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☆ European banks default-risk indicator jumps, AT1 bonds fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Deutsche Bank's (DBKGn.DE) five-year credit default swaps (CDS) jumped 19 basis points (bps) from Thursday's close to 222 bps, data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed. UBS's (UBSG.S) five-year CDS also shot up 14 bps from Thursday's close to 130 bps, the data showed. European banks' Additional Tier 1 (AT1) debt also came under fresh selling pressure, with Deutsche and UBS AT1s down around four and two cents in price, respectively, according to Tradeweb data. Although European regulators and authorities in Asia have said this week they would continue to impose losses on shareholders before bondholders - unlike the treatment of bondholders at Credit Suisse - unease lingers. Reporting by Chiara Elisei and Amanda Cooper; Writing by Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The trial will be the first test of how Zantac cancer claims will fare before a jury. GSK said in a statement it disagreed with the ruling and would defend the case at trial. Originally marketed by a forerunner of GSK, it was later sold successively to Pfizer (PFE.N), Boehringer Ingelheim and finally Sanofi (SASY.PA). While NDMA is found in low levels in food and water, it is known to cause cancer in larger amounts. Analysts said it was not surprising that Grillo ruled differently from the federal court because California's courts are known to be friendlier to plaintiffs.

☆ Crypto firm Animoca Brands cuts target for new fund again -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Animoca Brands said in November that it was working on a new Animoca Capital fund with a target of $2 billion, but then halved that target in January to $1 billion. Recently, it has trimmed the target by another 20% to $800 million, two people familiar with the matter said. Latest data on the platform show that the company’s market cap stood at just under 1.9 billion Australian dollars ($1.26 billion) earlier this week. A spokesperson for Animoca Brands declined to comment on its fund raising plans. Animoca Brands was removed from the Australian Securities Exchange in 2020 by the regulator because of its aggressive expansion into the cryptocurrency industry.

SummarySummary Companies European banks, bonds, CDS sell offDeutsche Bank CDS rise to highest since late 2018Confidence hurt, outlook dimsLONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Confidence in European banks deteriorated further on Friday, with the cost of insuring against a debt default rising sharply as the profit outlook for the sector dimmed. Deutsche Bank's (DBKGn.DE) five-year credit default swaps (CDS) jumped 19 basis points (bps) from Thursday's close to 222 bps, rising to their highest since late 2018, data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed. The prospect that interest rates may be close to peaking, as financial markets are signalling, would also curb banks' profit margins on lending. BOND WATCHEuropean banks' Additional Tier 1 (AT1) debt came under fresh selling pressure, with Deutsche AT1 prices down 6 cents, according to Tradeweb data. The selloff in AT1s highlighted concerns about rising funding costs for European banks and helped explain why the sector was facing renewed pressure on Friday, analysts said.

China currently dominates the supply chain for many of the entries on Europe's list of "strategic" metals. By which time not more than 65% of any strategic metal's consumption will be able to come from a single third country. Europe has no strategic metal inventory, unlike the United States, China and South Korea. Given such a humble starting point, it seems unlikely EU strategic metal reserves are going to come any time soon, if they come at all. What started as a response to China's dominance of critical metals supply has been accelerated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania, March 23 (Reuters) - Hershey Co (HSY.N) is looking to reduce "trace" amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals. Consumer Reports found that Hershey's Lily's extremely dark chocolate 85% cocoa bar was high in lead and cadmium. Its Hershey's Special Dark mildly sweet chocolate and Lily's extra dark chocolate 70% were also high in lead according to the report. Voskuil said the manufacturing and cleaning process for cocoa beans removes the "vast majority" of lead and cadmium. Hershey is "evaluating" if it can remove more of the metals through additional cleaning of cocoa beans or alternate sourcing, he said.

BRUSSELS, March 21 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators have raided a company active in the energy drinks sector in several EU countries on suspicion of taking part in a cartel and also abusing its dominance, the European Commission said on Tuesday. Austrian energy drinks maker Red Bull confirmed that its premises had been searched, the Austrian news agency APA reported, although the company declined further comment when contacted by Reuters. "The Commission has concerns that the inspected company may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices," the EU enforcer said in a statement. "The inspected company may also have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit abuses of a dominant position." Companies found breaching EU antitrust rules face fines of as much as 10% of their global turnover.

LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) has discovered that some of its registered nickel is missing. Bags of stones shouldn't pass any inspection, whether at original load-in or during the annual audit of registered stock required by the LME's warehousing agreement. But it folds into the bigger issues around the exchange's governance and regulatory capacity after the blow-out of the nickel contract this time last year. BROKEN NICKELThe latest scandal will also intensify the question of whether the LME nickel contract is fulfilling the function of efficient price discovery forum. The nickel market was already looking for different pricing solutions before the March 8, 2022 suspension of LME nickel trading.

☆ Switzerland puts up 260 billion francs for Credit Suisse rescue, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The total of 259 billion francs of support is equivalent to a third of Switzerland's entire economic output, which stood at 771 billion francs last year. Credit Suisse said last Wednesday it would take 50 billion francs from the scheme, which provides funding secured against collateral such as mortgages and securities. On top of this, the Swiss National Bank offered the combined bank an emergency liquidity loan of up to 100 billion Swiss francs. UBS and Credit Suisse were both in a group of the 30 global systemically important banks watched closely by regulators. A failure by Credit Suisse failure would ripple throughout the entire financial system, the Swiss government said late on Sunday.

☆ French strikes continue to block refinery shipments and LNG terminals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Forrest Crellin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Eric GaillardPARIS, March 20 (Reuters) - Shipments of refined products from French refinery and depots were blocked on Monday by a 13th day of strike action, though some refineries operated with a reduced flow. The cost of keeping LR2 vessels floating outside ports is leading many traders to avoid shipments into France, traders said. Strikes also continued through the weekend and into Monday at ExxonMobil (XOM.N) subsidiary Esso's Fos refinery, blocking deliveries, CGT union representative Germinal Lancelin said. At French liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, the strike was extended until March 27 at the three terminals operated by Engie (ENGIE.PA) subsidiary Elengy, a union representative said. Another vote will be held later this week, possibly on Wednesday, on whether to take further strike action, the representative added.

☆ Volkswagen to invest in mines in bid to become global battery supplier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Europe's biggest carmaker wants its battery unit PowerCo to become a global battery supplier, not just produce for Volkswagen's own needs, Thomas Schmall told Reuters in an interview. Long-term, Volkswagen plans to build enough cells to meet half its global battery needs, with most production capacity located in Europe and North America, according to Schmall. "The bottleneck for raw materials is mining capacity - that's why we need to invest in mines directly," he said. Volkswagen released on Thursday the details of a 25,000-euro EV it aims to sell in Europe from 2025. Asian producers like CATL, LG Chem and Samsung SDI dominate global cell production, with almost half of planned battery cell capacity in Europe by Asian players.

☆ British passport officers to take five weeks of strike action
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Most of Britain's passport office workers will go on strike for five weeks starting next month in a pay dispute, potentially disrupting the delivery of passports ahead of the summer holiday period. Passport officers in Belfast, Northern Ireland could also strike if they vote in favour of walking out in a ballot that closes on Friday. The PCS union has demanded a 10% pay rise for civil servants as UK inflation is now running at just over 10%. Passport officers had previously rejected a 2% pay rise. The government's passport offices are the sole issuer of UK passports, issuing over 5 million of them each year, meaning any strike by officers working there will likely cause significant disruption to services.

☆ Farmers' protest party set to shake up Dutch political landscape
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, March 15 (Reuters) - A farmers' protest party looks set to shake up the political landscape in the Netherlands on Wednesday, with polls indicating it will be the big winner in provincial elections that determine the make-up of the Senate. The BBB or BoerBurgerBeweging (Farmer-Civilian Movement) party is expected to ride a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies and is poised to win more Senate seats than Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party, a poll by research company I&O showed last week. The BBB says the problem has been exaggerated and that proposed solutions will lead to farm closures and food production shortages. The party won a single Lower House seat in 2021, but its popularity has surged on the back of growing distrust of the government and anger over issues such as immigration. Rutte's government, in its fourth consecutive term since 2010, has dropped to a 20% approval rating, its lowest in a decade.

☆ How GSK plans to replenish its depleted medicine cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

GSK has since suffered a series of clinical trial setbacks in its cancer drugs portfolio, most recently last year involving ovarian cancer drug Zejula and blood cancer drug Blenrep. BLOCKBUSTER POTENTIALAnalysts say that despite a string of strong quarterly earnings, lingering concerns over the company's drug pipeline reflect in GSK's share price. The investor said he does not see enough GSK drugs, either on the market or in development, with potential to be a so-called "blockbusters" with annual sales exceeding $1 billion. But Wood said the overhauled R&D department has put GSK in a strong position to meet growth targets. U.S. regulatory approval on GSK's vaccine, and a rival vaccine developed by Pfizer, is expected in May.

Bitcoin jumped as much as 9.6% to $26,533, its highest since June 2022, in its fourth straight days of gains. Major cryptocurrencies have been buoyed in recent days by U.S. authorities announcing plans to limit the fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). U.S. authorities' action helped stabilise the major USDC stablecoin, whose issuer Circle had deposits of $3.3 billion at SVB. The widely anticipated reading may lead the Federal Reserve to slow or even pause hiking interest rates next week. Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft and Tom Wilson, editing by Sinead Cruise and Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ AMERICAS Bank stress, bond volatility and disinflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But the implications of this sudden bout of financial instability - and its potential economic and policy fallout - were most clearly seen in the interest rate and bond markets. Implied terminal rates for the European Central Bank and Bank of England have been dramatically scaled back too - though one or two further hikes are still priced for those central banks. But the Fed rethink has led to seismic action on the U.S. Treasury market, with the biggest drop in 2-year Treasury yields on Monday since the stock market crash of 1987. Credit spreads in the corporate bond markets have also widened sharply as investors fear an economy-wide tightening of borrowing standards and financial conditions. It would certainly think twice about tightening policy again into this level of financial stress and bond market upheaval.

☆ Morning Bid: Bank stress, bond volatility and disinflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The move comes as global infrastructure funds are pouring huge sums of money to acquire capital-intensive telecom infrastructure assets in Southeast Asia, seeing strong growth opportunities. The sources said discussions are taking place for a minority stake to be sold in the decade-old Edotco, which is 63% owned by Axiata. However, three of the sources said there was a possibility that Axiata could even consider giving majority control in order to secure a deal. The sources said the bulk of the proceeds from the share sales will likely fund Edotco's business expansion. While broader dealmaking activity has fallen sharply over the past year due to weak equity markets and rising interest rates, telecom tower assets have been a bright spot.

☆ Dampened rate expectations ease pressure on borrowers, says UK watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that in addition to households already behind on payments, 356,000 mortgage borrowers could face payment difficulties by the end of June 2024, but that is far fewer than a previous FCA estimate of 570,000. Those rolling off a fixed rate mortgage deal could end up paying an additional 340 pounds ($404.84) a month on average, the FCA said. Nikhil Rathi, FCA chief executive, told parliament on Wednesday that the watchdog had intervened in over 30 firms that had not treated borrowers in difficulty fairly. "The leadership of banks understand their reputations are at stake if they don't handle things appropriately in coming months," Rathi said. ($1 = 0.8398 pounds)Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's Eni and CFS speed up plans for fusion energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, March 9 (Reuters) - Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) and U.S.-based Commonwealth Fusion System (CFS) signed a new collaboration agreement on Thursday to accelerate the industrialisation of nuclear fusion energy. Nuclear fusion energy, which would generate power from nuclear fusion reactions, will make a major contribution to energy transition and Eni said the process would help the company to reach its net-zero emissions goal by 2050. In September 2021, CFS successfully tested its high-temperature superconducting magnet technology, a system that ensures plasma confinement in the magnetic fusion process. The world's first magnetic confinement pilot plant with net production of fusion energy dubbed SPARC is in construction and will be operational in 2025. SPARC will pave the way for ARC – the first commercial power plant, expected at the beginning of the next decade.

☆ Abu Dhabi shakes up wealth funds with top royals chairing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Yousef Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, March 9 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi announced a reshuffle at the top of its two biggest sovereign wealth funds on Thursday, appointing senior members of the royal family as chairmen. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, one of the most powerful members of Abu Dhabi's royal family, was named chair of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, the government's media office said. ADIA is estimated by Global SWF to manage $993 billion in assets, while the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute puts the figure at $790 billion. The wealth fund's last chairman was the previous UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died last year. MORE NEWCOMERSThe UAE president is appointing his brothers as chairmen at state sovereign wealth funds rather than chairing them himself.

☆ Portugal's Novo Banco 2022 profit triples, could pave way for IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LISBON, March 9 (Reuters) - Portugal's fourth-largest bank, Novo Banco, announced on Thursday that profit tripled in 2022, boosted by higher interest rates and fewer non-performing assets, and said the strong results could pave the way for an eventual initial public offering. The bank's consolidated net profit jumped to 561 million euros ($592 million) last year, from 184.5 million euros in 2021, it said in a statement. Novo Banco, 75% owned by U.S. private equity fund Lone Star, will see pre-tax profit rise again this year, Chief Executive Mark Bourke told Reuters in a phone interview. Recurring 'profit before taxes' is expected to rise above 600 million euros this year up from 407 million euro last year, he said. Analysts have speculated that Novo Banco could be merged with another lender looking to consolidate its position in Portugal, but Bourke sees the bank remaining independent, growing its business and performing well which will be key for an eventual IPO.

☆ HelloFresh shares drop as profit outlook disappoints
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Linda Pasquini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Germany's HelloFresh sees adjusted core profit (AEBITDA) of between 460 million and 540 million euros ($492 million and $577 million) in 2023, compared with analysts' estimate of 547 million euros. He said HelloFresh was not planning any lay-offs at the moment, and refrained from giving an update on the mid-term outlook. HelloFresh expects its revenue to grow 2% to 10% on a constant-currency basis this year, compared with growth of 18% in 2022. The company also forecast "relatively muted" order growth for 2023. HelloFresh reported annual AEBITDA of 477.4 million euros, above the 464.5 million euros expected by analysts.

☆ Two of four Americans kidnapped in Mexico are alive, two dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Mexican authorities search for evidence as they work to locate four Americans who were shot by gunmen and then kidnapped shortly after crossing the border with Brownsville, U.S. Texas, in Matamoros, Mexico March 6, 2023. REUTERS/StringerMEXICO CITY, March 7 (Reuters) - Two of four Americans who went missing on Friday in the Mexican northern border state of Tamaulipas are alive, and two are dead, the state governor said on Tuesday. Separately, a Mexican official told Reuters that two of the men had been found dead. The woman and another man were alive, safe and in the hands of authorities, the official said. The four Americans were in a white minivan when they entered the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Friday.

BRUSSELS, March 6 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms' (META.O) WhatsApp has agreed to be more transparent about changes to its privacy policy introduced in 2021, the European Commission said on Monday, following complaints from consumer bodies across Europe. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and the European Network of consumer authorities told WhatsApp last year that it had not clarified the changes in plain and intelligible language, violating the bloc's laws. WhatsApp has now agreed to explain changes to EU users' contracts and how these could affect their rights, and has agreed to display prominently the possibility for users to accept or reject the changes and ensure that users can easily close pop-up notifications on updates. The company also confirmed that users' personal data is not shared with third parties or other Meta companies, including Facebook, for advertising purposes. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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