MARKET CURRENTS
real-time news and commentary for investors
MARKET CURRENTS
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Friday, May 24, 2013
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5:15 PM Google (GOOG) is developing plans to build a wireless network in emerging markets such as Africa and southeast Asia, seeking to target major cities currently lacking wired service, WSJ reports. GOOG plans to team with local companies to develop the networks and formulate business models to support them, but it's unclear whether GOOG already has lined up such deals or alliances. 2 Comments
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4:37 PM China GengSheng Minerals (CHGS) says it received a delinquency letter from the NYSE on May 21 notifying the company that it wasn't in compliance because it has yet to file its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31. It has until June 4 to submit a plan of actions it has taken, or will take, that will bring it into compliance. Comment!
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3:14 PM Northrop Grumman (NOC +1%) expands its investment in Australia, saying it's awarded contracts to 3 new global supply chain partner companies who will provide products and services for a variety of missions and capabilities. The Australian companies forming part of its expanded global supply chain, are; Electro Optic Systems, CEA Technologies, and Insitec. Comment!
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2:41 PM Flush with profits from shorting the yen, hedge funds turn their attention to the aussie (FXA) in a bet the end of the commodities boom will drive it lower. It's not exactly a new idea and a lot of funds have gotten smoked from having to pay big carry (Oz short rates have been in the 4% area vs. near 0% here) while the currency failed to move, but the bet's paid off in the last 6 weeks as the aussie has fallen 10 handles. It's off another 1% today. 1 Comment
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2:39 PM Delhaize Group (DEG +0.1%) might sell two of its U.S. grocery chains as it looks to cut losses on the continent. The Belgian company is looking at options for its Harveys and Sweetbay supermarket operations. Comment!
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2:19 PM Soaring volatility on the Nikkei isn't stopping investors from scooping up options "with something approaching glee," according to SIG's derivatives team (for the uninitiated, higher vols mean higher options prices). Most of the buying in the Japan ETF space is in the form of calls as dip buyers do what they've become accustomed to doing. Two popular ones, EWJ and DXJ are off nearly 10% since Wed. afternoon. 2 Comments
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1:27 PM American Superconductor (AMSC -2.2%) slides after saying earlier that China's Supreme People's Court has scheduled a hearing for May 29 to review the jurisdiction of the company's software copyright infringement cases against Sinovel Wind Group and Guotong Electric. These are just two of the four legal cases that AMSC filed against Sinovel regarding its alleged contractual breaches and alleged discovery of intellectual property theft by Sinovel. AMSC is seeking a cease and desist order and damages totaling $6M. Comment!
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1:25 PM Japanese automakers (TM, HMC, NSANY.OB, MZDAY.PK, SZKMY.PK) could see the tide turning in China as consumer demand continues to pick up. Even with rhetoric and military exercises over the islands in the East China Sea continuing, new data shows 16K cars were shipped from Japan to China in April - 3X what was exported last Oct. when the flareup started - and Japanese brands now account for 16% of the market after dipping to as low as 7%. The big picture: Though the overall pie keeps getting larger, General Motors (GM -0.1%) and Ford (F +0.1%) would just as soon that the Japanese automakers keep their slice of the China auto market small. 2 Comments
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12:43 PM Volkswagen (VLKAY.PK) could see a production halt in South Africa with the main automobile workers union in the nation threatening to tell members to stop working due to the dismissal of members. Ford had its own answer to high labors costs in Australia with a mass exit and a plan to import. Comment!
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11:24 AM Brazil plans to auction off its largest-ever offshore oil discovery in October at the country's first presalt-bid round, selling exploration and production rights for the Libra prospect estimated to hold 8B-12B barrels of recoverable crude oil. Petrobras (PBR) will be required to take a minimum 30% stake in any winning bid group - unrealistic, critics say, since it lacks the necessary personnel and financial resources. Comment!
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11:22 AM China Biologic (CBPO -5.3%) slides on the news that on May 21 two of its shareholders sold its competitor, Shanghai RAAS, about 2.7M of its shares representing 9.9% of equity. CBPO says it had no knowledge of the deal, nor had there been any discussions with Shanghai RAAS. The sale looks to be questionable at best, considering that one of the shareholders' shareholding status was under dispute in a pending case in Hong Kong, and Shanghai RAAS was aware of that fact. Comment!
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10:46 AM Luxury retail companies seem to be seeing something more than economists do as they ramp up investments and marketing on expectations for increased high-end spending in the U.S. Even with all the focus on the growth potential for the luxury sector in China and Hong Kong, by sales the U.S. market is still twice as big and has plenty of upside, according to industry insiders. A wildcard in the mix is the impact from some relaxed rules on visa approvals for wealthier tourists from emerging markets. On watch: Hermes, LVMH Moet Hennessy (MAGOF.PK), Gucci (GUCG.PK), Louis Vuitton (LVMUY.PK), Coach (COH), Tiffany (TIF), Ralph Lauren (RL), Burberry (BURBY.PK), Saks (SKS), Hugo Boss, Christian Dior (CHDRF.PK). Comment!
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9:29 AM Beer market winners and losers: Tracking data from Citi Research showed Boston Beer was the big winner over the four-week period ending May 11, although Craft Brew Alliance (BREW) and Heineken (HINKY.PK) also made solid gains, sales up 10.7% and 7.1% respectively. The market share gains came at the expense of Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) and MillerCoors (SBMRY.PK, TAP) which saw sales slip during the same period. Comment!
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9:04 AM Stocks in the Philippines (EPHE) add 0.62% to yesterday's losses, bringing Thursday/Friday's decline to 1.6%, erasing Tuesday/Wednesday's combined gains entirely (I, II). Indonesian equities (IDX) rise 0.66% as the JCI closes the week at 5,155, down 1.1% from Monday's close (See: IDX rises on new Fin. Min.). Elsewhere in the region, Vietnamese stocks (VNM) rise 0.41% and Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore are closed for a local holiday. Comment!
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7:58 AM Chrysler (FIATY.PK) says software issues held up production this year which led to a nasty cut of the automaker's profits, but a bigger issue could be lying under the surface. Sources tell the Detroit News that the large number of rookie workers on the assembly line were the real bug in the system. Comment!
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7:54 AM JPMorgan wins some work from the Russian government, beating out a number of banks for a contract to help boost the country's credit rating. The last agency move on Russia was Fitch cutting to BBB amid the February 2009 panic and Putin in the past has called his country's ratings an "outrage" boosting borrowing costs for the government and corporations. RSX -9.3% YTD. Comment!
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7:18 AM Goldman Sachs (GS) has gotten the nod from the Indian government to help it raise money by creating and launching ETFs of state-run companies, according to a senior official. The government initially aims to have 15-20 state-run firms in a basket of ETFs. Remember, this program was only made necessary by the government's inability to interest P-E and other investors in buying stakes. Price matters. Caveat emptor. Comment!
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6:57 AM Sony (SNE) plans to sell $1.5B in five-year bonds in June. Of the total $1.1B is slated to be used to pay existing debt and $400M is planned for capital investment. SNE -1.5% premarket. Comment!
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5:20 AM U.S. and Chinese regulators have signed a memorandum of understanding that gives U.S. authorities increased access to documents from Chinese audit firms. The agreement comes after scores of U.S.-listed Chinese companies faced questions over their accounting practices, with the SEC suing around a dozen for fraud and other charges. However, the new deal is limited and doesn't cover routine inspections of audit firms. 1 Comment
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4:11 AM German Ifo index of business confidence rises to 105.7 in May from 104.4 in April and tops estimates of 104.5. Current conditions 110 vs 107.3 and 107.2. Expectations static at 101.6, as forecast. The euro (FXE) spikes vs the dollar is now +0.1% after being lower, while the DAX is +0.1%. Comment!
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