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☆ China Evergrande's EV unit warns it may halt production amid funds shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The EV manufacturing unit of the embattled developer China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) said it was aiming to cut costs through measures such as reducing staff numbers and improving management efficiency. "In face of the inability to obtain additional liquidity, the Group is at risk of discontinuing production," it said. Under that plan, the cumulative unleveraged cash flow from 2023 to 2026 was expected to reach negative 7 billion yuan to a negative 5 billion yuan. The news comes after its parent, China Evergrande Group, on Wednesday announced plans for the restructuring of its $22.7 billion in offshore debt, which could set a template for distressed rivals in the country's property sector. The EV unit is key for the transformation plans of Evergrande, once China's top-selling property developer and now at the center of a deepening debt crisis.

☆ Hong Kong central bank raises rate after Fed hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG, March 23 (Reuters) - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday raised its base rate charged through the overnight discount window by 25 basis points to 5.25%, hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered a rate hike of the same margin. Hong Kong's monetary policy moves in lock-step with the U.S. as the city's currency is pegged to the greenback in a tight range of 7.75-7.85 per dollar. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, but indicated it was on the verge of pausing further increases in borrowing costs after the recent collapse of two U.S. banks. The Federal Open Market Committee policy statement also said the U.S. banking system is "sound and resilient". Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Just Eat’s employment U-turn won’t travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Just Eat Takeaway (TKWY.AS) Chief Executive Jitse Groen is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. That marks a U-turn from Groen’s 2021 claim that the gig worker model “led to precarious working conditions”. Just Eat Takeaway will employ food-delivery drivers in the UK as independent contractors or through third party agencies. Sacrificing workers’ rights amid a cost-of-living crisis also doesn’t make Groen look good. But with the European Union passing the legislation to improve workers’ rights, Just Eat Takeaway seems to be exploiting a Brexit loophole.

☆ Stripe’s $50 bln reset is relative sign of health
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Stripe’s valuation cut is arguably still a relative sign of strength. The newly attained price tag is a 53% cut from its 2021 valuation of $95 billion. And by some metrics Stripe seems to be valued at a discount relative to its publicly listed peers. Stripe’s $50 billion is 3.5 times last year’s gross revenue, while Dutch payment firm Adyen (ADYEN.AS) trades on a multiple of 4.7 times. The valuation cut reflects the reality of how an economic slowdown affects fintech businesses like Stripe.

☆ We've laid off very few people in Asia, luxury hospitality group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe've laid off very few people in Asia, luxury hospitality group saysClement Kwok, CEO of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, says it was a "conscious decision" despite low levels of business.

☆ Miles Guo, the Chinese tycoon charged with defrauding his fans of more than $1 billion, once starred in a music video where he shadowboxed on a luxury yacht to lyrics like 'take down the CCP'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Guo, was arrested on 11 counts of fraud and money laundering. Guo, also known as Miles Guo, is credited on Apple Music and Spotify as the artist behind at least 14 hip-hop, pop, and lo-fi songs. One of the political activist's most well-known works is a music video on YouTube, titled "Fight For Hong Kong." Taking down the CCP, the evil CCP, is the only way for us to live without fear," Guo raps in Mandarin. Another video sees Guo hyping up Himalaya Coin, or Hcoin, a cryptocurrency that Guo and Bannon promoted.

☆ Guo Wengui Charged in Alleged $1 Billion Fraud Conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Guo Wengui , a former real-estate developer, has said he fled China in 2014 after hearing that a state security official to whom he was close would soon be arrested. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have charged exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with duping investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars to bankroll the purchase of a sprawling mansion, a 145-foot luxury yacht and other lavish items. Mr. Guo, also known as Kwok Ho Wan, was arrested Wednesday morning in New York and is charged with 11 counts of fraud and money laundering, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York federal court. Prosecutors said he orchestrated a $1 billion scheme that preyed on hundreds of thousands of his online followers to purchase stock in his media company, fund a farm loan program and join a luxury-services club.

☆ DOJ charges Chinese businessman Guo Wengui, associate of Steve Bannon, in $1 billion fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon greets fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui before introducing him at a news conference on November 20, 2018 in New York. The controversial exiled Chinese billionaire businessman Guo Wengui — an associate of former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon — was arrested in New York on Wednesday for orchestrating what federal prosecutors called a more than $1 billion fraud conspiracy that duped online followers with promises of outsized investment returns. Former President Donald Trump months later pardoned Bannon in that case, shortly before Trump left the White House. IThe defendants are charged with wire fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering in the criminal case. Both Guo and Je face ossible sentences of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

[1/5] Guo Wengui (also known as Miles Kwok) holds a news conference with Steve Bannon in New York, New York, U.S., November 20, 2018. Guo, 52, was charged with 11 criminal counts including securities fraud, wire fraud and concealment of money laundering, after "lining his pockets with the money he stole," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan said in a statement. They will propose a "robust bail package," according to Tamara Giwa, a federal public defender who represented Guo at Wednesday's hearing. Bannon is not accused of wrongdoing in Guo's criminal case. It said it also seized assets purchased with proceeds from Guo's alleged fraud, including a Lamborghini Aventador, and wants Guo to forfeit the yacht.

HONG KONG, March 13 (Reuters) - Top Chinese property developer Country Garden Holdings (2007.HK) said on Monday it expected to post its first net loss since listing in 2007 due to a sluggish property market and flagged a worse-than-feared drop in core profit. Country Garden said in a filing its estimated net loss would be between 5.5 billion yuan to 7.5 billion yuan ($799 million to $1.09 billion), down from a 26.8 billion yuan profit in 2021. It said core net profit was expected to be in the range of 1 billion yuan to 3 billion yuan, still positive but down sharply from 26.9 billion yuan in 2021 and well below analysts' forecasts for core profit around 9.3 billion yuan, according to SmartEstimate. Smaller developer Logan Group Co Ltd 3380.HK also said it expected to record a net loss of 7 billion yuan to 9 billion yuan for 2022. "We expect to see more profit warnings for both China property and property management ahead," said Raymond Cheng, head of China research at CGS-CIMB Securities Ltd.

☆ Abu Dhabi’s gas IPO displays the merits of caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Shares of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s gas processing spinoff jumped 18% on their IPO debut on Monday, valuing the company at 214 billion dirhams ($58 billion). ADNOC Gas (ADNOCGAS.AD) may be the chunkiest Gulf listing since Saudi Aramco’s (2222.SE) $1.7 trillion equivalent in 2019, but it was more sensibly priced. Aramco’s problem was that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had already decreed that it should be worth $2 trillion. ADNOC Gas, by contrast, has a prospective yield of 5.6%, in line with local rivals and more in keeping with Western energy rivals. If anything, ADNOC Gas could be worth even more.

☆ Cathay Pacific posts wider $834 mln loss in 2022, upbeat on outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG, March 8 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (0293.HK) reported on Wednesday a loss of HK$6.55 billion ($834.42 million) for 2022, wider than the previous year's HK$5.53 billion loss, but was positive about the outlook, now that quarantining is no longer required. In January, the airline forecast a loss of between HK$6.4 billion and HK$7 billion ($815 million to $892 million) for the 12 months ended Dec. 31 after facing tough pandemic-related rules during the period. ($1 = 7.8498 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting By Anne Marie Roantree and Donny Kwok; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Cathay shares rose as much as 1.4% to HK$7.95 after the results were released, reversing the morning's declines as investors bet on a turnaround following heavy losses during the pandemic. "After three brutal years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have finally entered into a new exciting phase, in which we will rebuild Cathay Pacific for Hong Kong." [1/5] A Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A350-900 airplane approaches to land at Changi International Airport in Singapore June 10, 2018. Cathay said it was operating about one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by December and ended the year operating passenger flights to 58 destinations, double the 29 destinations the airline flew to in January 2022. It would operate at about 70% of its pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by the end of 2023, with an aim to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024.

☆ Cathay looks to 'rebuild' after brutal pandemic losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cathay shares rose as much as 1.4% to HK$7.95 after the results were released, reversing morning losses and beating a 2.4% drop in the broader market (.HSI) as investors bet on a turnaround following heavy losses during the pandemic. "After three brutal years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have finally entered into a new exciting phase, in which we will rebuild Cathay Pacific for Hong Kong." Cathay said it was operating about one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by December and ended the year operating passenger flights to 58 destinations, double the 29 destinations the airline flew to in January 2022. It would operate at about 70% of its prepandemic passenger flight capacity by the end of 2023, with an aim to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024. It was operating about two-thirds of pre-pandemic cargo flight capacity levels by the end of 2022.

"Most luxury retailers don't think Hong Kong will return to the dizzy levels of 2014 when the market here peaked," said Simon Smith, Savills' senior director of research and consultancy in Hong Kong. Morgan Stanley (MS.N) forecast Hong Kong visitor numbers this year will reach just 70% of 2018 arrivals. It estimates retail sales will grow 15%, holding at around 80% of retail trade from the pre-COVID year. That outstripped total Hong Kong retail sales from a peak hit in 2013 at HK$494.5 billion ($63.0 billion), according to the city's statistics department. ($1 = 6.8510 yuan)($1 = 7.8498 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Farah Master, Jessie Pang, Anne Marie Roantree, Angel Woo and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong, Sophie Yu in Beijing, and Mimosa Spencer in Paris; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ SAP ends pointless M&A roundtrip with Qualtrics
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

For SAP Chief Executive Christian Klein, an exit would cap a relatively pointless M&A roundtrip. In theory, SAP could have supercharged the groups’ combined revenue by offering its software to Qualtrics’ customers and vice versa. Silver Lake, a specialist in tech buyouts, is well-placed to keep that growing. One potential hiccup is that Qualtrics’ fairly paltry EBITDA limits how much debt Silver Lake can use. SAP paid $8 billion in cash for Qualtrics in 2018, and subsequently offloaded a minority stake through an initial public offering in 2021.

☆ One of China’s richest women takes over for her father at real estate developer Country Garden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Yang Guoqiang, founder of Country Garden, attends a signing ceremony in November 2017 in Guangdong province. VCG/Getty ImagesThe elder Yang was a farmer and construction worker before he founded Country Garden in 1992. In little more than a decade, he grew the firm into one of the largest real estate developers in the country. Last year, Country Garden was China’s No 1 developer by sales, which reached $67 billion. An aerial view of a residential project developed by Country Garden in Zhenjiang city in eastern China's Jiangsu province in October 2021.

☆ Fintech darling Stripe has first-world problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

When it’s a fintech darling previously valued at $95 billion, the whole industry takes notice. Though a solid business model and rapid growth have allowed Stripe to remain private, it has its share of first-world problems. A lower valuation for Stripe is painful for investors who bought in two years ago, and for employees who dreamed of IPO riches. Stripe is raising $4 billion in fresh capital from investors including Thrive Capital, Reuters reported on Feb. 24. Stripe has hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan to explore a public listing and to help with its latest fundraising.

☆ UBS loses bid to stop Chinese businessman's $500 mln London lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - UBS (UBSG.S) faces a $500 million lawsuit in London brought by an exiled Chinese businessman after an appeal court on Wednesday rejected the Swiss bank’s latest attempt to have the case thrown out. UBS had previously told a lower court that the claims are denied in their entirety. Lawyers representing Guo and Ace Decade did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Judge Geoffrey Vos said in the written ruling on Wednesday that “the damage caused to Ace Decade and (Guo) occurred in London when the H-shares ... were sold by UBS London”. “UBS London significantly participated in the events which have given rise both to the claim and to the loss claimed.”Reporting by Sam Tobin; additional reporting by Kirstin Ridley.

☆ Miners’ bets on the future of coal are diverging
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Investors have a common understanding that coal is the dirtiest energy source. UK-listed Anglo American’s (AAL.L) earnings on Thursday showed EBITDA in the $50 billion group’s metallurgical coal division tripled to over $2.7 billion in 2022. With “met coal” constituting a fifth of Anglo’s overall EBITDA, investors may wonder whether boss Duncan Wanblad will follow Teck’s step. That’s probably because even though met coal generates three times more carbon than thermal coal, used to generate electricity, it’s still expensive to produce steel at scale in a sustainable way without using a coal-guzzling blast furnace. Anglo’s experiences hiving off its own thermal coal business, meanwhile, may not encourage Wanblad to repeat the trick.

☆ UAE gas IPO’s $50 bln valuation looks like a floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The United Arab Emirates’ bumper gas listing inevitably invites comparisons with Saudi Aramco (2222.SE). As with the five other subsidiaries which ADNOC has listed, including its distribution arm and Borouge (BOROUGE.AD), ADNOC Gas comes with juicy shareholder payouts. While ADNOC Gas benefits from a 25-year agreement with its parent to provide gas for its needs, ADNOC takes a share of the resulting profit. That said, with over two thirds of its gas serving local customers who contribute one-third of its operating profit after tax, ADNOC Gas earnings are arguably more predictable. ADNOC Gas envisages an equity valuation of at least $50 billion, people familiar with the situation told Reuters Breakingviews.

Hong Kong will issue vouchers worth HK$5,000 ($637) per person to all adults this year, half the amount issued in 2022. Hong Kong usually runs balanced budgets or surpluses, since its pegged currency system commits it to fiscal prudence. "HAPPY" HONG KONG? He also said a "Happy Hong Kong" campaign would be launched for the general public, including gourmet food fairs and harbourfront carnivals that would help stimulate consumption. ($1 = 7.8488 Hong Kong dollars)Additional reporting by Jessie Pang; Writing by Marius Zaharia and James Pomfret; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HONG KONG, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Hong Kong will give more handouts to consumers to support the city's recovery from a prolonged economic downturn induced by COVID-19 restrictions, Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced in the 2023/24 budget on Wednesday. "However, the economic recovery is still in its initial stage, and there is a need for our people and businesses to regain vigour." Hong Kong counts on increased cross-border business with mainland China, which has also given up enforcing COVID rules. Hong Kong usually runs balanced budgets or surpluses, since its pegged currency system commits it to fiscal prudence, but still has ample reserves. ($1 = 7.8488 Hong Kong dollars)Additional reporting by Jessie Pang and Donny Kwok; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nike, Adidas shoe supplier Pou Chen to slash 6,000 jobs in Vietnam -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The firm's Pouyuen Vietnam factory will cut 3,000 jobs this month and not extend labour contracts for another 3,000 workers later this year, the officials said, declining to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to media. The Pouyen Vietnam factory supplies global companies such as Nike Inc. (NKE.N) and Adidas AG (ADSGn.DE) and is one the biggest employers in Ho Chi Minh City, with 50,500 workers. Pou Chen shares fell 1.2% in early afternoon trade in Taiwan in a broader market (.TWII) that was down just 0.1%. Telephone calls to a factory labour union official were not answered. The plan to cut jobs marks a reversal for the company that in 2021 faced a labour shortage and manufacturing disruption in Vietnam due to the coronavirus pandemic.

HONG KONG, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Hong Kong is under pressure to rein in spending when it unveils its annual budget on Wednesday, after racking up huge fiscal deficits during the COVID-19 pandemic and as it struggles to kick-start the economy and regain its financial lustre. "However, as our economy stabilises, we have to make adjustments to our fiscal measures accordingly." That compares with a shortfall of HK$56.3 billion or 1.9% of GDP, projected by the government in its budget last year. Hong Kong hewed closely to China's zero-COVID policies -- imposing some of the world's toughest measures including lengthy quarantines for inbound travellers and social distancing rules that hurt the tourism, retail and catering sectors. ($1 = 7.8306 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Jessie Pang and Donny Kwok; Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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