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☆ SK Hynix denies report about approaching SoftBank on Kioxia merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Memory chips by South Korean semiconductor supplier SK Hynix are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix Inc (000660.KS), the world's second-largest memory chip maker, said on Wednesday it has not approached Japan's SoftBank Group (9984.T) to partner up in a possible deal with memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp.A Nikkei report earlier on Wednesday said SK Hynix is reluctant to back a merger between U.S. rival Western Digital's memory chip operations and Kioxia, in which SK Hynix holds a stake. The report went on to say that SK Hynix had sounded out SoftBank for a partnership in case the merger falls through. "SK Hynix denies Nikkei's report that the company approached SoftBank for collaboration with regard to the Kioxia-Western Digital deal," the company said in a statement, without commenting on its stance on the merger. Kioxia and Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) are pursuing a merger as a global chip glut and weak demand for flash memory chips strengthens pressure for chipmakers to consolidate.

Persons: Florence Lo, Japan's, SoftBank, Kioxia, Joyce Lee, Anton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Louise Heavens Organizations: SK Hynix, REUTERS, Rights, Korea's SK Hynix Inc, Japan's SoftBank, Kioxia Holdings Corp, Nikkei, Wednesday, U.S, Western, SoftBank Group, Western Digital Corp, Thomson Locations: Rights SEOUL

☆ 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

Israeli assets and the shekel remain under pressure and oil and gold prices are marginally higher than last week. World Markets Impact From MidEast Attacks WanesBlackRock chart on its Geopolitical Risk IndicatorNOWHERE TO RUN TO... Last updated shortly before the weekend events in Israel, BlackRock's Geopolitical Risk Indicator - which attempts to capture market attention to political risks - had indeed crept up to six month highs. Releasing its World Economic Outlook on Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund warned that more volatile commodity prices were a possible reflection of both greater climate and geopolitical risk. And yet hand wringing about geopolitical risk in different corners of the globe can also deflect from rising political risks in core economies - not the least in the United States.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Vincent Mortier, Anna Rosenberg, Kristina Hooper reckons, Hooper, that's, It's, Amundi's Rosenberg, Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Gourinchas, Josie Kao Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, West Bank, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Treasury, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Israel, Gaza, Iran, United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Taiwan, Ukraine

Signage at a residential project developed by Country Garden Holdings Co. in Baoding, Hebei province, China, on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Chinese real estate developer Country Garden Holdings said it expects it will not be able to make all of its offshore repayments, including those issued in U.S. dollar notes. Country Garden warned that this could lead to creditors demanding faster repayments of debt or pursuing enforcement action. Looking ahead, the company expects uncertainty in its liquidity position and asset sales in the short and medium term amid a lack of material, industry-wide improvement in property sales. Chinese property giants such as Evergrande and Country Garden have been plagued by debt problems, hurting consumer confidence in the sector.

Organizations: Country Garden Holdings Co, Garden Holdings, Hong Kong Locations: Baoding, Hebei province, China

☆ Glencore may look elsewhere for recycling hub after Italy rejects fast-track approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company's headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) may look at alternative options for a recycling hub in Europe for electric car batteries after the Italian region of Sardinia rejected a fast-track approval process for its pilot project, the mining company said. The companies said they would set up the hub in Portovesme, in Sardinia, by re-purposing Glencore's existing production sites on the island. Sardinia's regional government said on Friday the pilot project for the recycling hub could not be granted a fast-track approval process. "Glencore may consider alternative options for a European battery materials processing hub if the unnecessary extension of the approval process results in a delayed timeline that makes the project economically unviable," it said.

Persons: Arnd, Glencore, Francesca Landini, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Glencore, Cycle Holdings, Thomson Locations: Baar, Switzerland, Europe, Italian, Sardinia, Italy, Portovesme

☆ Explainer: What does New York fraud ruling mean for Donald Trump's business empire?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Jack Queen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] New York Police Department officers stand guard in front of Trump Tower before the arrival of former U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City, U.S., April 12, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 27 (Reuters) - The fate of Donald Trump’s business empire hangs in the balance after a New York judge stripped control of key properties from the former U.S. president as punishment for his “repeated and persistent fraud” over their valuations. Here's a look at the ruling and its implications for Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. WHAT DOES THE RULING MEAN FOR TRUMP’S BUSINESS? Because of Engoron’s fraud ruling, it would largely be limited to how much Trump and his co-defendants must pay in penalties.

Persons: Donald Trump, Eduardo Munoz, Donald Trump’s, Letitia James, Arthur Engoron, Trump, Engoron, ” Trump, James, Donald Jr, Eric, TRUMP, Jack Queen, Noeleen Walder, Bill Berkrot Organizations: New York Police Department, Trump, REUTERS, Democratic New York, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, York, New York, Manhattan, Scotland, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, United States, Florida, Washington, Georgia

☆ China state asset manager plans $14 bln emerging industry fund -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - China Reform Holdings Corp, a Chinese manager of state assets, plans to raise at least 100 billion yuan ($13.70 billion) for a fund that will invest in emerging industries, the China Business News reported on Sunday. China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been ramping up investment in emerging and strategic industries such as artificial intelligence, new energy, new materials and biotech as part of Beijing's SOE reforms. China Reform Holdings was set up in 2021 and tasked with deepening SOE reforms. It managed nearly 860 billion yuan of assets at the end of 2022, according to the company's website. ($1 = 7.2980 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jamie Freed Organizations: China Reform Holdings Corp, China Business, SOE, China Reform Holdings, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, China's

☆ China state asset manager plans $14 billion emerging industry fund, China Business News reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Coins and a banknote of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - China Reform Holdings Corp, a Chinese manager of state assets, plans to raise at least 100 billion yuan ($13.70 billion) for a fund that will invest in emerging industries, the China Business News reported on Sunday. China Reform Holdings was set up in 2021 and tasked with deepening SOE reforms. It managed nearly 860 billion yuan of assets at the end of 2022, according to the company's website. ($1 = 7.2980 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China Reform Holdings Corp, China Business, SOE, China Reform Holdings, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: China, China's

☆ Even 1.4 billion people 'probably can't fill' all of China's vacant homes, ex-official admits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Big-name developers such as Country Garden Holdings continue to teeter close to default even to this day, keeping home-buyer sentiment depressed. As of the end of August, the combined floor area of unsold homes stood at 648 million square meters (7 billion square feet), the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show. That would be equal to 7.2 million homes, according to Reuters calculations, based on the average home size of 90 square meters (970 square feet). “How many vacant homes are there now? Each expert gives a very different number, with the most extreme believing the current number of vacant homes are enough for 3 billion people,” said He Keng, 81, a former deputy head of the statistics bureau.

Persons: ”, Keng Organizations: China Evergrande, Garden Holdings, National Bureau of Statistics, China News Service Locations: China, Dongguan

☆ Moody's cuts China property sector's outlook to negative
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A construction site of residential buildings by Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured in Tianjin, China August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - Moody's on Thursday cut China's crisis-hit property sector's outlook to negative from stable, citing economic growth challenges the ratings agency said would dampen sales despite government support. China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), the world's most indebted property developer, is at the centre of the crisis. The crisis has also engulfed China's largest private property developer Country Garden Holdings Co (2007.HK), which has been battling to avoid a default, having won approval from its creditors this week to extend the maturity of several onshore bonds. Credit stress at Country Garden, which Moody's rates as Ca with a negative outlook, has amplified investors' risk aversion, Cedric Lai, an analyst at the agency said in a statement.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Moody's, Cedric Lai, Dimpal Gulwani, Jacqueline Wong, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, Garden Holdings, Thomson Locations: Tianjin, China, China's

☆ Novo Nordisk owner invests $290 million in energy transition fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-A coffee machine featuring Novo Nordisk logo is seen at the company headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Novo Nordisk A/S FollowLONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The controlling shareholder in drugmaker Novo Nordisk on Thursday announced a major investment in a new energy transition fund as it expands its portfolio beyond health. Novo Holdings controls 76% of the votes in Denmark's Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), which became Europe's most valuable company last week on the back of soaring profits from its weight-loss drug Wegovy and type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic. Novo Holdings' capital to invest is burgeoning on Novo Nordisk's financial performance. Novo Holdings is wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which lists its aims as providing "a stable basis for the commercial and research activities conducted by the companies within the Novo Group", of which Novo Nordisk is the largest, and supporting "scientific, humanitarian, and social purposes."

Persons: Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Morten Beck Jorgensen, " Jorgensen, Maggie Fick, Amanda Cooper, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Novo Nordisk, REUTERS, drugmaker Novo Nordisk, Novo Holdings, Denmark's, Denmark's Novo Nordisk, Holdings, Glentra Capital, Glentra, Reuters, Novo, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, drugmaker Novo, Denmark's Novo, Glentra Capital

☆ Nanjing scraps home-buying curbs in China's latest property boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China's authorities in recent weeks have rolled out a series of measures, such as easing borrowing rules, to support the debt-riddled property sector, which accounts for one-quarter of China's economic activity, but analysts say the steps are unlikely to reverse the slide. China's property sector has been on a downward spiral since 2021, when the government took steps to stop developers from accumulating debt. Nanjing's move indicates property easing will continue, playing an important role in stimulating home-buying and changing expectations in the sector, Yan said. Many smaller locales have eased home-purchase curbs over the past two years, but major cities - traditional targets of speculative buying - had held off. Nanjing also cut the maximum down payments for first home purchases to 20% from 30% for commercial mortgages, state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday, compared to 30% to 35% in most major cities.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Yan Yuejin, Yan, Liangping Gao, Ryan Woo, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Garden Holdings, Reuters, China Research, Development Institution, Thomson Locations: Tianjin, China, BEIJING, Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Country Garden set to open up 5.6% after deal to extend onshore bond payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A construction site of residential buildings by Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured in Tianjin, China August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 4 (Reuters) - Shares of Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd (2007.HK) were set to open up 5.6% on Monday after the embattled Chinese developer won approval from its creditors to extend payments for an onshore private bond. The stock was set to open at HK$0.94. That compared to a 1.1% rise in the benchmark Hang Seng Index (.HSI) and a 3.6% jump in Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index (.HSMPI). Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Donny Kwok, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Garden Holdings Co, HK, Hang Seng Mainland Properties, Thomson Locations: Tianjin, China, Hang Seng

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo attends a press conference at the Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services near the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, in Shanghai, China August 30, 2023. "China is making it more difficult," Raimondo told CBS's Face the Nation. "I was very clear with China that we need to - patience is wearing thin among American business. "They suggested that they didn't know about it and they suggested that it wasn't intentional," she told CNN. And certainly they're having real, real significant challenges in the real estate sector," she told Face the Nation.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Aly, China, Raimondo, CBS's, " Raimondo, Diane Bartz, Phil Stewart, Mary Milliken, Deepa Babington Organizations: Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, REUTERS, Garden Holdings, WASHINGTON, . Commerce, CNN, HK, Thomson Locations: Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai, China, Washington, Canada, Mexico, Beijing, Southeast Asia, U.S

☆ Sogo & Seibu sale to go ahead, triggering rare workers' strike in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Seven & I Holdings is seen at its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan December 6, 2017. The union intends to carry out its threat for a strike at the flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo on Thursday, according to a union member. A person with direct knowledge of Seven & i's plan said its board would meet on Thursday to officially decide on the sale. The union received no reply and would therefore carry out the strike on Thursday at the flagship store, where about 900 union members are employed, he said. Fortress had initially planned to spend around 250 billion yen ($1.71 billion) on the acquisition but is likely to have lowered that price to about 220 billion yen, the source said.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Fortress, Ritsuko Shimizu, Kantaro, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Holdings, REUTERS, Seibu, Fortress Investment, Labour, UA, Sogo's, Sogo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S

☆ Shareholders ask China's Hollysys to set special meeting amid takeover frustration
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Aug 30(Reuters) - Shareholders in China's Hollysys Automation Technologies owning a total 32.2% of the automation control system maker's shares asked the board of directors to set a special shareholder meeting, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Asking for a special meeting is a highly unusual step and signals shareholders' mounting frustration with management of the U.S.-listed company, which has received takeover bids but which has not started a sales process, people familiar with the matter said. A year ago Hollysys management was ready to take the company private at a $1.8 billion valuation, Reuters reported, but nothing has happened since then. Registered shareholders have a statutory right under section 82 of the BVI Business Companies Act (British Virgin Islands) to require the Hollysys board to convene a shareholder meeting. Any shareholder also has a statutory right to apply to the court for an order requiring a shareholder meeting to be held on the basis that it is in the interest of the shareholders that such a meeting be held.

Persons: Conyers, Pearman, Hollysys, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Louise Heavens Organizations: Automation Technologies, Reuters, Oasis Management, Maso, Company, Technology, . Ltd, Dazheng Group Investment Holdings Company, Act, Svea, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Cayman Islands, China, Virgin

Signage is seen at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies CURO Group Holdings Corp FollowAug 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. consumer finance regulator sued a subsidiary of fintech lender Curo Group Holdings Corp. (CURO.N) on Tuesday, alleging it pushed struggling borrowers to refinance short-term loans to keep them in debt and reap fees. Curo acquired Heights Finance for $360 million in late 2021 from private equity firm Milestone Partners. The agency said Heights Finance generated 40% of its net revenue from repeated refinances. The case is CFPB v. Heights Finance Holding Co. et al., No.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Rohit Chopra, Curo, refi, Jody Godoy, Mark Potter Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, CURO Group Holdings, Curo Group Holdings Corp, U.S, Finance Holding Co, Heights Finance, Milestone Partners, Finance, Heights Finance Holding, District of, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Greenville , South Carolina, Texas , Oklahoma , Alabama, Georgia , Tennessee, South Carolina, District of South Carolina, New York

☆ We are maintaining our position in Estee Lauder after weak guidance — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Shares of Estee Lauder (EL) fell nearly 3% on Friday after the cosmetics company delivered weaker-than-expected guidance for the coming year. The midpoint of management's guidance for full year net sales growth is 6%, implying about $16.86 billion. Management expects first-quarter sales to decline 11% at the midpoint, implying sales of $3.5 billion, well below the $3.94 billion estimate. Analysts were looking for Estee Lauder to make a combined total of $3.58 per share in that time frame. An Estee Lauder pop-up store is seen inside daimaru Department Store on Nanjing Road Pedestrian street in Shanghai, China, August 6, 2021.

Persons: Estee Lauder, reaccelerate, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Refinitiv, Management, CNBC, daimaru, Getty Locations: Asia, Pacific, China, Hong Kong, Hainan, Americas, America, Brazil, Mexico, United States, Nanjing, Shanghai

☆ JPMorgan hikes EM default forecast as Country Garden drives China contagion fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJPMorgan raised its global emerging markets corporate high-yield default forecast, largely due to rising contagion fears in China's property sector from a possible Country Garden default. It also raised its Asia high-yield default rate forecast to 10% from 4.1% — that figure drops to just 1%, if China property is excluded. JPMorgan expects China property to account for nearly 40% of all default volumes in 2023, followed by 35% from Russian corporates and 12% from Brazilian issuers. watch nowThe magnitude of the increase in JPMorgan's default risk assessment underscores fears that a Country Garden debt default will have a far broader ripple effect on the Chinese property sector and the broader economy. In the same note, JPMorgan said a Country Garden default could add $9.9 billion to the year-to-date global emerging markets high-yield corporate default tally, taking the total default volume for the Chinese property sector to $17 billion to date in 2023.

Persons: JPMorgan Organizations: HK, Country Garden Holdings Co, Bloomberg, Getty, JPMorgan, China Evergrande Group Locations: Baoding, Hebei province, China, China's, U.S, Asia, Russian

☆ Oil slips as China sours sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A VLCC oil tanker is seen at a crude oil terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan port, Zhejiang province, China May 16, 2017. In a surprise move, China's central bank marginally cut key interest rates on Tuesday, after a broad array of data highlighted intensifying pressure on the economy, mainly from the property sector. There are concerns China may struggle to meet its growth target of about 5% for the year without more fiscal stimulus. On Tuesday, Barclays cut its forecast for China's 2023 gross domestic product growth to 4.5%, citing a faster-than-expected deterioration in the housing market. Still, sentiment on China is souring, added PVM's Evans.

Persons: Stringer, galvanise, John Evans, refiners, PVM's Evans, Natalie Grover, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Tom Hogue, Jason Neely, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Garden Holdings, Brent, . West Texas, of, Petroleum, Tuesday, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Ningbo Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC

☆ Oil edges up as China cuts policy rates to support economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A VLCC oil tanker is seen at a crude oil terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan port, Zhejiang province, China May 16, 2017. Prices turned higher after the People's Bank of China (PBOC) lowered the rate on 401 billion yuan ($55.3 billion) in one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans to some financial institutions by 15 basis points to 2.5%. Despite the weak macroeconomic data, China's oil appetite showed resilience. The declining U.S. output could exacerbate global oil supply tightness as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known as OPEC+, cut production. Reporting by Muyu Xu and Katya Golubkova; Editing by Sonali Paul and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer, Robert Carnell, refiners, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Sonali Paul, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Garden Holdings, SINGAPORE, Brent, . West Texas, People's Bank of China, ING Bank, Energy, of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Ningbo Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Beijing, Asia Pacific, OPEC

☆ Oil steadies as China data sours sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A VLCC oil tanker is seen at a crude oil terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan port, Zhejiang province, China May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer /File PhotoCompanies Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd FollowLONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Oil prices stabilised on Tuesday as sluggish Chinese economic figures were countered by Beijing unexpectedly cutting key policy rates for the second time in three months. China's industrial output and retail sales data on Tuesday showed the economy slowed further last month, intensifying pressure on already faltering growth and prompting authorities to cut key policy rates to shore up activity. In an effort to shore up support, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) lowered the rate on 401 billion yuan ($55.3 billion) in one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans to some financial institutions by 15 basis points to 2.5%. Still, sentiment on China is souring, added PVM's Evans.

Persons: Stringer, galvanise, John Evans, Robert Carnell, refiners, PVM's Evans, Natalie Grover, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Tom Hogue, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Garden Holdings, Brent, . West Texas, of, Petroleum, People's Bank of China, ING Bank, Thomson Locations: Ningbo Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC, Asia Pacific

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway makes interesting bet on these homebuilders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought shares of a few homebuilders in the last quarter, a new regulatory filing revealed. Horton shares, $70 million worth of NVR shares as well as $17.2 million worth of Lennar in the second quarter, the filing showed. These stakes are relatively small for Berkshire, whose equity portfolio is worth nearly $350 billion. Top holdings Berkshire shares just hit a record high last week on the back of strong second-quarter results. Also during the second quarter, Berkshire added to its relatively new stake in Capital One Financial , bringing it to nearly $1.4 billion.

Persons: Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Horton, Todd Combs, Ted Weschler, Benjamin Moore Organizations: Berkshire, Clayton Homes, Apple, American Express, Bank of America, Capital, General Motors, Chevrolet, GMC Locations: Omaha, Berkshire, McLean , Virginia

☆ China's real estate market roiled by default fears again
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBEIJING — Two years after Evergrande's debt troubles, worries about China's real estate sector are coming to the forefront again. In late July, its top leaders indicated a shift toward greater support for the real estate sector, paving the way for local governments to implement specific policies. For the last several years, Chinese authorities have attempted to curb debt-fueled speculation in the country's massive — and hot — real estate market. Real estate and related industries have accounted for about a quarter of China's economy. He pointed out that since China started its deleveraging campaign in 2016, it is very unlikely the state would step in to bail out real estate developers.

Persons: Qilai Shen, Dalian Wanda, Liu Haibo, Sandra Chow, Nomura, Chow, Evergrande, Redmond Wong, —, Wong, Vanke, that's Organizations: Country Garden Holdings Co, Bloomberg, Getty, BEIJING, Reuters, CNBC, Country, Asia Pacific Research, CreditSights, Fitch, Saxo Markets Hong, China's, House Research, Stock, Poly Development, Research Locations: Baoding, Hebei province, China, Dalian, Hong Kong, Beijing, Saxo Markets Hong Kong

☆ Three-quarters of Warren Buffett’s equity portfolio are tied up in just 5 stocks. Here’s what they are
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reported more than $20 billion in equity investment gains for the second quarter, and over three-quarters of its stock portfolio were tied up in just five names. Berkshire reported a near $26 billion unrealized gain from its investments, and much of this gain came from its gigantic stake in Apple . The tech giant fueled the market rally in the second quarter, climbing nearly 18%. Shares of Chevron were down more than 11% this year, compared with the S & P 500's near 17% gain. As always, though, the legendary investor asked investors to not focus on the quarterly fluctuations in Berkshire's equity investments.

Persons: Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, Tim Cook, Buffett Organizations: Apple, Chevron, Oracle, American Express, Bank of America Locations: Berkshire, Omaha

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