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☆ Who is Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande's billionaire boss who went from power circles to police surveillance?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Hui Ka Yan, chairman of Evergrande Real Estate Group Ltd, the country's second-largest property developer by sales, attends a news conference on annual results in Hong Kong, China March 29, 2016. A person close to Evergrande said Hui had stopped contacting staff over the past few days, while an industry source said he had become totally inaccessible. Evergrande grew to achieve 700 billion yuan ($95.8 billion) in annual sales by 2020. Outside mainland China, Hui mixed with Hong Kong tycoons. Without the country giving me a scholarship of 14 yuan every month, I could not have completed university," Hui said.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Bobby Yip, Yan, Hui, Evergrande, Xi Jinping, Cheng, tycoons, Cheng Yu Tung Organizations: Real Estate Group, REUTERS, Chinese Communist Party, China Evergrande, HK, Evergrande, Bloomberg, Reuters, Forbes, Hong, New, Party, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Tiananmen, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Henan

☆ 'Mispriced' stocks like this solar name are too attractive to ignore, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Earlier this week, however, the bank lifted its rating to buy from neutral, saying ESAB is too attractive to ignore. "In our view, ESAB is a mispriced asset and the discount to peers is likely to narrow with the upcoming [December] Investor Day as a catalyst," El-Sabbahy wrote. First Solar Analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith is getting increasingly bullish on shares of the solar company. ESAB "ESAB is executing better than expected (leverage falling, margin expanding, growth outperforming) and we have a renewed appreciation of its portfolio. In our view, ESAB is a mispriced asset and the discount to peers is likely to narrow with the upcoming [December] Investor Day as a catalyst."

Persons: ESAB, Sherif El, Sabbahy, Julien Dumoulin, Smith, BofA, FSLR, Didier Scemama, ASML, Scemama, mgmt, RMD Organizations: of America, CNBC Locations: Swedish, GLP

☆ What is shadow banking? Unpacking the risks for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

China Photos | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's real estate problems have again drawn attention to the world of shadow banking and the risks it poses to the economy. Shadow banking — a term coined in the U.S. in 2007 — refers to financial services offered outside the formal banking system, which is highly regulated. Estimates of the size of shadow banking in China vary widely, but range in the trillions of U.S. dollars. Shadow banking and real estateChina's property sector, an estimated one-fourth of the economy, lies at the intersection of shadow banking, local government finances and household assets. "These trust companies were basically part of the shadow banking system in China."

Persons: —, Logan Wright, Wright, Shimao, PwC, Edward Chan, Nomura Organizations: Getty, BEIJING, Developers, Logan Wright Center for Strategic, Center for Strategic, Studies, PricewaterhouseCoopers, CNBC, CSIS Locations: Shanghai, China, U.S

☆ HSBC names its ‘must see stocks’ in the UK with substantial upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

British bank HSBC has revealed a list of stocks in the U.K. it says are a "must-see" — regardless of how market conditions pan out over the rest of the year. Value stocks For those seeking "fundamentally cheap [stocks] with limited risk and/or high yield," HSBC listed value stocks. The analysts' price target of £2,130 pounds gives the stock a 44% upside from its close on Sept. 7. Misunderstood stocks HSBC also has a category called "misunderstood" stocks, capturing "companies or business models we think are misunderstood and therefore at the wrong price". Both companies are "buys" for HSBC, with target prices of £6,800 and £2,915 – or 55.1% and 87.7% — upside respectively.

Persons: Hilton, Coats, —, — —, Michael Bloom Organizations: HSBC, Hilton Food, IMI, DCC

☆ Brazil's Natura mulls sale of The Body Shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of British cosmetics and skin care company The Body Shop is seen outside a store in Vienna, Austria, June 4, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger Acquire Licensing RightsSAO PAULO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Brazilian cosmetics maker Natura &Co (NTCO3.SA) said on Monday its board of directors had authorized the company to search for "strategic alternatives" for its subsidiary The Body Shop, including a potential sale of the business. The move comes after the Brazilian company in April agreed to sell its luxury brand Aesop to French cosmetics group L'Oreal (OREP.PA) at an enterprise value of $2.53 billion. Natura grew through high profile acquisitions in recent years, including the purchase of The Body Shop from L'Oreal in 2017, but has now been looking for "discipline" and deleveraging as it aims to bring back profitability. "There can be no assurance that this process will result in any transaction," Natura said in a securities filing about the potential Body Shop deal.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Roberto Marques, Fabio Barbosa, Gabriel Araujo, Kylie Madry Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Natura, L'Oreal, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, Brazilian, Natura

☆ China's deflation could spill over into a global concern, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

SHENZHEN, CHINA - MARCH 09: View of high commercial and residential buildings on March 9, 2016 in Shenzhen, China. "As a result, Chinese economic weakness and falling prices (especially Chinese producer prices) are likely to spill over into global markets — near-term good news for the Western central banks' fight against elevated inflation." "China's disappointing rebound is now feeding negatively into global sentiment and growth. Beyond the trade-related spillovers, a common global disinflationary pressure comes from commodity prices, where as a huge importer of commodities, Chinese domestic demand remains a key factor. "Weak Chinese domestic investment and broad-based excess capacity in manufacturing, as well as weak sales of new homes and land, are likely to continue to depress global commodity demand," Wilding and Liao said.

Persons: Zhong Zhi, Tiffany Wilding, Wilding, Carol Liao, Montgomery Koning, Liao, TS Lombard's Montgomery Koning Organizations: Getty, National Bureau, Statistics, Evergrande, TS Lombard, Lombard, U.S, Census, TS Lombard's Locations: SHENZHEN, CHINA, Shenzhen, China, U.S, Beijing, West, Germany

☆ Dalio says China is overdue in reducing its debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - Legendary investor Ray Dalio, a big enthusiast and investor in China, said on Thursday the world's second largest economy is overdue in conducting a "big debt restructuring." Dalio said deleveraging is never an easy task, but in the case of China it can be more manageable because most of its debt is in domestic currency and is held by its citizens. Very popular among Chinese investors, Dalio is a self-proclaimed Sinophile with long connections with China. Last year, Bridgewater doubled its fund assets in China to more than 20 billion yuan ($2.74 billion), cementing its position as the biggest foreign hedge fund in the country. The hedge fund launched its first onshore China fund in 2018 and, since then, two other funds have been established.

Persons: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater's, Brendan McDermid, Zhu Rongji, Dalio, deleveraging, Carolina Mandl, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Chinese, Bridgewater Associates, Bridgewater, Carolina, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, . Connecticut, New York

☆ 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

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Rivian, Peloton, UPS, Eli Lilly, DraftKings and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

UBS reiterates Home Depot and Lowe's as buy UBS said it sees next week's earnings reports for the home improvement retailers as a "low impact" event. JPMorgan upgrades DraftKings to neutral from underweight JPMorgan upgraded DraftKings mainly on valuation after Disney and Penn announced a partnership Tuesday. Bank of America reiterates Rivian as buy Bank of America said the electric vehicle maker is in the right place at the right time. UBS downgrades UPS to neutral from buy UBS downgraded the stock after its earnings report Tuesday and said it's concerned about cost pressures. Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as buy Bank of America said it's standing by its buy rating on the stock. "

Persons: BTIG, it's, JPMorgan, Berenberg, Marqeta, Rivian, Jefferies, Eli Lilly, GLP, LLY, Wells, Wells Fargo, Jensen Huang, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Bank of America, Walmart, UBS, JPMorgan, Disney, Penn, Barclays, Dish, State, EV, UPS, Industries, " Bank of America, Nvidia Locations: 2Q24, LLY, GTLS

☆ Outperforming analysts reveal 2 new oil and gas stock picks — with one expected to rise by 35%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts at RBC Capital Markets have revealed two new top stock picks in the oil and gas sector. The bank's energy and utilities equity team is behind a basket of stock picks called the Global Energy Best Ideas List. RBC said the basket rose 7.8% in July, compared to a 6.2% rise in the iShares S & P Global Energy ETF . ALA-CA YTD mountain Callon RBC analysts also favor Callon Petroleum . As well as adding the above two stocks to their Best Ideas List, RBC analysts removed several others this month.

Persons: Vern Yu, Yu, Vern Yu's Organizations: RBC Capital Markets, Global, RBC, P Global Energy, ALA, Callon Petroleum, Shell PLC, California Resources Corp Locations: Canada, United States, Enbridge, North America

☆ This energy equipment stock could soar as much as 35%, Wells Fargo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This liquified natural gas equipment provider's stock could add more than 35% in value, according to Wells Fargo. The firm upgraded Chart Industries to overweight from equal weight Wednesday with a $224 per share price target, up from $162. GTLS YTD mountain Chart Industries stock has climbed more than 43% from the start of 2023. Chart Industries provides equipment used to produce and store liquefied natural gas and other industrial fuels. The company estimated $655 million to $705 million in cash can be used to slash its debt this year.

Persons: Roger Read, Howden, Read, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Industries Locations: Wells Fargo, Howden

Assets will be sold within Altice France or outside France to repay debt, Drahi told investors on a conference call. "(The aims is) to raise, one way or another, 3 billion (euros) of equity, plus or minus," Drahi said. Altice France's net leverage ratio at end of June was 6.3 times its yearly core operating profits. Altice France's net debt was close to 24 billion euros at the end of June, up from 23.6 billion at end of March, the group said. Total earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell to 1.02 billion euros from 1.08 billion euros a year earlier.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Philippe Wojazer, Drahi, Dennis Okhuijsen, Altice, Portugal Altice's, Armando Pereira, Pereira, Mathieu Rosemain, Ingrid Melander, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter Organizations: Altice Group, REUTERS, Altice, Thomson Locations: Franco, Israeli, Paris, France, PARIS, Altice France, Portugal

Data centres are facilities that host IT systems and applications. In April, Brookfield Infrastructure acquired French data centre group Data4 in a deal said to have valued the company at close to 3.5 billion euros, including debt. Asterion formed Nabiax in 2019 through the acquisition of 11 data centres from Telefonica across Spain and Latin America. In March, the group sold its Latin American operations to British infrastructure fund Actis, with a view to focusing on its home market. A sale of Nabiax could help Telefonica pay down debt, a focus for the Spanish telecoms giant.

Persons: Nabiax, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Amy, Jo Crowley, Andres Gonzalez, Jesus Aguado, John O'Donnell, Louise Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Infrastructure, Asterion Industrial Partners, BBVA, Citigroup, Telefonica, Brookfield Infrastructure, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Telefonica, Spain, Latin America, British, London

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - The economic pain of higher interest rates seems duller than many had braced for only late last year - and subdued household debt burdens may be at least partly responsible. More interest rate sensitive countries with more flexible loan rates - such at Canada, Australia and Sweden - are already turning higher. What's more, the overall impact of higher borrowing rates is partly offset by rising interest rates on savings. And so net of interest income, JPMorgan points out, interest costs are up only 0.2 percentage point of disposable personal income since the start of the Fed hiking cycle early last year. Higher costs are still coming with a lag for many and will drag on the economies further from here.

Persons: Jerome Powell, JPMorgan's Joseph Lupton, Maia Crook, Lupton, Crook, it's, Mike Dolan, Alison Williams Organizations: Federal Reserve, JPMorgan, Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Canada, Australia, Sweden, Britain, Central

☆ The next revolution in monetary policy is underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Felix Martin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Monetary policy, Milton Friedman said, acts on the economy with long and variable lags. Monetary policy regimes evolve in response to the changing nature of prevailing economic challenges – though this also takes time. The next revolution in monetary policy may be brewing. One question Gopinath did not address is how the financial system came to dominate monetary policy. When contractions hit, however, central banks eased monetary policy and governments loosened their purse strings, just as before.

Persons: Milton Friedman, Gita Gopinath, Gopinath, ’, “, Peter Thal Larsen, Pranav Kiran, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, International Monetary Fund, Bank for International, IMF, Central, SVB, Signature Bank, Credit Suisse, Fed Funds, BIS, Thomson Locations: Portuguese, Sintra, Korean, United States, Europe, Central, England, London, U.S, China, Ukraine, “

☆ China seen cutting key lending benchmarks as economy slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) lowered short- and medium-term policy rates last week, signalling it is about to embark on another round of loosening in monetary settings in a push to rev up the recovery. In a poll of 32 market watchers, all participants predicted cuts to both the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) and the five-year tenor . "However, the biggest risk is that rate cuts can be ineffective when households and businesses are excessively conservative, busy deleveraging and paying off debt." China's cabinet met on Friday to discuss measures to spur growth in the economy and pledged to roll out more policy support. Despite strong consensus of cuts to the LPR on Tuesday, market participants are divided on the size of the reductions.

Persons: David Chao, Chao, Li Hongwei, Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, Reuters, Asia Pacific, Citi, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, China, Invesco

☆ China’s economy is way more screwed than anyone thought
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The bubble in China's property market finally popped. In April, China's economic data came in weak largely across the board. The problem is that while consumers may be picking up, the biggest drivers of the Chinese economy — property and exports — are going to stay dormant. Consumer consumption makes up about 37% of the Chinese economy (in the US that figure is about 70%). Beijing has tried to shift the country toward a consumption model, like the US, but exports still make up 20% of China's economy.

Persons: lockdowns, it's, Xi Jinping, Stanley Druckenmiller, We're, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Wei Yao, Leland Miller, Miller, Yao, Wright, I've, —, Kearney, Linette Lopez Organizations: Trade, JPMorgan, Bloomberg Invest Conference, Bank of America's, China's National Bureau, Statistics, Societe Generale, Analysts, Beijing, China, Chinese Communist Party, China's Locations: China, globalism, Beijing, York, Asia

☆ Cruise stocks soar as industry rebounds. Here's what analysts expect to happen next
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line hit 52-week highs Wednesday, while Royal Caribbean did so Tuesday. RCL YTD mountain Royal Caribbean year to date For Farley, Royal Caribbean stands out because it has about 64% of its cruises in the Caribbean, a strong market. Investors now may be waiting to see if there will be more price target increases from analysts after the latest run up. Royal Caribbean has 3% downside to the average analyst price target of $92.77 as of Tuesday's close, per FactSet. Carnival has 21% downside to its average price target of $12.11, and Norwegian has 15% downside to its $16.60 average price target.

Persons: It's, Jason Liberty, Patrick Scholes, Robin Farley, Matthew Boss, Bank of America's Andrew Didora, Josh, Didora, Farley, Truist's Scholes, James Hardiman, Greg Badishkanian, Scholes, Managements, Boss, CNBC's Michael Bloom, Josh Weinstein Organizations: shutdowns, Wall Street, Cruise Line, Royal, CNBC, Royal Caribbean, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, CCL, Bank of America's, UBS, Argus Research, Citi, Wolfe Research, JPMorgan, Investors Locations: Royal Caribbean, U.S, Miami, Tuesday's, Caribbean, Norwegian

☆ Meet the 'Unicorn Hunters': These companies are able to acquire others and still outperform, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A group of "unicorn hunters" are successfully acquiring companies without upsetting the market, according to Morgan Stanley. With this in mind, Stanley questioned whether unicorn hunting is a smart business strategy, with the stocks recently not rewarded. Spencer Platt | Getty ImagesA group of "unicorn hunters" are successfully acquiring companies without upsetting the market, according to Morgan Stanley. With this in mind, Stanley questioned whether unicorn hunting is a smart business strategy, with the stocks recently not rewarded. With this in mind, Stanley screened for unicorn-hunter companies that have acquired two in the last decade.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Edward Stanley, Stanley, Johnson, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Spencer Platt Organizations: Big Tech, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Johnson, Merck, New York Stock Exchange, Getty

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery stock rises for second straight day as company pays down debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The media giant has been contending with a heavy debt load stemming from the 2022 merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Warner Bros.

Persons: Chris Licht, Wells Fargo, Steven Cahall, Cahall, David Zaslav Organizations: Warner Bros, CNN, Discovery, Warner Bros . Discovery, Public, Max, HBO, Discovery Channel, TLC Locations: U.S

Goldman Sachs released its list of high conviction stocks — with a new twist. What makes this list unique from the typical top picks list is that members of Goldman's Investment Review Committee were the ones choosing the names, adding a second layer of analysis. Take a look at some of the names that made the list, and where Goldman sees them going forward. Goldman expects shares to have 42% upside over the next 12 months. The tech giant's scale, platform breadth, category diversification and end-market exposure will further fuel its upside opportunity in the years ahead, according to Sheridan.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Steven Kron, Goldman, Kate McShane, Chris Shibutani, Eric Sheridan, Brett Feldman, Max —, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Goldman's Investment, Pharmaceutical, Merck, Goldman, Amazon, Services, Warner Bros, HBO Max Locations: Sheridan, WarnerMedia

☆ European shares rise on US debt deal optimism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 29 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Monday as investors drew comfort from a tentative deal reached by U.S. lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling and avert a default. The euro zone stocks index (.STOXXE) climbed 0.4% by 0715 GMT, with the bloc's banks (.SX7E) among the top gainers. Trading volumes were light, with markets in the United States, the UK and several European countries closed. U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday finalised a budget agreement with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until Jan. 1, 2025, and said the deal was ready to move to Congress for a vote. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Goldman Sachs believes the current downturn in the energy sector has created attractive opportunities for investors. The energy sector is down 9.4% in 2023, the largest decline among the 11 major S & P 500 sectors. Goldman attributes the energy sector's underperformance to a combination of macroeconomic conditions. Mild winter temperatures drove lower natural gas prices, and Russian oil supplies were s well higher-than-expected. Goldman also picked oil services company Halliburton as an underappreciated energy name.

☆ These 4 stocks are on Goldman's 'conviction buy' list — and it gives one 115% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A look at Goldman Sachs' "conviction buy" stocks this year reveals some names with serious upside potential. The bank gave Sensata a price target of $60, or around 43% potential upside from its current level. ASML Goldman named Dutch semiconductor firm ASML in its screen of "long-term quality compounders" earlier this year. Goldman gave the U.S.-listed shares of Alibaba a 12-month price target of $136, or potential upside of 58%. Goldman gave the stock a price target of 37.30 euros ($40.20), or nearly 115% potential upside.

☆ KKR-backed Envision Healthcare files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 15 (Reuters) - KKR & Co Inc-backed (KKR.N) Envision Healthcare Corp and its wholly owned subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday. The U.S. provider of physicians has estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion each, the company said in a court filing. The company said that it entered into a restructuring support agreement for debt obligations of about $7.7 billion under which its unit AMSURG which manages ambulatory surgery centers and Envision Physician Services will be separately owned. Envision's AMSURG unit will buy surgery centers held by the company for $300 million plus a waiver of intercompany loans held by AMSURG, it said in a statement. All of the company's debt, with the exception of a revolving credit facility , will be cancelled, deleveraging about $5.6 billion, it added.

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