03 Jun 2020
Poland is hoping to benefit from difficulties caused by the chaotic nature of India's lockdown
03 Jun 2020 3:00am GMT
(Bloomberg) -- For the longest time, the only way to get exposure to China's real estate market, for mom and pop investors at least, was to buy a house.That's all set to change with the advent of real estate investment trusts.China kicked off a REIT trial in late April that will initially focus around pooling capital to fund infrastructure projects like highways and airports. If successful, the program may be expanded to include traditional real estate, exposing individual investors to a market Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimates could one day be worth as much as $3 trillion.For retail investors, it would be a whole new world. A lack of investment options has meant Chinese families have around 78% of their wealth tied up in property, more than double the U.S., a 2019 study by Chengdu's Southwestern University of Finance and Economics showed. Less than 1% is invested in stocks.Authorities in Hainan in China's south said on Monday that the development of REITs would be supported and indicated that financing channels for rental properties may be expanded.REITs are like "owning a slice of the property and reaping a steady income from the rental, which is out of reach of most mom and pop investors," said Sigrid Zialcita, the Singapore-based chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association Ltd. "Retail investors in China have had few investment opportunities like this before. REITs are less volatile than stocks, but investors can still enjoy growth from increased dividends or asset appreciation."Long Time ComingTalks about starting a REITs market in China have been ongoing since 2008 but never came to fruition on concerns they may further fuel home prices, which have risen exponentially over the last 20 years.The pilot program includes a number of rules to ensure prudence. Retail investors can only buy 16% of any one REIT's securities and cornerstone retail investors have to hold at least 20% of their investment for a minimum of five years. Institutional investors will control the rest.To prevent against funds being misused, REITs can only obtain leverage of up to 20% and any money borrowed has to be used for maintenance and renovation rather than acquisitions.Infrastructure assets must also have been operational for three years, and located in one of six designated economic zones, one of which includes the Greater Bay Area that links Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. The ability to generate stable cash flow is also a prerequisite.Safety First"For a brand new product, top policy makers are going to be paying substantial attention to financial stability and safety," said Stanley Ching, the head of real estate at Citic Capital Holdings Ltd. "When the government feels confident enough REITs won't flare up the property market, they may expand the trial."Until then, infrastructure-only REITs make sense for another reason -- they'll help get China's battered economy back on its feet.Encouraging equity fundraising for public projects like highways, bridges and business parks will alleviate the debt strain on local governments. Sinolink Securities Co. forecasts China will need to spend about 1.5 trillion yuan ($201 billion) on infrastructure this year to achieve economic expansion of between 5.5% and 6%."Ramping up infrastructure investments through REITs can propel economic growth and curb the debt risks faced by local governments," said Zuo Fei, a managing director in the investment banking division of China Merchants Securities Co.The potential scale of a new infrastructure REIT market is dizzying. Assuming only 1% of existing infrastructure projects are securitized, at least 1 trillion yuan will be released onto equities markets, according to a report last year by Peking University's Guanghua School of Management.The biggest obstacle is a legal one.In Asia, REITs are usually structured so that a trust or a fund holds the assets. But in China, trust products can only be sold to a maximum of 200 qualified investors, while mutual funds can only invest in stocks and bonds.The trial gets around this by allowing individual investors to buy shares in a mutual fund, which then invests in asset-backed securities that indirectly hold the infrastructure assets."It's an attempt to roll out a REIT framework without modifying existing laws," Citic Capital's Ching said. "It's the first step to a public REITs market and that's a breakthrough."(Updates with Hainan development in 5th paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
03 Jun 2020 2:20am GMT
(Bloomberg) -- Two major Canadian wireless companies said they will build out their next-generation 5G wireless networks with equipment from European providers, sidelining China's Huawei Technologies Co.Montreal-based BCE Inc. said that Ericsson AB will provide the radio access network equipment -- the critical antennas and base stations -- for its 5G network. Telus Corp. said in a separate statement that it has selected Ericsson and Nokia Oyj "to support building" its network, without elaborating.Those announcements come ahead of a closely watched -- and long overdue -- decision by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on whether to ban Huawei from participating in the nation's 5G infrastructure amid deeply troubled relations with Beijing. Huawei previously played a large role in Canadian wireless networks but has faced growing national security concerns from Western governments.BCE would still consider working with Huawei if the government allows their participation in 5G, the Canadian company said in an e-mailed response to questions.The Trump administration has lobbied allies to ban Huawei 5G, saying its equipment would make networks vulnerable to exploitation by the Chinese government. Despite that, the U.K. said in January it would allow Huawei a limited role. In recent days, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has backtracked, saying it seeks to reduce reliance on the company's technology and on China.Telus and BCE awarded Huawei its first major project in North America in 2008 -- a pivotal contract that helped cement the Chinese provider's reputation as a global player that could compete on quality. The deal paved the way for it to become a major supplier to all three of Canada's biggest telecom companies over the next decade.Stalling in OttawaThe Telus announcement comes as a particular surprise after Chief Financial Officer Doug French told the National Post in February that "we're going to launch 5G with Huawei out of the gate" by the end of the year.Telus spokeswoman Donna Ramirez didn't immediately respond to a question on whether the company's announcement still leaves room for Huawei to participate in its 5G rollout. Huawei said in an emailed statement it looks forward to the federal government completing its 5G review and making an evidence-based decision about its role in helping build Canada's next-generation wireless networks.Trudeau has stalled on whether to ban Huawei. Tensions between the two countries have been rising since Canadian authorities arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. handover request in late 2018. After her arrest, China put two Canadian citizens in jail, halted billions of dollars in Canadian imports and put two other Canadians on death row.The extradition proceedings against Meng, the eldest daughter of the company's billionaire founder, have pushed Canada's relationship with its second-biggest trading partner into its worst state in decades. Beijing has accused Canada of abetting a U.S.-led "political persecution" against a national champion.(Updates eighth paragraph with statement from Huawei)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
03 Jun 2020 1:36am GMT
02 Jun 2020
When looking at V-shaped recoveries, they hardly come more V-shaped than that of Tesla's (TSLA). Hitting all-time highs in February, then plummeting along with the rest of the market, the EV pioneer's fortunes appear to be speeding upwards yet again, as the swift recovery has led Tesla stock to a year-to-date gain of 115%.According to Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives, the moving parts are all falling into place for Tesla. The fact that Fremont is up and running again following the resolution of the Musk vs Alameda County quarrel combined with strong demand in China for Model 3 vehicles suggest a "solid May and June likely in the cards and clear momentum heading into 2H."That said, it is China and the attendant opportunity that is mostly on Ives' mind. The 5-star analyst believes the China growth story is "worth $300 per share to the stock."In a difficult pandemic-driven environment, Chinese demand for Model 3s remains "a ray of light" for Tesla, with the Shanghai-based Giga 3 factory seemingly on the path to deliver 100,000 Model 3 units in its first fully operational year.Ives argues there is increasing demand for electric vehicles in China, and maintains "EV penetration is set to ramp significantly over the next 12 to 18 months," with Tesla competing for market share supremacy along with several local and international rivals.Looking ahead, Ives said, "The Street will be closely monitoring demand trends across Europe and China over the coming month as the focus of investors shifts to a more normalized (depending on COVID) environment heading into year-end and 2021 and what this dynamic means for the long-term earnings trajectory going forward."At this point, however, Ives prefers to watch this bullish story play out from the sidelines. The analyst keeps a Neutral rating on TSLA, although the price target gets a significant bump - moving up from $600 to $800. Despite the increase, the target still indicates possible downside of 9%. (To watch Ives' track record, click here)Opinion on the Street regarding Musk & Co is almost evenly split. 9 Buys and Holds each, along with 10 Sells add up to a Hold consensus rating. However, it appears most believe Tesla has surged enough for now, as the average price target comes in at $633.14, and implies the analysts expect shares to drop by 28% over the next 12 months. (See Tesla stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
02 Jun 2020 10:44pm GMT
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson will testify June 17 before a U.S. Senate panel on certification of the Boeing 737 MAX that was involved in two fatal crashes in five months that killed 346 people. The Senate Commerce Committee said Dickson "will testify about issues associated with the design, development, certification, and operation" of the MAX that has been grounded since March 2019. The FAA's long-standing practice of delegating certification tasks to Boeing employees for the MAX has come under withering criticism.
02 Jun 2020 9:31pm GMT
(Bloomberg) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc. reported quarterly sales that leapfrogged estimates, showing that a surge in demand for its video-conference service during the coronavirus pandemic has translated into more paying customers. The company also about doubled its annual revenue forecast.Revenue increased about 170% to $328.2 million in the period that ended April 30, the San Jose, California-based company said Tuesday in a statement. Analysts, on average, expected $203 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Profit, excluding some items, was 20 cents a share, compared with analysts' average projection of 9 cents.Zoom projected sales of as much as $1.8 billion in the fiscal year, from a forecast of as much as $915 million in early March. Analysts estimated $930.8 million.Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan has tried to ensure that his virtual-meeting platform can cope with a swell of demand from people forced to remain home to prevent the spread of Covid-19. While security and privacy issues plagued the system early in the quarantine, Zoom has become an essential social network, attracting more than 300 million participants some days, up from 10 million in December. The software maker allows gatherings of as long as 40 minutes for no charge. While Zoom has attracted more buzz than corporate rivals, its ability to attract more paying customers will determine how well it's faring against competition from Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google.Shares increased 4% in extended trading after closing at a record $208.08 in New York. The stock has more than tripled this year.Zoom said it ended the quarter with about 265,400 customers with more than 10 employees, a more than fourfold increase from the same period a year earlier. The company now has 769 corporate clients that have spent more than $100,000 on Zoom's products over the last 12 months, about double from a year earlier.The company said its expects adjusted profit in the fiscal year will be $355 million to $380 million, or $1.21 to $1.29 a share. Analysts had estimated 46 cents, just more than Zoom's earlier forecast. The company has been spending to bolster its network capacity, including by buying cloud-computing services from Oracle Corp. during the pandemic. Zoom also continues to use Amazon.com Inc.'s cloud service.With Zoom's popularity has come controversy over the company's security practices. Trolls have invaded myriad meetings, religious gatherings and other events, to share pornography and shout profanity or racial epithets, in a phenomenon known as "Zoombombing." The company highlighted or created a raft of tools users can employ to prevent the virtual attacks, including passwords and waiting rooms.There also were instances when Zoom calls were routed through servers in China even when no participant was based there and users were unwittingly sending metadata to Facebook Inc. when they signed in. Zoom put an end to both practices. The company pledged to commit to bolstering privacy over all other concerns for three months, purchasing a secure-messaging company, Keybase, to bring the highest standard of encryption to the platform, and hiring cybersecurity experts to guide safety efforts.(Updates with profit forecast in the seventh paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
02 Jun 2020 9:10pm GMT
Is Snap (SNAP) the "house in a tornado-devastated community that went unscathed?" It is, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Lloyd Walmsley's contacts.The 5-star analyst relayed information from a "large advertiser" who claimed Snapchat managed to withstand the pandemic-driven ad headwinds better than other social media platforms. This information has boosted Walmsley's confidence in Snap's ability to outperform in the coming months.The Deutsche Bank analyst said, "When Snap reported 1Q, it implied growth went to 6%-plus exiting March, was 15%-plus in April through 4/21, but had grown 11% in the week ending 4/21. Since then, the broader online advertising environment has improved considerably; thus, we think our $428 million estimate for 2Q (vs consensus at $427 million), 10%-plus year-over-year, is beatable and our above-consensus 3Q 18%-plus also looks conservative."However, that's not all Snap has going for it. The photo app is winning new fans faster than it can make a Snap disappear.In a recent Deutsche Bank survey of 1,000 social media users, Snapchat showed "stand out results." These include being the only platform to see confidence in its promoted products rise (up from 40% to 44% compared to the previous survey), and notable growth in percent of users following a brand, up from 46% to 53%. Additionally, engagement with ads for brands or products displayed a significant increase, up to 61% from 47%.Walmsley is impressed, stating: "We think an increasing focus on performance advertising, deeper ad density and better ad relevance are combining to drive improved ad performance, consistent with results over the last several quarters showing accelerating revenue growth."The strong customer feedback speaks for itself, and results in a Buy rating from Walmsley along with a price target boost. The figure moves up from $18 to $24. Investors can expect returns in the shape of 22%, should the target be met over the coming months. (To watch Walmsley's track record, click here)What's the view on Snap from the rest of the Street? Based on 20 Buys, 8 Holds and 1 Sell, the analyst consensus rates SNAP a Moderate Buy. However, the average price target of $17.95 implies downside potential of 8% from current levels. Either the analysts feel SNAP's strong 2020 performance has left the stock currently overvalued or models have yet to be updated. (See Snap stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
02 Jun 2020 8:33pm GMT
Zoom reported its first quarter earnings report after hours on Tuesday, beating on both top and bottom lines. The company cited the coronavirus for driving the company's surge in demand and supporting its turn around from the beginning of the year. Yahoo Finance's Myles Udland breaks down the video conferencing company's earnings report.
02 Jun 2020 8:30pm GMT
Zoom saw massive growth in Q1 beating analysts' expectations for the quarter.
02 Jun 2020 8:10pm GMT
The investment bank had predicted the S&P; 500 would slide more than 20 percent to 2,400.
02 Jun 2020 7:40pm GMT
Yahoo Finance's Dan Howley joins Kristin Myers to discuss how tech companies like Facebook are responding to controversial posts from President Trump.
02 Jun 2020 7:05pm GMT
Brent oil is nearing the $40 mark as rumors that the OPEC+ production cuts will be extended gain momentum
02 Jun 2020 7:00pm GMT
Trump administration expands probe that led to tariff threat against France last year
02 Jun 2020 6:45pm GMT
International support has staved off a financial crisis, but should go much further
02 Jun 2020 6:39pm GMT
(Bloomberg) -- Early signs of a shale rebound are becoming evident as crude prices emerge from their dramatic collapse earlier this year.EOG Resources Inc., America's largest shale-focused producer, plans to "accelerate" output in the second half after shutting in about a quarter of its crude in May, exploration chief Ken Boedeker told an RBC Capital Markets conference Tuesday. Permian producer Parsley Energy Inc. is also turning wells back on just weeks after closing the taps, and producers in North Dakota's Bakken formation are also easing the rate of shut-ins.Oil has steadily gained in the past month after virus-related lockdowns caused the price of West Texas Intermediate to collapse to minus $40 a barrel on April 20. While the U.S. benchmark is still about 40% below its January high point, it's now above $35, which means some wells closed to save cash are now profitable again. Futures were up 2.9% to $36.47 at 1:45 p.m. in New York."When oil gets back into the mid $30s, you're covering your cash costs," said Stewart Glickman, Energy Analyst at CFRA Research. "You're closer to some break-even point. That's enough to relax the shut-ins."Still, the big question is whether bringing this output back will be enough to offset the lack of new drilling, which is essential to mitigate the industry's dramatic decline rates. Led by shale, U.S. oil production has dropped about 13% from a record high of 13.1 million barrels a day in March.READ: Oil's Sudden Rebound Is Exposing the Achilles' Heel of ShaleEOG's strategy "is to really accelerate our production into what we see as a price recovery in the second half of the year," Boedeker said. The company, which began shutting wells in March and took 125,000 barrels a day off the market in May, recently reduced its hedge position, eliminating some protection against lower prices in a sign of confidence the price recovery will take hold.Parsley will restore the "vast majority" of the 26,000 barrels of daily output it turned off last month, it said in a slide deck for an investor presentation." Meanwhile, shut-ins in the Bakken totaled 475,000 barrels a day as of May 28, about 7% less than a fortnight earlier.The number of frack crews working in shale fields is believed to have now bottomed at about 80 fleets, with "noticeably higher" completion work in the next three to six months, Daniel Cruise, founder of data provider Coras Research LLC, said last week in a report.Based on current budget tweaks announced by explorers, as many as 50 frack crews could still be added by the end of the year, with that number doubling if oil prices move closer to $40 a barrel, according to Coras.EOG's optimism is due, in part, to the woes that lie ahead for the rest of the U.S. shale industry. Companies will struggle to find the money to drill new wells, meaning less oil over the short to medium term, Boedeker said."We see very little capital flowing into the industry and we see higher declines from all the shale players throughout the rest of the year," he said. "Starting to drill in the high $30s? I'm not sure I see that."The data appears to support his view. Drill rigs carving new wells in the U.S. have dropped to the lowest in more than a decade and producers' spending in the second quarter is expected to be 60% down on the first three months of the year, according to data provider Coras Research LLC."We are not putting new capital to work," Parsley Chief Executive Officer Matt Gallagher said by email. "Our drilling and frac operations remain suspended as we evaluate market fundamentals."(Updates with analyst's comment in fourth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
02 Jun 2020 5:49pm GMT
Video Communications company Zoom is set to release its first-quarter fiscal 2021 earnings on Tuesday. Yahoo Finance's Melody Hahm discusses.
02 Jun 2020 5:16pm GMT
A radical plan from Germany and France transforms Europe's possibilities
02 Jun 2020 4:41pm GMT
Lagarde expected to announce new coronavirus measures and downplay hopes of swift rebound
02 Jun 2020 3:59pm GMT
Push to rein in unfair competition from China comes at sensitive time for Brussels' relations with Beijing
02 Jun 2020 2:53pm GMT
Stronger household balance sheets mean consumers are in a good position as restrictions lift
02 Jun 2020 1:31pm GMT
Some 8.7 million workers have been furloughed since April, government figures show.
02 Jun 2020 11:30am GMT
With many companies reliant on state support, speaking out against the government may seem foolhardy
02 Jun 2020 10:59am GMT
Your daily news briefing
02 Jun 2020 10:37am GMT
Foreign capital flight raises red flags over Latin America's largest economy
02 Jun 2020 10:00am GMT
The killing has highlighted links between racial injustice and economic inequality
02 Jun 2020 9:00am GMT
The warning from the Congressional Budget Office comes as tens of millions of Americans are out of work.
02 Jun 2020 4:17am GMT
Supply chains intertwined with fortunes of continent's biggest economy suffer
02 Jun 2020 4:00am GMT
The evidence that this policy tool works is too weak to justify the risks
02 Jun 2020 3:00am GMT
Farming communities in South East Asia are embracing online selling for the first time during lockdown.
02 Jun 2020 2:09am GMT
01 Jun 2020
Spain's tourism minister says UK Covid-19 figures "have to improve" before tourists can come back.
01 Jun 2020 5:46pm GMT
The coronavirus crisis has left many manufacturers on the "cliff edge", an industry body warns.
01 Jun 2020 10:32am GMT
29 May 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak says employers must start sharing the cost of the scheme from August.
29 May 2020 9:13pm GMT
Applications for a "second and final" grant of up to £6,570 will open in August, the chancellor says.
29 May 2020 4:11pm GMT
28 May 2020
Climate change: Go-ahead for controversial solar farm - the UK's biggest
28 May 2020 4:33pm GMT
Perspex table dividers, one-way systems and social distancing are likely to be part of pub life.
28 May 2020 12:43pm GMT
27 May 2020
A giant fund is proposed, some of it raised on capital markets, but several countries express doubts.
27 May 2020 4:48pm GMT
UN agency the International Labour Organisation warns of potential "lockdown generation".
27 May 2020 12:10pm GMT
This London hairdresser has spent thousands on a refit to make sure it can reopen safely
27 May 2020 7:08am GMT
26 May 2020
Alberta's energy minister cites a ban on protests when asked about a controversial project in Canada.
26 May 2020 7:58am GMT
From one way systems to not touching everything on the shelves - shopping will look very different.
26 May 2020 6:21am GMT
Boris Johnson says all shops can reopen in England next month if they meet certain Covid-19 guidelines.
26 May 2020 5:45am GMT
24 May 2020
Kim Yong-hee has spent nearly a year on a 20m traffic tower to protest against Samsung's zero-union policy.
24 May 2020 11:00pm GMT
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