The latest private equity deal in the UK — the biggest in more than a decade — raises an awkward question for investors in the London stock market. How can the UK’s fourth-biggest supermarket chain be worth more to a consortium comprising Canadian pensioners and US buyout and real-estate investors than to the home crowd? It looks like the starkest ...
Read More »Suning might be a red herring for Alibaba
What’s harder? Spotting a unicorn in a dense forest or pulling one away from the cliff? Or, in less pictorial terms, venture capital or investing in promising but distressed assets? Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, which built a sprawling consumer tech empire through lots of equity investments, will soon find out as it increases its stake in the online retailer Suning.com ...
Read More »India’s NTPC plans renewables IPO for huge clean energy push
Bloomberg State-run NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power generator, aims to take its renewables unit public to help fund a 2.5 trillion rupees ($34 billion) clean energy expansion, according to a company official with knowledge of the plans. The New Delhi-based producer wants to list its NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd unit in the next fiscal year, which begins in April 2022, ...
Read More »India’s used car firm nears $250 million deal with DST
Bloomberg India’s Cars24 Services Pvt is in talks with Yuri Milner’s DST Global and other investors for a funding round that could double the used-vehicle site’s value to $2 billion, a person familiar with the discussions said. India’s biggest online marketplace for pre-owned cars is set to raise $200 million to $250 million from existing backers including DST, which may ...
Read More »Indians prefer job guarantee over cash handouts: Study
Bloomberg A majority of urban Indians left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic want the government to guarantee them jobs like it does for people in rural areas, says a study by the London School of Economics. An overwhelming 82% of respondents surveyed for the report ‘City of dreams no more, a year on: worklessness and active labour market policies in ...
Read More »China to keep dragging down Asian junk bond markets
Bloomberg The recent divergence between Asia’s investment-grade and riskier bonds is poised to continue, analysts say, as investors turn sour on Chinese developers. Yields for Asia’s high-yield dollar bonds rose 41 basis points in the second quarter, according to a Bloomberg Barclays index, versus a 5 basis-point decline for investment-grade debt. They’ve increased for six straight weeks, the longest stretch ...
Read More »Thailand needs Sinovac to meet vaccine goal
Bloomberg Thailand won’t be able to meet its monthly vaccination target of 10 million doses as deliveries from AstraZeneca Plc, the backbone of its inoculation program, will be 40% to 50% fewer than expected because some supplies are allotted for export. AstraZeneca will deliver 5 million to 6 million doses per month for use in Thailand starting in July because ...
Read More »China’s EV, solar stocks have more room to run, say funds
Bloomberg Some of the world’s biggest money managers say the strong rally in China’s renewable energy stocks has more legs, citing the sector’s rosy earnings prospects and policy support. BlackRock Inc, Aberdeen Standard Investments Ltd and UBS Global Wealth Management are among those backing investments in Chinese electric vehicle-related companies and solar firms. Their endorsement comes as the world’s largest ...
Read More »Europe’s diplomats to China stress on human rights, respect
Bloomberg Leading European diplomats in Beijing stressed their commitment to human rights and appealed to China for mutual respect and understanding following a defiant speech from Foreign Minister Wang Yi. References to human rights are “foundational matters†and not a geopolitical game, Caroline Wilson, the UK’s ambassador to China, said on a panel discussion on Sunday. China’s attitude is not ...
Read More »Biden takes ‘return to normal’ message to swing state Michigan
Bloomberg President Joe Biden traveled to Michigan to underscore US progress in fighting Covid-19, part of a slate of Fourth of July weekend events by the administration to signal a return to pre-pandemic life. Biden picked a battleground state where he beat Donald Trump by 3 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election and where Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ...
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