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☆ European markets set to open mixed after Stoxx 600 closes at all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European stocks looked set to open mixed Friday, shaking some positive momentum after the pan-European benchmark closed at a record high in the previous session. The Stoxx 600 index ended the session 0.82% higher at 495.1 Thursday, surpassing its previous record close of 494.35 on Jan. 5, 2022, LSEG data showed. Investors will digest earnings from Allianz, BASF and Standard Chartered on Friday, while fourth-quarter gross domestic product data is due from Germany. In Asia-Pacific, markets were mostly higher Friday, with China stocks rising for the ninth straight session as investors digested property prices data. The CSI 300 index was flat by midday trading after rising about 0.4% at the open, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped 0.2%.

Persons: Hong Organizations: Allianz, BASF, Standard Chartered, Nasdaq Locations: Germany, GfK, Asia, Pacific, China

☆ Firms With Deep Roots in China Reconsider Their Xinjiang Ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Volkswagen Group is reviewing the future of its joint venture in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China and another German industrial giant is starting to sell its stakes there following new international scrutiny of forced labor using predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. Volkswagen said last week that it was in discussions with one of its main joint venture partners in China, the state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, in the wake of allegations of human rights violations at their joint venture in Xinjiang. The companies are examining “the future direction of the J.V.’s business activities in Xinjiang,” VW said, adding that “various scenarios are currently being examined intensively.”BASF of Germany, the world’s largest chemical company, disclosed on Feb. 9 that it began moving late last year to divest its stakes in two manufacturing joint ventures in Xinjiang.

Persons: VW Organizations: Volkswagen, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, BASF Locations: Xinjiang, China, Germany

☆ A big win for Wells Fargo — plus what's dragging down Google parent Alphabet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

One more down: Shares of Wells Fargo hit a new 52-week high after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency terminated a 2016 consent order linked to its sales practices. This is the sixth consent order that regulators have terminated since 2019. Every consent order that is resolved brings the bank closer to having the Federal Reserve lift the asset cap that's been holding it back since February 2018. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER .

Persons: Jim Cramer, Linde, Wells Fargo, Charlie Scharf, there's, GOOGL, It's, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Krisztian Bocsi Organizations: CNBC, Air Products, Chemicals, Bank of America, Energy, Cisco Systems, Wells, Currency, Federal Reserve, Microsoft, Google, Materials, University of Michigan, PPI, Jim Cramer's Charitable, Shell Plc, BASF, Linde AG, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: We're, Bank, Wells, Coinbase, Leuna, Germany

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German chemical company BASF said Friday that it was speeding up the sale of stakes in two joint ventures in China after its local partner was accused in media reports of human rights abuses. BASF said in a news release that the market for the industrial chemicals made at the production sites in Korla in China's Xinjiang region was under increased competitive pressure and oversupplied. However, it added that recent reports had contained “serious allegations” about activities “inconsistent with BASF's values.”German news media had reported that employees of a BASF partner firm had participated in a state repression campaign aimed at the region's minority Muslim Uighur population. BASF said internal and external audits found no evidence of rights violations and no indication that the employees of the joint ventures — BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing and Markor Meiou Chemical (Xinjiang) Co — were involved in the alleged violations. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesThe company said it remained committed to the China market.

Persons: — Organizations: BASF, BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, China, Korla, China's Xinjiang, Xinjiang

☆ Brazil Authorities Crack Down on Illegal Pesticides Trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The parallel trade in pesticides, which would represent about 20% of the entire Brazilian market, according to a lobby group, highlights supply chain risks faced by global grain traders in farm powerhouse Brazil. Increasingly, criminals are using structures involving front companies that arrange false invoices, produce fake labels, smuggle and move the illegal products. For example, authorities tested batches of seized insecticide Thiamethoxam that showed a 95% concentration of the active ingredient, whereas the highest concentration allowed in Brazil is 50%, the PRF said. Last year, the industry welcomed a new law setting harsher penalties for those producing, storing or shipping illegal pesticides in Brazil. The new law was signed as seizures of illegal pesticides rose threefold in eight years, to 195.7 tons in 2023, according to PRF data.

Persons: Ana Mano, Criminals, Brazil's, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Ana Mano SAO PAULO, Reuters, Basf, Bayer Locations: Brazil, China, India

☆ Mega rich renew call on global leaders at Davos to 'tax our extreme wealth'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Austrian Marlene Engelhorn, who inherited from her family who owns the Germany's chemical giant BASF, poses with a placard reading "Tax the rich!" at the entrance of the Congress center on the opening of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, on January 15, 2024. In an open letter to political leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the rich signatories said they wished to deliver a clear message: "Tax our extreme wealth." "We are surprised that you have failed to answer a simple question that we have been asking for three years: when will you tax extreme wealth?" But it will turn extreme and unproductive private wealth into an investment for our common democratic future."

Persons: Marlene Engelhorn, Fabrice COFFRINI, FABRICE COFFRINI, Abigail Disney, Simon Pegg, Valerie Rockefeller, Brian Cox, Logan Roy, Cox Organizations: BASF, Economic, Getty, Oxfam Locations: Davos, AFP, Switzerland, HBO's

☆ An heiress is seeking 50 strangers to help her give away her $27 million inheritance
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marlene Engelhorn, 31, is set to give away $27 million of her inheritance. She is recruiting 50 strangers to help her distribute the money to worthy causes in Austria. Advertisement"In Austria, the wealthiest one percent hoards up to 50 percent of the net wealth," Engelhorn said, per the Washington Post. Austria abolished inheritance and gift taxes in 2008, while the United States lacks a federal inheritance tax, with only some states imposing such taxes, the Washington Post reports. Wealth taxes are the least we can do to take responsibility.

Persons: Marlene Engelhorn, Friedrich Engelhorn, —, Traudl, Engelhorn, Engehorn Organizations: BASF, Service, Austrian, Good, Daily Mail, Millionaires, Washington Post Locations: Austria, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Washington, United States

☆ How old fishing nets could be part of the climate crisis solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Paul Glader | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

De Bouter’s company, Brikole, is a startup “circular business” that recycles discarded nets from the industrial tuna fishing industry. Kyle de Bouter holds board shorts made of recycled Nylon fishing nets similar to the kind he is recycling. Since the area is prime for fishing, especially tuna fishing, many in Seychelles believe those industries are a good place to start. He championed activity by “inventive young entrepreneurs” to improve society, mentioning recycled fishing nets as one example. “This is solving the problem of exhausted fishing nets,” said Julio Morón, a managing director of the Spanish tuna fishing organization called OPAGAC.

Persons: Seychelles CNN — Kyle de Bouter, ”, De, Kyle de Bouter, Paul Glader, CNN “, de Bouter, Joshua Tiatouse, CNN De Bouter, Ellen MacArthur, Eduardo Soteras, James Alix Michel’s, Michel, De Bouter, Julio Morón, Brikole, Bouter, de, Manuel Sigren, Bureo, Joshua Tiatousse, Tiatousse, “ Organizations: Seychelles CNN, United Nations, CNN, Bank, “ Department of Blue, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Washington Post, Economy Research, University of Seychelles, snags, Electricity, Bureo, DuPont, BASF, DOMO Chemicals, Grandview Research Locations: Victoria, Seychelles, Patagonia, Spain, France, South Korea, Kosovo, Ghana, Philippines, Mahé, “, Dubai, China, California, Africa, Asia, Grandview

☆ ADNOC German oil deal has bad timing, good logic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the state-owned Abu Dhabi oil giant he runs, is considering a bid for BASF-owned (BASFn.DE) Wintershall Dea, at a potential $11 billion valuation. The UAE firm is already in talks to buy chemical company Covestro (1COV.DE), Wintershall’s German compatriot, for $12 billion. Abu Dhabi's oil riches mean the UAE firm has the wherewithal to pay 5.5 billion euros for BASF’s Wintershall stake. Any deal could value Wintershall Dea at more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion), Bloomberg reported. BASF holds a 72.7% stake in Wintershall Dea.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Wintershall, Jaber, It’s, Austria’s, Abu, LetterOne, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, BASF, The, Shell, Russian, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Abu, National Oil Company, Bloomberg, Wintershall Dea . Investment, Thomson Locations: Gastech, Chiba, Japan, Abu Dhabi, The UAE, Germany, Norway, UAE, Europe, United Kingdom, Abu, Russia, Wintershall Dea

☆ Barclays reveals 10 debt-laden global stocks at risk from higher interest rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Barclays has identified the European stocks that are most at risk of taking a hit to profits over rising interest payments for debt over the next two years. During the coronavirus pandemic, central banks cut interest rates to historic lows, enabling companies to borrow debt at very favorable rates. The table below shows the 10 stocks Barclays expects to have the biggest increase in interest costs through to 2025. Since interest costs are integral to real estate business models, the impact on margins and profits could be much more severe, the bank's analysts said. The Barclays team is confident that while interest rates can hurt company bottom lines, there was "scant" evidence that showed there was systemic risk.

Persons: Fastighets Balder, Castellum, Vonovia, Matthew Joyce, Zoso Davies Organizations: Barclays, Premier, Whitbread, BASF, Dassault Systemes Locations: Swiss

These include plans by ArcelorMittal , the world's second-largest steelmaker, to spend 2.5 billion euros to decarbonise its German steel mills, efforts that depend on now-uncertain government support. "What we're seeing here is devastating for Germany as a business location globally. Besides the 6 billion euros of steel investments, other sectors potentially affected by the court ruling include 4 billion euros in the area of microelectronics and 20 billion euros for battery cell production, according to an economy ministry paper seen by Reuters. Those have previously been estimated at 68 billion euros. "Important industries in Germany, such as chemicals or steel production, need economical energy prices," Oliver Blume, CEO of Europe's top carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Reiner Blaschek, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Stefan Rauber, Intel INTC.O, Taiwan's, Bernhard Osburg, Oliver Blume, Christoph Steitz, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Andreas Rinke, Catherine Evans Organizations: Climate, Finance, ArcelorMittal, SHS Stahl, Reuters, IMF, Intel, TW, Infineon, Steel, BASF, Wacker Chemie, Volkswagen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, DUESSELDORF, Berlin, Germany, Asia, United States, U.S, USA, Steel Europe

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, November 21, 2023. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.4% to close out the week with a 0.9% gain as investors focused on corporate earnings and the prospect of rate cuts. Euro zone government bond yields were set to close the week higher as investors balanced recession fears against comments from European Central Bank policymakers pushing against market expectations for rate cuts in 2024. For the week, real estate (.SX86P) shares lagged while media (.SXMP) and retail stocks (.SXRP) were the top performers. Reporting by Ankika Biswas and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wintershall, they're, Giles Coghlan, Coghlan, Christian Lindner, Germany's DAX, Ankika Biswas, Bansari, Sonia Cheema, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, BASF, U.S, European Central Bank, Shoppers, Bloomberg News, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, Barclays, German, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Europe, Abu Dhabi, Israel, Bengaluru

Earlier this month, she said the U.S. offshore wind industry was "fundamentally broken" after BP wrote down $540 million on its wind power projects offshore New York, blaming inflation and red tape that meant projects ran over budget and over time. Globally, the renewables sector has been undermined by slow permitting, technological challenges, rising raw material costs and higher costs of capital. As BP seeks to guarantee it can meet its internal returns target of 6% to 8% on renewables projects, Dotzenrath said BP was working out how to reduce costs globally. You need one of the local energy suppliers to help you push ahead with the permitting processes and establish the onshore grid connection," she said. BP does not produce electrolysers, which split water to produce hydrogen, but Dotzenrath said did not rule out greater involvement.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Anja, Isabel Dotzenrath, Norway's Equinor, Denmark's, Dotzenrath, we'll, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Thyssenkrupp, Christoph Steitz, Ron Bousso, Barbara Lewis Organizations: BP, REUTERS, Reuters, Siemens Energy, BASF, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, LONDON, Japan, U.S, New York, U.S.A, Germany

An Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is pictured at 50 ImClone Drive in Branchburg, New Jersey, March 5, 2021. The company declined to comment on the plans but news conferences are planned in Alzey, where sources say the plant will be built, and Berlin on Friday. Other people familiar with the plans told Reuters that at least 1,000 jobs would be created. Eli Lilly said it would unveil "far-reaching investment plans" at Friday's news conference, which will be attended by Germany's economy and health ministers. Mounjaro's success helped Lilly post a 37% gain in third-quarter revenues to $9.5 billion, topping Wall Street estimates.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mike Segar, Mounjaro, TSMC, Lilly's, Lilly, Rene Wagner, Klaus Lauer, Andreas Rinke, Ludwig Burger, Thomas Escritt, Madeline Chambers, Miranda Murray, Christina Fincher Organizations: Company, REUTERS, Basf, Reuters, BASF, U.S ., U.S, Intel, European Union, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Branchburg , New Jersey, BERLIN, Germany, Alzey, Berlin, U.S, Ukraine, European, Indianapolis, Danish, Eisai

☆ German economy, auto sector face risks from exposure to China, fund manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Christoph Steitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows the flags of China and Germany at a booth of a German automaker at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China, April 19, 2023. That poses a dilemma for the German government, which is actively trying to get companies to derisk from China, the world's second-largest economy. The fund manager said it was striking that German companies are also increasingly relocating research and development activities to China, while others did the opposite for security reasons. Union Investment holds stakes in virtually all German blue-chip companies, including German carmakers Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), BMW (BMWG.DE) and Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) as well as BASF (BASFn.DE), which all have major ties and exposure to the Chinese economy. The exposure means that German carmakers are facing risks such as being squeezed out of the Chinese market as well as seeing increased Asian competition in Europe, the fund manager said.

Persons: Aly, Christoph Steitz, Paul Simao Organizations: Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Union Investment, Reuters, Investment, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Benz, BASF, Thomson Locations: China, Germany, Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, Japan, South Korea, United States, derisk, German, Europe, Berlin, Beijing

"These investments are being made in areas with very high growth," Christel Bories, Eramet's chair and CEO, told Reuters. "Lithium is not tied to world economic growth, it's tied to the development of batteries and the energy transition." A $400 million deal with Glencore (GLEN.L) to market lithium from the project's first stage will mostly cover Eramet's financing needs for the next tranche, Bories said. In Chile, meanwhile, the group said it had acquired for an initial $95 million a 120,000-hectare lithium concession in the Atacama region. Reporting by Gus Trompiz, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ivan Alvarado, it's, Bories, Eramet's, Gus Trompiz, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Louise Heavens Organizations: National Reserve, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Centenario, BASF, Koniambo, SAS, Thomson Locations: Antofagasta region, Chile, Argentina, Indonesia, Centenario, Atacama, Gabon, China, New Caledonia, SLN

☆ Agrochemicals group Syngenta indicates $10 bln IPO likely next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A logo is seen at the headquarters of agricultural chemical maker Syngenta in Basel, Switzerland January 30, 2020. "Given weak market conditions we expect that the company will IPO by the end of next year," a company spokesman said on Thursday after Syngenta reported its Q3 earnings. The IPO update came as Syngenta, which competes with U.S. company Corteva (CTVA.N) and German firms BASF (BASFn.DE) and Bayer (BAYGn.DE), reported its latest earnings. Syngenta, which recently announced a change of chief executive and chief financial officer, has been pursuing an IPO for nearly two and half years. Syngenta was bought by ChemChina in 2017 for $43 billion and folded it into Sinochem Holdings Corp in 2021.

Persons: Arnd, Syngenta, John Revill, Kirsti Knolle, Robert Birsel Organizations: Syngenta, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, BASF, Bayer, Shanghai Stock Exchange, ChemChina, Sinochem Holdings Corp, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, Swiss, Brazil

☆ Morning Bid: Yield curve control morphs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It will keep buying bonds, but time will tell whether and how tenaciously it will impede yields rising beyond 1%. After touching an almost 10-year low in morning trade, Japanese government bond futures rallied following the announcement. For the meantime the sense that some sort of anchor remains also spread some cheer to Treasury trade, sparking a brief rally. Falls in Hong Kong and Shanghai led MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan 0.9% lower (.MIAPJ0000PUS). Meanwhile, outside of markets, Hamas said its militants fired anti-tank missiles at Israel's invading forces in Gaza early on Tuesday as the conflict intensified.

Persons: Tom Westbrook, DAOU, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Bank of Japan, Nikkei, Treasury, Bond, Federal Reserve, U.S . Treasury Department, Samsung Electronics, Brookfield consortium, Treasury Wine Estates, Anheuser, Busch Inbev, Bouygues, BASF, BP, Pfizer, Caterpillar, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, U.S, Europe, Asia, Falls, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Pacific, Japan, Australia, Gaza

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition unveiled in July a strategy toward de-risking Germany's economic relationship with China, calling Beijing a "partner, competitor and systemic rival". German investment in Asia excluding China is rising as a share of overall investment. "No company is going to say that it will leave China," said Sandra Ebner, senior economist at Union Investment, Germany's second-largest fund manager. "But what companies are increasingly doing is to produce in China for China and to position themselves around China for the remaining Asian or global market." In July, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck travelled to India with a delegation of executives to discuss opportunities for German companies.

Persons: Thomas Nuernberger, Nuernberger, Olaf Scholz's, Volker Treier, Munk, Ferdinand Munk, Scholz, Angela Merkel's, Martin Brudermueller, Max Zenglein, Juergen Matthes, Markus Horn, Matthias Bianchi, Joe Biden, Wolfgang Niedermark, Jan Roennfeld, Roennfeld, Sandra Ebner, BDI's Niedermark, Robert Habeck, Christoph Steitz, Sarah Marsh, Maria Martinez, Aditya Kalra, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Xinghui, Orathai, Brenda Goh Organizations: Reuters, Commerce and Industry, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Benz, BASF, IW Institute, Big, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Economic Institute, Horn, German Association of, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, Union Investment, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, BERLIN, Berlin, Beijing, China, Taiwan, India, Asia, Germany, Europe, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, South China, European, Thailand, United States, Mexico, Indonesian, Eastern Germany, Malaysia, Frankfurt, New Delhi, Xinghui Kok, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai

☆ Arkansas orders Chinese-owned seed producer Syngenta to sell US farmland
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CHICAGO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell 160 acres (65 hectares) of farmland in the U.S. state within two years on Tuesday because the company is Chinese-owned, drawing a sharp rebuke from the global seeds producer. U.S. farm groups and lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing foreign land ownership due to concerns about national security. "Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers," Das said. The state also fined Syngenta $280,000 for failure to report foreign ownership in a timely manner. "All Syngenta land holdings have been examined by the U.S. government, through two administrations, as Syngenta was transitioning to ChemChina ownership," Das said.

Persons: Syngenta, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Saswato Das, Das, Tim Griffin, Griffin, Northrup, Huckabee Sanders, Tom Polansek, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: BASF, Bayer, Sinochem Holdings Corp, Northrup King Seed, Syngenta, U.S . Department of Agriculture, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Arkansas, U.S, Craighead County, China, ChemChina, Shanghai

☆ Strained France-Germany ties slow EU decision making
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

From joint defence programmes to nuclear energy or relations with China, Paris and Berlin are at odds over a growing number of issues. In an August speech Macron made his frustration public, calling Germany's position on nuclear energy "a historic mistake". Germany decided to phase out nuclear energy after Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011, closing its last reactors in April. It is unclear if France and Germany can hash out a deal in Hamburg ahead of a crucial EU energy meeting on Oct. 17, but analysts are doubtful. Although the concept was criticised for having failed with Russia, German officials believe trade ties with a country like China could prevent conflict.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Sarah Meyssonnier, Macron, Detlef Seif, Marc, Antoine Eyl, Wolfgang Munchau, hasn't, Wandel, Handel, Noah Barkin, Sarah Marsh, Kate Abnett, Michel Rose, Rachel Armstrong, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Weimar, REUTERS, German Christian Democratic Union, BASF, Reuters, EDF, Franco, GMF, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Hamburg, Berlin, China, German, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, EU, Franco, Italian, Russia, Brussels, Beijing

☆ Siemens is case study in China de-risking dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

That’s unsettling for the likes of Siemens, $62 billion carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and $39 billion chemicals group BASF (BASFn.DE). Factor in the German group’s 32% stake in Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) and 75% holding in Siemens Healthineers (SHLG.DE), currently worth 46 billion euros, and it adds up to 156 billion euros. The unit and Siemens’ Airport Logistics unit, which press reports say could be another divestment candidate, may only be worth 4 billion euros combined. Moreover, Kaeser already tried to boost Siemens’ valuation by partially spinning off subsidiaries. As of September, Siemens had bought back 2.5 billion euros of shares since starting a 3 billion euro share repurchase programme in November 2021.

Persons: Roland Busch, France’s Legrand, Busch, Joe Kaeser, he’s, Kaeser, Germany’s Bundesbank, Siemens, Goldman Sachs, Judith Wiese, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Siemens, Germany’s, Barclays, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Volkswagen, BASF, Software, Dassault, Automation, ABB, Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Energy, Siemens ’ Mobility, France’s Alstom, CRRC Corporation, Siemens ’ Airport Logistics, Siemens Healthineers, Toshiba Corp, Energy, BNP, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: China, Brussels, Beijing, Germany, EMEA, Swiss, Middle Kingdom, Republic, Shenzhen, Sichuan, Chengdu, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand

☆ Germany risks letting a good crisis go to waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Germany, the European Union’s largest economy and its traditional growth engine, is headed towards a contraction this year. Exports account for more than half of Germany’s GDP, compared to just a third in France and 37% in Italy, according to the World Bank. Germany’s growth potential is estimated at an annual 0.7% over the medium term by the Scope rating agency, about half the euro zone average. Exempting net public investment from the debt brake rule would help to reverse years of underspending. Unless they do, Europe’s leading economy risks letting a good crisis go to waste.

Persons: –, Hubertus Bardt, Germany’s, Carsten Brzeski, Oliver Rakau, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner’s, Sebastian Dullien, Scholz, Destatis, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, World Bank, EU, International Monetary Fund, Reuters Graphics Reuters, German Economic Institute, ING, Oxford Economics, BASF, Finance, Christian Democrats, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, France, Italy, China –, Spain, Weimar Republic, China, Ukraine

However, that was still nearly twice as much as the 5.5 billion euros invested in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Reuters GraphicsOverall German direct investment flows dropped more sharply, to 63 billion euros from 104 billion euros last year, as Europe's largest economy battled recession. "Although the German economy is overall investing much less abroad, new direct investments in China remain nearly as high as before." Matthes pointed out that investments in the rest of Asia as a share of Germany's overall investments was also rising. "It is notable that nearly a quarter of German direct investment flows recently went to Asia," he said.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Juergen Matthes, Matthes, Sarah Marsh, Friederike Heine, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Investment, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Volkswagen, BASF, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Asia

BRUSSELS, Sept 20 (Reuters) - European Union's second-top court on Wednesday backed an EU competition regulator's decision against a 700-million-euro ($748 million) Belgian tax scheme for 55 multinationals, in a major win for EU antitrust chief's crackdown on sweetheart tax deals. The Luxembourg-based General Court had in 2019 annulled Margrethe Vestager's decision after Belgium and about 30 of the companies challenged it. Beneficiaries of the Belgian scheme that dated from 2005 included U.S. manufacturer Magnetrol, oil company BP (BP.L), chemical producer BASF (BASFn.DE), Wabco, Cellio, Atlas Copco (ATCOa.ST) and Belgacom, now Proximus (PROX.BR) . The EU Court of Justice, Europe's top court, in 2021 however sided with the EU competition enforcer and referred the case back to the lower tribunal. Belgium can still appeal to the EU Court of Justice.

Persons: Margrethe Vestager's, Atlas, Europe's, Foo Yun Chee, Bart Meijer, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Belgian, EU, BP, BASF, Justice, Belgian Finance Ministry, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Luxembourg, Belgium, Brussels, Amsterdam

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