Financial Times

I still do feel like the Journal excels in investigative journalism (nothing in the world can beat its Page One coverage). But for true breadth of coverage, the daily delivery of the FT puts an amazingly vibrant and diverse pastiche of the world under my nose every morning. I heartily recommend you give it a trial run.


The world's most addicting and informative read   January 5, 2006
 28 out of 30 found this review helpful

December 2006 revision:

The Financial Times is still one of the best newspapers I know of in the world (that can be readily purchased in the U.S.)

I subscribe to both the Wall St Journal and Financial Times (FT), and also The Economist (newsmagazine). For comparison's sake, the WSJ is very good in its section one coverage, especially front page stories, political coverage, and its excellent and frequently quoted editorials. For me, the other stuff is fluff. Regarding the Economist, it is a highly touted weekly newsmagazine with two downfalls - it is weekly (!) and seems to interject alot of commentary into its stories. Which leads us to the FT.

With FT, I feel like I'm reading THE NEWS, and more importantly, it is in a daily format, ensuring you'll be up to date on the latest global news. There is excellent coverage of US happenings, along with Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Once you read it, you feel much better informed - where else could you get daily extended coverage of the Russian/Ukraine natural gas issue or, from several months ago, daily coverage of Germany's elections? Along with excellent reporting comes great, although somewhat left/liberal commentary - don't let that dissuade you, however. Other gems include business reporting, including stories on management ideas, business life, etc.... and the most excellent Weekend edition (Saturday), full of all sorts of cultural stories, including food, wine, arts, book reviews, travel, and the like. The Weekend Edition of the Wall St Journal has a lot of catching up to do - I typically find myself skimming through the Weekend Journal and tossing it in the trash as I settle in with my coffee and the Weekend FT.

Not to mention brilliant & wonderful columns by Lucy Kellaway, Tyler Brule, and Sathnam Sanghera (to return in Spring '07), and economists Tim Harford and Martin Wolf ...actually, all the columnists are quite good.

As an added note, most, if not all, the stories are fairly concise yet informative, without the constant page turning to continue a story ("story continued on page A15"!), as will be found in the Wall St Journal or many other newspapers.

You must pick this up and indulge yourself for a few weeks, if you are undecided. You will not be disappointed. Reading and owning the FT is a must.


More than just Business   July 21, 2003
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

I have been reading Financial Times for years because my school provided free FT to those students who wake up early enough to get a copy. It has gotten better and better over the years. I like its political editorials, and it provides much more international news than the WSJ, which happens to be too "American-centric." It also has a more diverse views on many international business and political issues.


Better than the WSJ   December 1, 2006
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I received a subscription as a gift and I've been very happy with it. The paper does have some quirks, and I've come to appreciate and eventually love them. First, its color - the pink hue really stands out in a crowd, and unless you work on Wall Street, some one will probably ask you "what newspaper is that?". Second, its format... All stories end on the same page they start on. This means no more trying to find the end of your article, buried in the back of the section. Third, the coverage: it is based in London, and provides the best reporting you can get on Europe, Asia, Mid East, and every emerging market you can think of (AKA the Rest of the World). However, the pink paper really does cover US news, politics, and of course financial markets very well, often devoting the front page to it. I also like the columnist, including James Altucher, and the occasional opinion piece by guys like Vladimir Putin. Now that you know I love the paper let me tell you what I don't like: the delivery. If you live near a major city, then your fine; its delivered by the NY Times people here in Pittsburgh and is on my doorstep every morning in a matching salmon covered plastic bag. However, if you live out in the country (like I used to) you may receive it via USPS, at least one day late, sometimes more