Is bling out? What Chinese “common prosperity” means for luxury goods October 8, 2021 Evergrande Group will not have helped to calm the nerves of investors in European luxury goods companies. They’ve viewed recent developments in China with some trepidation. The difficulties facing the country’s second largest property developer (by sales) add to a checklist of concerns. These concerns include a slowdown in economic activity (for background, see: China: what [...]
Elektron fired up over orders October 6, 2021 Components manufacturer Elektron said yesterday that its order books going into the second half were 5 per cent ahead of last year. The firm, which makes switches and indicator lights for household appliances such as coffee machines and laser printers, reported an operating profit of £1.02m in the six months to 31 July up 5 [...]
Canary Wharf skyscraper faces uncertain future as China cracks down on builders October 6, 2021 Many development projects in London are in limbo as Beijing is cracking down on overleveraged firms and casting a pall of uncertainty on their ability to bankroll their ventures. Greenland, a major Chinese real estate developer which rushed to London in post-recession boom along with many others, is reportedly struggling to finish ‘Spire’, which when [...]
Chinese airlines push back against IATA’s net-zero pledges October 5, 2021 Chinese carriers lobbied global airlines body IATA to push back its net-zero 2050 deadline but they were rejected by the organisation, which stressed its commitment to the Paris Agreement, according to reports. Chinese airlines have pushed back against the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) resolution to commit to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Carriers reportedly [...]
New car sales down a third in September as shortages throttle production October 5, 2021 New car registrations fell by 34.4 per cent last month making it the worst September on record according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In a blow for the automobile sector just 215,312 new cars were sold in September 2021 – up from lows of 68,033 in August – but [...]
Sinic Holdings becomes latest firm to get caught up in Evergrande’s downward spiral October 5, 2021 Sinic Holdings has become the latest firm to be caught up in the downward spiral set off by Evergrande, the Chinese behemoth considered too big to fail by market analysts. Fitch ratings downgraded Sinic today after it defaulted on its debt interest payment. The firm is uncertain to honour a $246m bond repayment due later [...]
Sinic Holdings becomes latest firm to get caught up in Evergrande’s downward spiral – CityAM : CityAM October 5, 2021 Sinic Holdings has become the latest firm to be caught up in the downward spiral set off by Evergrande, the Chinese behemoth considered too big to fail by market analysts. Fitch ratings downgraded Sinic today after it defaulted on its debt interest payment. The firm is uncertain to honour a $246m bond repayment due later [...]
TikTok Europe turnover fattens from advertising spend as losses grow fourfold October 4, 2021 TikTok’s European turnover surged by 545 per cent to $171m last year as the social media platform raked in cash from advertisers’ increased spending, a new company filing revealed today. According to the Companies House filing, the Chinese-owned firm has invested in scaling its European side of the business through new hires and increased sales [...]
Evergrande to sell property unit to another Chinese developer October 4, 2021 Heavily indebted Chinese property giant Evergrande is selling off a chunk of its business to raise crucial funds as further bond interest payments this month loom. According to Chinese state media, Evergrande will raise $5.1bn by selling off a majority stake in its property service unit to Hopson, another Chinese real estate developer. Before the [...]
Concoction of risks weighs on London markets October 4, 2021 A concoction of risks threatening to scupper the global economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis weighed on London markets this morning. The capital’s premier index edged down 0.12 per cent to 7,018.60 points during the first couple of hours of trading today. Ongoing supply issues, severe shortages, accelerating inflation and the growing likelihood of central [...]