Arrium Limited (ARI):
British industrial firm Liberty House and its stablemate, SIMEC, aim to directly supply products from the Whyalla steelworks to its growing network of steel mills in Britain as part of an overhaul plan that includes cutting costs, modernising the plant and building a power station. The British duo, bidding through the GFG Alliance vehicle, have signed a binding agreement with administrators KordaMentha to buy the Australian assets of Arrium after lodging its third offer on Tuesday night. It came after the preferred Korean consortium led by private equity firm Newlake Alliance squandered its status as preferred bidder after missing a deadline. Liberty House executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta said the acquisition of Arrium was expected to secure the jobs of about 5500 Australian workers.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ); Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC); Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA):
For all the high-tech wizardry of modern financial markets, there’s one corner of the commodity world that still depends almost entirely on printed paper – making it an easy target for crooks. Buyers and sellers of base metals such as copper, aluminum and nickel use documents known as warehouse receipts to prove every pound involved in a transaction exists, and who owns it. The receipts, from a long list of issuers who often stamp them with holograms and secret codes, have become the linchpin of bank loans backed by the metal as collateral. But like most pieces of paper, warehouse receipts can be faked, and there are signs that more lenders are being ripped off by crooks exploiting weaknesses in what commodity businesses refer to as ‘‘trade financing’’. For the second time since 2014, some banks are facing multimillion-dollar losses after being tricked into making loans secured by goods that didn’t exist. French lender Natixis SA and Melbourne-based Australia & New Zealand Banking are facing loan losses after discovering fake documents used to verify nickel stored in Asian warehouses owned by Access World, a subsidiary of Glencore. The deals involved $US305 million ($400 million) for ANZ and $US32 million to Natixis, according to court filings this year.
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCL); Wesfarmers (WES); Woolworths Limited (WOW):
Woolworths is refusing to stock Coca-Cola No Sugar, which was launched last month and is touted by The Coca-Cola Co as a sugar-free cola that tastes ‘‘a lot like the real thing’’ according to Roberto Mercade, president of The Coca-Cola Co’s Australian marketing arm Coca-Cola South Pacific. In the biggest product launch since Coke Zero hit the shelves in 2006, Coca-Cola is handing out more than 2 million free samples to consumers and has launched a national advertising campaign on free-to-air television, outdoor and social media, using the slogan ‘‘say yes’’. But Woolworths is saying no, arguing consumers already have enough choice of Coca-Cola products, including Coca-Cola with Stevia, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Classic and Vanilla Coke. There is not enough room on its shelves for yet another variant, particularly when more consumers are turning to bottled water and eschewing carbonated soft drinks. Coles has been making the most of Woolworths’ decision not to stock the new product, selling Coca-Cola No Sugar at half-price ($1.42 for 1.25 litres or $14.10 for 24 375-millilitre cans) as part of a wider Coca-Cola promotion.
BWP Trust (BWP); Charter Hall Group (CHC); Dexus Property Group (DXS); Investa Office (IOF); Westfield (WFD):
Listed property trusts are heading into trouble as global bond yields begin to track up again, according to Credit Suisse. Among those that could be hit hardest are $2.5 billion fund manager Charter Hall, which was the strongest performer in the 2017 fiscal year with a total return above 15 per cent. Also on the Credit Suisse list of stocks to sell as bond yields rise – in what it dubs a ‘‘Bondcano’’ scenario – are the big office landlords, Dexus and Investa Office Fund. Retail landlords Westfield, which owns a global portfolio of shopping centres, and BWP Trust, which holds mostly Bunnings Warehouse stores, are also singled out.
(Source: AIMS)
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