nearly half (45%) of principals surveyed said they were re-aligning their investment strategy to manage risk or take advantage of opportunistic events (42%). Another two-fifths (42%) said they were increasing their cash reserves, while a fifth (22%) are reducing leverage exposure within their investments.