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☆ China has reason not to let Evergrande rejig rot
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yet Evergrande creditors are nonetheless in limbo. Up to 44% of Evergrande’s 558 billion yuan of interest-bearing debt is unsecured, of which a large chunk is held by offshore creditors. If the company is forced into liquidation, unsecured offshore creditors will recover less than 10 billion yuan, Evergrande has warned, with some facing a recovery rate as low as 2%. Evergrande was trying to reach an agreement with offshore creditors first before tackling issues onshore. It also cancelled meetings due to be held with creditors on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande, ”, Sunac, Hui’s, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, HK, Guangdong International Trust and Investment Corporation, Street, China Evergrande, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Guangdong, Republic, Hong Kong

The Art Deco facade of the original Toronto Stock Exchange building is seen on Bay Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada January 23, 2019. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE) ended down 244.46 points, or 1.2%, at 19,556.15, its lowest closing level since June 23. "Gold is back in the danger zone as Treasury yields rise alongside a stronger (U.S.) dollar," Edward Moya, a senior market analyst at OANDA, said in a note. Energy was a bright spot, rising 0.8%, as the price of oil settled 0.8% higher at $90.39 a barrel. Shares of Westshore Terminals Investment Corp (WTE.TO) ended 10% lower as RBC cut its price target on the stock.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Peter Anderson, Edward Moya, Industrials, Fergal Smith, Khushi Singh, Tasim Zahid, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Toronto Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Energy, Toronto Stock, Andersen Capital Management, Investment Corp, RBC, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Bengaluru

☆ This big-ticket purchase may be a 'grenade in your otherwise well-planned retirement,' advisor warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Americans are at risk of falling short of what they may need to live on financially in retirement. One potential reason is lifestyle creep, or the tendency to upgrade your lifestyle as you earn more. An upgrade people are often tempted to make – the purchase of a second home – may be particularly risky for long-term planning, financial advisors say. "Those bigger purchases, if not done really deliberately and diligently, can almost end up being almost like a grenade in your otherwise well-planned retirement," said Patrick McGinn, president of Retirement Resources Investment Corp. in Peabody, Massachusetts. Importantly, the return on those liquid investments may far exceed what someone may earn on a second home.

Persons: Patrick McGinn, Stephen Cohn, Cohn Organizations: Retirement Resources Investment Corp, CNBC, Finance, Sage Financial Group Locations: Peabody , Massachusetts, U.S, West Conshohocken , Pennsylvania

☆ 'We're not going anywhere.' David's Bridal's CEO reveals what's next for the company after its second bankruptcy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy in April and was sold in July to Cion Investment Corp.CEO Jim Marcum is optimistic about David's Bridal's future. David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy in April , the second time in five years. Jim Marcum became the CEO of David's Bridal in 2019. There's been a lot going on with David's Bridal recently. David's Bridal dresses range from $199 to $2,000, Marcum said.

Persons: David's, Jim Marcum, Marcum, that's, Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins, There's, We've, it's, They'd, we've, That's, Randy Brooke, David Bridal, I've, Spencer Platt, Pearl, there's, didn't, they've, We're Organizations: Cion Investment Corp, Service, Signet Jewelers, David's, Walmart Locations: Wall, Silicon, Suez, Baltimore, United States, America

☆ Media and entertainment companies are finding more investment from the Middle East, but it can come with controversy. Here are 11 of the most notable deals.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider broke down 11 top media companies with Middle Eastern backing or partnerships. Middle Eastern investment has poured into US media and entertainment, and US media companies have been eager recipients. Here's a rundown of 11 key Western media and entertainment companies, listed alphabetically, that have licensing and investment partnerships with Middle Eastern entities. Jimmy Finkelstein's news startup The Messenger has Middle Eastern funding via its acquisition of IMI-backed startup Grid, which is now shuttered. The North Road, Peter Chernin and Providence Equity's production roll-up, took a $150 million investment in January from the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar's main investment vehicle, to support its expansion.

Persons: Peter Chernin, Jeff Zucker, Uber, Jamal Khashoggi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, —, hasn't, Mohammed bin Salman, SRMG, Abu, Abu Dhabi's, Jimmy Finkelstein's, BeIn, Stone, Ian Orefice, WBD Organizations: Providence, North, IMI, ex, CNN, Public Investment Fund, Blackstone, Washington Post, Saudi Crown, Saudi, Guardian, Media, Bloomberg Media, Saudi Research, Media Group, Media Investments, CNN Business, Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Sky News Arabia, Business, Independent, SRMG, Miramax, BeIn, Paramount, Qatar Investment Authority, Penske Media Corporation, Billboard, Variety, Penske, Vox Media, New York, Billboard Arabia, RedBird Capital, Mideast, MBC Group, MBC, Fortress Investment Group, Investment, Warner Bros Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, West, Saudi, Abu Dhabi, ViacomCBS, SRMG

☆ US govt awards $1.4 bln for development of new COVID therapies, vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals company logo is seen on a building at the company's Westchester campus in Tarrytown, New York, U.S. September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc FollowAug 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Tuesday it had awarded $1.4 billion for the development of new therapies and vaccines against COVID-19, including a $326 million contract with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN.O) for a next-generation antibody therapy for prevention of infections. The funding to Regeneron is a part of a $5 billion initiative dubbed "Project NextGen" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding also includes $1 billion for four mid-stage clinical trials of new COVID vaccines, and $100 million to Global Health Investment Corp - a non-profit organization that invests in new technologies that will accelerate responses to diseases. Reporting by Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Regeneron, Pratik Jain, Maju Samuel Organizations: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, REUTERS, U.S, COVID, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Omicron, Global Health Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: Westchester, Tarrytown , New York, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ The first large cruise ship built in China complete with a water park, a brewery, and 5G will sail this year — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Adora Cruises' first ship, the Adora Magic City, will sail later this year as China's first locally built large cruise vessel. A new Carnival Corp cruise ship will hit the seas later this year. In 2015, state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), the country's wealth fund China Investment Corp, and the recognizable Carnival Corp set up a contract to create a Hong Kong-based cruise company. A few years later, CSSC's Cruise Technology Development arm and Carnival announced its joint venture: Adora Cruises. But unlike Carnival's eponymous cruise line, Adora Cruises — formerly known as CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited — will only be servicing the Chinese cruise market.

Organizations: Cruises, Carnival Corp, China State Shipbuilding Corp, China Investment Corp, Corp, CSSC's Cruise Technology Development, Carnival, Adora, Cruise Shipping Locations: Magic, China, Hong Kong

☆ Tudor, Adage Capital among hedge funds making bets on NYC office space
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Basswood Capital, Adage Capital Partners and Paul Tudor Jones' Tudor Investment Corp were among the hedge funds that took new positions in real estate investment trusts that specialize in New York City office space last quarter, despite questions over how long work-from-home policies will weigh on the market, securities filings released on Monday showed. Basswood Capital purchased roughly 360,000 shares of Vornado Realty Trust and nearly 72,000 shares of SL Green, while Adage Capital Partners bought 205,000 shares of SL Green. Tudor Investment Corp bought nearly 152,000 shares of SL Green. Shares of Vornado are up nearly 7% for the year to date, while shares of SL Green are up slightly less than 1%. Basswood, Adage Capital, and Tudor Investment Corp did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Paul Tudor Jones, KBRA, David Randall, Richard Chang Organizations: Basswood, Capital Partners, Tudor Investment Corp, Basswood Capital, Vornado Realty Trust, SL Green, SL, New, Reuters, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: New York City

☆ On tap this week: Jobs report plus 10 key earnings. Here's what we want to see
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

All three major averages advanced for the week, powered by strong mega-cap earnings and favorable inflation data. Looking to next week, earnings season enters its second half with the last of our mega-caps — Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) — set to report on Thursday. We'll get a better read on the employment picture on Wednesday with the ADP report and then, more importantly, on Friday's nonfarm payrolls report for July. Thursday after the close brings us to the main events of the week: Earnings from Apple and Amazon. For those looking to review first quarter performance ahead of these releases, be sure to keep our first-quarter earnings report card handy.

Persons: We'll, that's, Stanley Black, Decker, Emerson, Bausch, Leggett, Platt, SIRI, Ares, COLM, PERI, Kraft Heinz, Phillips, Ferrari N.V, Johnson, Robinson, COOK, BUD, Kellogg, Papa, Pitney Bowes, Parker, Trimble, Ziff Davis, Nonfarm, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Apple Tim Cook, Kevin Dietsch Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, Federal Reserve, Federal, ISM Manufacturing, Services PMI, Investors, Caterpillar, Devices, Starbucks, Natural Resources, AMD, Management, Emerson Electric and, Humana, Bausch Health, Apple, Microsoft, Resource Partners, AerCap Holdings, CNA Financial Corp, CNA, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Bank, SJW, Hutchison China MediTech, Camtek Ltd, Silvercrest Asset Management, Loews Corp, Oxford Lane Capital Corp, Banco Santander, Silicom Ltd, SuperCom Ltd, Arista Networks, Avis Budget Group, Diamondback Energy, Lattice Semiconductor Corp, Republic Services, Yum China Holdings, Western Digital Corp, Power Systems, Tenet Healthcare Corp, Vornado Realty, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, PetMed, SBA Communications Corporation, Brixmor, Snack Foods Corp, Cushman & Wakefield, Sanmina Corporation, TFI, PMI, Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, Uber Technologies, Pfizer, Enterprise Products Partners, Merck, JetBlue Airways Corporation, Allegro MicroSystems, Altria, SunPower Corp, SiriusXM Holdings, Molson Coors Beverage, Marriott International, Toyota Motor Corp, BP, SYSCO Corp, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Ares Management, Equitrans Midstream Corporation, Game Technology, Illinois Tool, IDEXX Laboratories, Rockwell Automation, Packaging International Corp, Gartner, Zebra Technologies Corp, IQVIA Holdings, Oshkosh Corporation, Leidos Holdings, Eaton Corp, yte Corp, Lear Corp, Starbucks Corp, Devon Energy Corp, SolarEdge Technologies, Lumen Technologies, Virgin Galactic Holdings, Caesars Entertainment, VF Corp, Sciences Corp, Paycom, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Suncor Energy, Holdings, Chesapeake Energy Corp, Boston Properties, American International Group, AIG, Allstate Corp, Aspen Technology, Electronic Arts, EA, Flowserve Corporation, Denny's, Corp, Prudential Financial, Store, Ternium S.A, Vimeo, Emerson, Lomb, CVS Health, Generac Holdings, Cameco Corp, Perion Network Ltd, Builders, Carlyle Group, Scorpio, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd, Rithm Capital Corp, AeroSystems Holdings, Vertiv Holdings Co, Johnson Controls, CDW Corp, DuPont, Brands Holdings, Scotts Miracle, Gro, SMG, Brands, Allegheny Technologies, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, ABC, Real Estate Corporation, Adient plc, Editas, Garmin Ltd, WWE, Bunge Ltd, Criteo S.A, PayPal, QUALCOMM, Occidental Petroleum Corp, Apache Corp, Albemarle Corp, MGM Resorts International, MGM, Marathon Oil Corp, Joby Aviation, Industrial, CF Industries Holdings, Goodyear Tire &, Realty ome Corp, Metlife, Pacific Biosciences of, Rush Street Interactive, Zillow, JFrog Ltd, Herbalife Nutrition Ltd, Simon Property Group, McKesson Corp, Storage, Cerus Corporation, GXO Logistics, MAX Holdings, Health, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Warner Bros ., Cheniere Energy, ConocoPhillips, Hasbro, CIGNA Corp, Lantheus Holdings, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Fiverr International, Air Products & Chemicals, TopBuild Corp, EPAM Systems, Lightspeed Commerce, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Cummins, CMI, Slair Corporation, Starwood Property Trust, Vulcan, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, New Energy Corp, Cedar Fair Entertainment, Intellia Therapeutics, Lending, Privia Health, Dickinson, Chimera Investment, CIM, Hyatt Hotels Corp, Lion Electric, LEV, Deluxe Corp, Murphy Oil Corp, PBF Energy, Papa John's, Targa Resources Corp, Wix.com Ltd, Apollo Global Management, LLC, Butterfly, Sempra Energy, Aptiv PLC, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Canada Goose Holdings, Hannifin Corporation, WESCO International, WCC, Arrow Electronics, Constellation Energy Group, Midstream Partners, Coinbase, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras, Gilead Sciences, Opendoor Technologies, Booking Holdings, Atlassian Corporation, International, Redfin Corporation, Motorola Solutions, Monster Beverage Corporation, Consolidated Edison, Rocket Companies, Apple Hospitality, Cirrus, Resources, Universal Display Corporation, Chesapeake Utilities Corp, Social, Defense, Security Solutions, Post Holdings, Tandem Diabetes Care, Nikola Corporation, Magna International, Dominion Energy, ACM Research, Frontier Communications, Brookfield Renewable Partners, inTEST Corporation, American Pipeline, TELUS International, XPO Logistics, Fluor Corp, Gray Television, Cboe, LyondellBasell Industries, Twist Bioscience, Global, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Allen & Company Sun Valley, Getty Locations: U.S, China, India, Oxford, Chile, Illinois, Columbia, Pacific, Pacific Biosciences of California, Southern, PBI, Gilead, Sun Valley , Idaho

"When we're 50% foreign owned that gives people pause within Japan," Johnson said in an interview. Companies often view the presence of an activist investor as a challenge to their strategy or a factor that could delay execution of their plans. The activist investor previously praised JSR's "fact-based decision making" and said it supports the sale to JIC. "But that doesn't contribute to the Japanese semiconductor materials industry overall," he said. "I don't think they're being imaginative enough ... there's a wide range of materials expertise in Japan," Johnson said.

Persons: Eric Johnson, Johnson, ValueAct, JSR's, Atsushi Ikeda, Goldman Sachs, Ikeda, Yuta, JSR, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Makiko Yamazaki, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Stephen Coates Organizations: JSR, Japan Investment Corp, Samsung, Intel, ValueAct, Companies, Citigroup, Svea, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, American, Japan, there's

☆ John Kerry to step into searing China heat as world’s two biggest polluters try to fix fractured ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

China Energy Investment Corporation, the world’s largest generator of coal-fired power, said its production of electricity reached a historic high on Monday. Kerry, 79, has traveled to China twice since being appointed as US President Joe Biden’s special climate envoy. Li, the Greenpeace analyst, said he would be closely watching who will meet with Kerry in Beijing. That would require the country to phase out coal power, which accounts for about 60% of its total electricity generation. “The expansion of coal is a grave challenge for China’s climate policy,” Li said.

Persons: John Kerry, ”, Li Shuo, Nancy Pelosi’s, ” Li, Andy Wong, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, China’s Premier Li Qiang, Blinken, Wang Yi, Alex Wang, Joe Biden’s, Xie Zhenhua, Arnd Wiegmann, Li, Xie Jianhua, Ding Xuexiang, Xi, Obama, Xie, ” Kerry, “ I’m, Stringer, Wang, “ It’s, “, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing Sunday, Greenpeace, Washington, US, Taiwan —, China Energy Investment Corporation, China’s Premier, University of California, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, Economic, Blinken, Kerry, CNN, COP28, UCLA, Global Energy Monitor Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, China, Greenpeace China, Taiwan, Jakarta, “, Los Angeles, Kerry, Shanghai, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Paris, China Glasgow, Dubai, Lianyungang, China's, Jiangsu, AFP

☆ John Kerry steps into searing China heat as world’s two biggest polluters try to fix fractured ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Persons: John Kerry, ”, Li Shuo, Nancy Pelosi’s, ” Li, Andy Wong, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, China’s Premier Li Qiang, Blinken, Wang Yi, Alex Wang, Joe Biden’s, Xie Zhenhua, Arnd Wiegmann, Li, Xie Jianhua, Ding Xuexiang, Xi, Obama, Xie, ” Kerry, “ I’m, Stringer, Wang, “ It’s, “, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Greenpeace, Washington, US, Taiwan —, China Energy Investment Corporation, China’s Premier, University of California, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, Economic, Blinken, Kerry, CNN, COP28, UCLA, Global Energy Monitor Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, China, Greenpeace China, Taiwan, Jakarta, “, Los Angeles, Kerry, Shanghai, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Paris, China Glasgow, Dubai, Lianyungang, China's, Jiangsu, AFP

☆ Heat wave: Power generated for China in a single day reaches historic high
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A major Chinese power generator says its electricity production has reached a record high as the country grapples with a punishing heat wave. China Energy Investment Corporation, one of the world’s largest generators of coal-fired power, says the volume of electricity it produced on Monday had hit a daily record. It exceeded the previous record by 40 million kWh, it added, without specifying when that milestone was achieved. “Due to the continuous high temperatures, the electricity load in many parts of the country continues to rise,” China Energy said. China Energy did not say whether a surge in demand for air conditioning was behind the record power generation.

Organizations: CNN, China Energy Investment Corporation, China Energy, Global Energy Monitor Locations: China, Beijing

Thames Water, weighed down by 14 billion pounds of debt and under pressure over its environmental record, had told shareholders it needed 1 billion pounds to help fund its turnaround. British ministers have been monitoring Thames Water amid fears it could need a government rescue if shareholders refused to invest more. "Shareholders have also acknowledged that delivery of the turnaround plan is likely to require the provision of further equity support," Thames Water said. The 750 million pound investment is subject to Thames Water improving the business plan underpinning its turnaround, it said. Core earnings (EBITDA) fell 3% to 1.1 billion on revenue which grew 4% to 2.3 billion pounds.

Persons: Ian Marchant, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Water, Thames, China Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: Ontario

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Thames Water has become the poster child for a British water industry under fire for its poor environmental record and financial mismanagement. After a period as a listed company, Thames Water was acquired by German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) in 2001. Thames Water said on Monday they would provide 750 million pounds, and added it had strong liquidity of 4.4 billion pounds. FINANCESNearly 60% of Thames Water's debt is index-linked, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's, saddling it with higher repayments as inflation soars. Thames Water was fined 3.3 million pounds last week, while Southern Water was fined 90 million pounds in 2021.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher's, Australia's Macquarie, Abu, Hermes, Ofwat, Sarah Young, Chiara Elisei, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative, Water, Thames, Ontario, BT, China Investment Corp, Thames Water, Macquarie, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities, The Times, Environment Agency, Southern Water, Thomson Locations: Britain, Here's, Abu Dhabi, Thames, Southern Water, United, England

☆ Thames Water's turnaround plan backed by investor USS
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), one of the largest investors in Thames Water, has given its support to Britain’s biggest water supplier after the abrupt departure of its CEO raised concerns about its viability. The British government is considering temporary state ownership of the company, which supplies a quarter of British households, if it cannot raise more funds to drive its turnaround. “We have given our backing to Thames Water’s turnaround plan and Net Zero roadmap and engage with them regularly to support their long-term strategy,” USS group CEO Bill Galvin said on Friday in a note to its sponsoring employers. Thames Water is struggling with 14 billion pounds ($17.8 billion) of debt and has failed to meet customer and environmental targets, including stemming the flow of raw sewage into rivers. ($1 = 0.7876 pounds)Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; Writing by James Davey; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bill Galvin, ”, USS’s Galvin, Carolyn Cohn, James Davey, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Thames, System, China Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: Thames, Ontario

DIRTY BEACHESClean water campaign groups accuse the water companies of failing to invest in infrastructure. She was replaced by two co-chief executives, Chief Finance Officer Alastair Cochran and former Ofwat boss Cathryn Ross, who has been at Thames Water since 2021. Jefferies analysts said Britain's listed water operators Severn Trent (SVT.L), Pennon Group (PNN.L) and United Utilities (UU.L) were better capitalised than Thames Water, but the issues with the largest company meant a "heightened regulatory environment". Daily headlines about rivers and beaches polluted by sewage released by water companies look set to turn water into a major issue at the next general election, expected next year. Thames Water said in its annual report in October that it had not paid a dividend to its shareholders for the last five years.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Bentley, Alastair Cochran, Cathryn Ross, Alix, Ofwat, Australia's Macquarie, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Radhika Anilkumar, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Company, British, Sky News, Conservatives, Thames, Times, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Water, Alix Partners, Daily Telegraph, Jefferies, Trent, Pennon, United Utilities, Environment Agency, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, Britain, Thames

☆ Thames Water woes could have bigger ripples
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The UK government is working on plans to nationalise Thames Water, Sky News reports. The indebted utility, which lost its chief executive on Tuesday, may be placed into a special administration regime, with ministers worrying about the company's ability to shoulder 14 billion pounds of debt. UK water companies, privatised by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, were supposed to be sleepy investments churning out inflation-proof dividends. Thames, owned by Macquarie (MQG.AX) until 2017, had debt equivalent to 80% of its 17.9 billion pounds regulator-defined asset value last September. Its current shareholders, which include Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and China Investment Corporation, last year pledged to invest 1.5 billion pounds to prop it up.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher, Neil Unmack, Eli Lilly, Aston Martin, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Sky News, Macquarie, System, China Investment Corporation, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Thames, Yorkshire, Ontario, Canada

HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A government-led buyout signals more uncertainty ahead for a chip industry grappling with oversupply and geopolitics. The state-backed Japan Investment Corp will take over JSR (4185.T), which makes light-sensitive chemicals vital to manufacturing semiconductors, among other things. In recent years, the conglomerate has pivoted from a low-margin business of selling synthetic rubber used to make tyres to focus on semiconductor materials - primarily photoresists - and biopharmaceuticals. Yet JIC's mandate to boost the country’s global competitiveness and its focus on consolidating industries helps to justify the hefty premium. Either way, the government's focus on elevating national chipmaking champions creates fresh uncertainty for JSR's foreign customers like South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (2330.TW).

Persons: Sharp, Eric Johnson, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Investment Corp, Renesas Electronics, chipmakers, Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Japan Investment Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Development Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Tokyo, Taiwan, Japan, United States, South Korea, South

TOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - State-backed Japan Investment Corp (JIC) sees potential for more mergers and acquisitions in high-end corners of the chipmaking industry following its planned $6.4 billion buyout of materials maker JSR (4185.T), the head of its private equity arm said. "We see potential in some speciality materials markets where JSR can win dominant positions by combining with other materials makers," Ikeuchi said in an interview. "We believe that we can boost Japanese chip materials makers' global competitiveness by spurring industry consolidation," he added. In the chemicals industry, for example, Japan has "too many players making similar products that were once competitive but are now commoditised," Ikeuchi said. JIC, overseen by the powerful trade ministry, was set up in 2018 to invest in Japanese companies to boost the nation's competitiveness.

Persons: Shogo, Ikeuchi, JIC, Makiko Yamazaki, Ritsuko Shimizu, Jamie Freed Organizations: Japan Investment Corp, JIC Capital, Japan, Innovation Network Corp of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, chipmaking, Japan

☆ Japan-backed fund to buy critical semiconductor firm JSR for $6.3 billion as chip tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Japanese Investment Corporation (JIC) proposed a $6.3 billion buyout of JSR, one of Japan's most critical chip firms. The Japanese Investment Corporation proposed an offer of 4,350 Japanese yen ($30.3) per share to buy JSR, marking a 35% premium to Friday's closing price. A fund backed by the Japanese government on Monday proposed a $6.3 billion acquisition of semiconductor material giant JSR , underscoring the strategic emphasis governments around the world are putting on the critical technology of chips. Countries such as the Netherlands, home to a critical chip firm called ASML, as well as Japan, followed suit with similar restrictions. "JIC's investment in JSR means that the government might have a higher say over its decisions," Kotasthane said.

Persons: JIC, Kotasthane Organizations: Japanese Investment Corporation, JSR, Takshashila, CNBC, U.S Locations: Japan, China, Netherlands

☆ Factbox: Japan ramps up efforts to strengthen its chip industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are investments in Japan announced by chipmakers and measures the government is taking to revive its semiconductor industry. Sony Group (6758.T) and auto parts maker Denso (6902.T), which will use the chips TSMC makes, are also investors. It said it would be the first chipmaker to bring EUV technology to Japan for production. It has offered TSMC a 476 billion yen subsidy, or about half the expected cost of the factory. Rapidus secured an initial 70 billion yen of funding from the government, and local media reported in April that the government was finalising a plan to provide an additional 300 billion yen.

Persons: TW, Rapidus, JIC, Makiko Yamazaki, Sam Nussey, Tim Kelly, Miho Uranaka, Miyoung Kim, Jamie Freed Organizations: Semiconductor, chipmakers, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Sony Group, Micron Technology, Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Business Machines, IBM, Samsung, Nikon, Tokyo, Japan Investment Corp, Innovation Network Corp of Japan, Toshiba, Japan Industrial Partners, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Kyushu, Denso, KS, Yokohama, Japan's, Chitose, Hokkaido, Rapidus, U.S, China, State

☆ Shares in Japan's JSR untraded on surprise possible buyout
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sam Nussey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JSR's market capitalisation was 677 billion yen ($4.71 billion) at Friday's market close. JIC would spend about 1 trillion yen on the acquisition, the Nikkei newspaper reported, injecting 500 billion yen into a new company to make the purchase and borrowing 400 billion yen from Mizuho Bank. JSR is a top supplier of photoresists, which are light-sensitive chemicals used to print patterns on wafers, to global chipmakers. JSR, which was set up in 1957 as a government-backed producer of synthetic rubber, reported a 20% jump in sales to 408.9 billion yen in the year ended March, while operating profit declined 33% to 29.4 billion yen. Shares in JSR, which unusually for a Japanese company has a foreign-born CEO, have gained 25% year-to-date.

Persons: JIC, Travis Lundy, Sam Nussey, Jamie Freed Organizations: JSR, Japan Investment Corp, Nikkei, Mizuho Bank, JIC, Quiddity Advisors, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, United States, Japan, Tokyo

June 27 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Wall Street closed in the red on Monday - the Nasdaq shed more than 1% for the third trading day in four - and the U.S. yield curve inversion accelerated to near-historic levels. But inflation and policy concerns are driving sentiment more than geopolitical fears. The Bank for International Settlements on Sunday called for more rate hikes, warning the world economy is at a crucial juncture in the fight against inflation. The International Monetary Fund's Gita Gopinath said on Monday investors may be overly optimistic on the speed and cost of taming inflation.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, Gita Gopinath Organizations: Kremlin, Nasdaq, Swiss, Bank for International, U.S, JSR, Japan Investment Corp, ECB, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Russian, U.S, Japan, Canada, Sintra, Portugal

The deal fits the Italian group's plan to increase the share of gas in its total hydrocarbon production and is expected to boost its earnings immediately, Eni said in a statement. Eni, which is controlled by the Italian government, owns 63% of Vaar and is the main beneficiary of cash dividends from the Oslo-listed unit. VAAR EXPANDING IN NORWAYUnder the agreement, Eni will acquire Neptune's entire portfolio other than its operations in Germany and Norway. The German operations will be carved out prior to the Eni transaction and the Norwegian operations will be acquired by Vaar directly from Neptune in a separate deal, the two groups said in a statement. The Vaar transaction will close immediately prior to the Eni deal with the proceeds from the Norway sale remaining with the business purchased by the Italian group.

Persons: Italy's Eni, Eni, Claudio Descalzi, Descalzi, Vaar, Torger Roed, Rothschild, Ernst, Young, Shadia Nasralla, Terje Solsvik, Alvise Armellini, Jason Neely, Simon Cameron, Moore, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Eni, MILAN, Italy's, Neptune Energy, Vaar Energy, LNG, Eni's Gas, Royal Bank of Canada's, Neptune, China Investment Corporation, Carlyle Group, CVC Capital Partners, HSBC, White, Case, Thomson Locations: Europe, Algeria, Indonesia, Milan, Russia, Oslo, Norway, Vaar, NORWAY, Germany, Norwegian, Neptune, Neptune Norway, Italian, Britain, Netherlands, LNG, London

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