February, 2017

• 20 February

  Investor optimism rises as OPEC delivers oil cuts

  

    Bloomberg OPEC has never taken supply cuts so seriously, and hedge funds are loving it. Investor optimism that West Texas Intermediate oil prices will rise reached an all-time high as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries delivered on pledges to reduce production. The International Energy Agency said the group has achieved a record 90 percent initial compliance with an ...

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• 20 February

  Debt pain of Indian energy giants eases as fuel reforms pay off

  Bloomberg Lower oil prices and the scrapping of fuel subsidies have allowed India’s biggest energy companies to slash borrowings to the lowest in at least eight years. Total debt at Indian Oil Corp., the nation’s largest refiner, stood at 419 billion rupees ($6.2 billion) at the end of September, down from 863 billion rupees in March 2014, according to the ...

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• 20 February

  India’s new auction lights way to green target

    Bloomberg Record low Indian solar tariffs tendered at a groundbreaking auction may catalyze green investments and help tip the balance of new power to renewables and away from fossil fuels. Solar power in India fell to a record 3.30 rupees (5 US cents) a kilowatt-hour on February 10 after a World Bank-backed auction helped the central Madhya Pradesh state ...

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• 20 February

  Oil supercharges Kazakhstan’s tenge

    Bloomberg Crude is greasing the wheels of one of the world’s best-performing exotic currencies. Kazakhstan’s tenge, which has racked up the biggest advance among its thinly-traded counterparts the past six months, is poised for more gains as demand increases following the rally in the price of oil, the former Soviet republic’s No. 1 export, according to BMI Research. Bank ...

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• 20 February

  Tanzania power issues cast shadow on $12bn debt plan

  

    Bloomberg For investors considering financing Tanzania’s proposed 27.6 trillion-shilling ($12.3 billion) borrowing program, the government’s handling of its power utility’s debt problems may give pause for thought. Last month, President John Magufuli fired the Tanzania Electric Supply Co.’s chief executive officer and vetoed its decision to raise electricity prices, ignoring International Monetary Fund advice that higher tariffs may help ...

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• 20 February

  S’pore budget takes targeted steps to aid growth

  

    Bloomberg Singapore’s Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat outlined a set of targeted measures in his budget speech to help the struggling offshore and energy services industry and spur construction. The government will bring forward S$700 million ($493 million) worth of infrastructure spending and defer levies on foreign workers in the marine and process sectors for another year, Heng told ...

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• 20 February

  Sequoia-backed China robot startup to be raising new funds

  

    Bloomberg Makeblock Co., a Chinese maker of DIY robotics parts, is seeking to raise funding at a $200 million valuation as the Sequoia Capital-backed startup expands into classrooms and hobbyist’s workshops globally, people familiar with the matter said. The Shenzhen-based company us seeking to raise about 200 million yuan ($29 million) in a series B round, the people said, ...

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• 20 February

  Chinese game site seeks funds at US$1.2 billion valuation

    Bloomberg Douyu, the live-streaming service backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. that’s been compared to Amazon’s Twitch, is in talks to raise a billion yuan ($145 million) in funds at a valuation of about $1.2 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. The three-year-old company, whose name means “fighting fish,” needs capital to expand beyond games-streaming and fend ...

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• 20 February

  Japan’s trade deficit widens on drop in car exports, oil imports

  

    Bloomberg Japan posted a bigger-than-forecast trade deficit in January as auto exports declined and energy import costs increased. Economists cautioned against reading the single month’s figures negatively, noting that global demand should support Japan exports this year. Exports rose 1.3 percent from a year earlier (versus +5 percent estimate). Imports climbed for the first time in two years, by ...

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• 20 February

  Hedge Fund Oasis pushes for better Panasonic-PanaHome Japan deal

  

    Bloomberg Oasis Management Co.’s Seth Fischer increased his pressure on Panasonic Corp. to sweeten its offer for listed subsidiary PanaHome Corp., calling the transaction a test case of whether Japan’s corporate governance overhaul is working. Oasis will ask the courts to rule on whether the price is fair if shareholders approve the deal on current terms, Fischer said in ...

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