Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Presenting at Capital Link's 16th Annual Closed-End Funds & Global ETFs Forum Thursday, April 27, 2017

Bloomberg
Tesla to Conquer Trillion-Dollar Energy Market, Canaccord Says
(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. is set to “attack and conquer” another trillion-dollar market as the company best known for its electric vehicles ramps up its focus on energy generation and storage, according to Canaccord Genuity.Analyst Jed Dorsheimer upgraded the stock to buy from hold and gave it one of the highest price targets on the Street, predicting the generation and storage unit could yield $8 billion of revenue by 2025.Tesla “is rapidly creating an Apple-esque ecosystem of energy products, harmonized in electrification, to become The Brand in energy storage,” Dorsheimer said in a note to clients Monday. His $1,071-a-share objective -- up from $419 previously -- suggests almost 60% upside for a stock that’s already gained nearly six-fold in the past year.The company’s shares traded nearly 2% higher at $690.23 in early morning trading in New York.Tesla is tapping all available resources to meet battery demand, including in-house production at its Fremont site, production with partner Panasonic Corp. in Nevada and supply agreements with LG Chem Ltd., the analyst said. As supply constraints ease, the company will be able to meet demand for its Powerwall home storage, often paired with solar installations, he said.Dorsheimer’s price target values Tesla’s stock and net debt at 63 times his estimate of the company’s earnings in 2024. That’s three times the average multiple of a group of competitors, he said.“While rich, we also believe Tesla holds a several-year lead and is now expanding aggressively into storage and thus feel our multiple is warranted,” the analyst wrote.He’s not the biggest bull on the stock: Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest Management expects Tesla to hit $3,000 by 2025, the firm said last month.(Updates with Tesla shares at the open in 4th paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
13h ago
Bloomberg
Vingroup Said to Weigh $2 Billion U.S. IPO of Unit VinFast
(Bloomberg) -- Vingroup JSC is considering a U.S. initial public offering of its car unit VinFast that could raise about $2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.The biggest carmaker in Vietnam is working with advisers on the potential offering that could take place as soon as this quarter, the people said. An offering could raise as much as $3 billion, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The company is seeking a valuation of at least $50 billion after a listing, one of the people said.At $2 billion, VinFast’s IPO would be the biggest ever by a Vietnamese company after Vinhomes JSC’s $1.4 billion first-time share sale in 2018, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The carmaker could also become the first Vietnamese company to list in the U.S. if successful.Shares in Vingroup climbed as much as 5.3% on Tuesday to a record high. They have risen 27% this year, giving the company a market value of about $20 billion.Details of VinFast’s IPO including size and timeline could change as deliberations are ongoing, the people said. A representative for Vingroup declined to comment.VinFast, founded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, began delivering gasoline-powered autos to Vietnamese consumers with BMW-licensed engines in 2019. The carmaker plans a Vietnam roll-out of electric cars later this year and said last month it has received 3,692 local orders. The startup aims to deliver its first electric vehicles to the U.S., Canada and Europe next year and is looking to open a factory in the U.S.(Updates with Vingroup shares 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.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
28m ago
Bloomberg
Jack Ma’s Fortune Jumps $2 Billion After Record Alibaba Fine
(Bloomberg) -- China just slapped a record antitrust fine on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The company thanked the government and investors breathed a sigh of relief.Alibaba’s American depositary receipts climbed 9.3% on Monday in New York, their biggest jump in almost four years. For Jack Ma, the founder of the e-commerce giant, it meant his fortune increased by $2.3 billion to $52.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.The $2.8 billion fine is less severe than some investors feared and is based on only 4% of the company’s 2019 domestic sales, far less than the maximum 10% allowed under Chinese law. While the internet giant will have to adjust the way it does business, its vice chairman said regulators won’t impose a radical overhaul of its e-commerce strategy and its chief executive officer declared Alibaba ready to move on.“Alibaba would not have achieved our growth without sound government regulation and service, and the critical oversight, tolerance and support from all of our constituencies have been crucial to our development,” the company said in an open letter. “For this, we are full of gratitude and respect.”Ma, who up until last year was China’s richest person, has lost billions since his nation’s regulators began an anti-monopolistic campaign, halting the initial public offering of his Ant Group Co. payments company just two days before it was scheduled to go public. He is now China’s third-richest person after Zhong Shanshan of bottled-water company Nongfu Spring Co. and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s Pony Ma.Separately, China’s central bank ordered Ant to become a financial-holding company that will be regulated more like a bank. The move, announced on Monday, will have far-reaching implications for the firm’s growth and its ability to press ahead with an initial public offering. Alibaba shares opened 3.4% higher in Hong Kong on Tuesday.(Updates to include Ant overhaul and stock move in last paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
1h ago
Bloomberg
Apollo SPAC Tied to Solar Lender Sinks to Palihapitiya’s Price
(Bloomberg) -- Solar stocks swooned Monday, casting a pall on an Apollo-backed special purpose acquisition company and enabling clean-energy investors to buy in at the same price as Wall Street titans like venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya.Apollo Capital Management-sponsored Spartan Acquisition Corp. II fell as much as 0.7% to $10, the price at which investors including Palihapitiya, Coatue Management and funds and accounts managed by BlacRock agreed to invest. That’s 40% below the SPAC’s intraday peak of $16.66 in late January, following an agreement to take solar lender Sunlight Financial LLC public via a reverse merger.As part of that deal, institutional investors committed to a $250 million private stock purchase at $10 a share. Franklin Templeton and Neuberger Berman also participated in the offering.READ MORE: Solar Stock Surge Fades on Search for Post-Lockdown Winners (1)Solar stocks were pummeled Monday, continuing their decline in spite of U.S. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure-focused spending plan that includs green economy initiatives.JinkoSolar Holding Co. appeared to suffer the brunt of the selloff in the wake of a fourth-quarter earnings miss, and was down 7.4% around midday. The Invesco Solar ETF, fell as much as 3.5% to late-March lows. Stocks tracked by the ETF, such as SunPower Corp., First Solar Inc., SolarEdge Technologies Inc. and Sunrun Inc. underperformed the broader market, falling at least 1.1% in New York compared with the S&P 500’s 0.2% decline.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
11h ago
Quartz
“Er xuan yi”: The business tactic that led to Alibaba’s $2.8 billion antitrust fine
The regulator's statement offers the most detailed look so far at how companies like Alibaba use a controversial business tactic.
16h ago
Bloomberg
Investors Dump Commodities as Supercycle Call Meets Skepticism
(Bloomberg) -- Net bullish wagers on rising commodity prices fell to the lowest since December last week, raising questions about the commodity supercycle.Money managers are trimming what had been the largest wager for rising commodity prices in at least a decade as stumbling economic reopening efforts force a reconsideration of the popular recovery trade. A recent bond rout raised worries over inflation and surging bulk shipping rates are seen capping any further upswing.There’s a sense that “we have yet to get rid of the coronavirus, with rising cases and extended lockdowns delaying the expected growth sprint,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodities research at Saxo Bank. “The surge in Treasury yields, a stronger dollar and worries that China may tighten liquidity in order to curb inflation are also contributing factors.”Hedge funds’ net bullish positions on a basket of 20 commodities have decreased for six weeks in a row, according to the latest Commodities Futures Trade Commission and ICE data compiled by Bloomberg. That comes after money managers boosted the figure to the highest in data going back to 2011, while prices in the Bloomberg Commodity Spot Index rose to nearly the highest in eight years in February.Commodities had seen a resurgence in interest early this year as major investment banks flagged the start of a new structural bull cycle -- with some even calling for a supercycle comparable to ones that peaked in the 1970s and early 2000s.The idea was that raw materials would benefit as the world emerged from the pandemic and fiscal stimulus programs would sustain a downtrend in the U.S. dollar, thereby making commodities priced in the greenback more attractive. While a return to normal is anticipated, hiccups in recent months surrounding economic reopening plans are clouding the near-term outlook. Meanwhile, the dollar came back from its lows this year alongside rising bond yields.In the last week, investor outflows were most pronounced for oil, with funds weighing whether demand will be strong enough to absorb returning supply in coming months. OPEC and its allies decided earlier this month to gradually ease unprecedented output curbs from May to July, while further out, the market may see more Iranian supply come back if it returns to a nuclear deal.Adding further pressure, volatility-targeted funds like commodity trading advisers underwent “widespread deleveraging” after global benchmark Brent futures’ briefly jumped above $71 a barrel following an attack on Saudi oil facilities in March, Ryan Fitzmaurice, commodities strategist at Rabobank, said in a note Friday.Now, a squeeze on vessels to carry some commodities around the world is adding another risk for investors to consider. The cost of shipping unpacked commodities like grains and iron ore, known as dry bulk, is up more than 50% this year.The move up in shipping costs “makes it more expensive to move things around, which goes contrary to the idea of a supercycle,” Eddie Tofpik, head of technical analysis and senior markets analyst at ADM Investor Services International Ltd., said at an online event last month.Still, calls remain for commodities to continue their price rebound this year after this period of consolidation.“Commodities remain the best performing asset class of 2021,” Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts wrote in a report Friday. “We view this consolidation as nothing more than a fleeting speed bump created by logistical bottlenecks in vaccine roll-outs.”For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
7h ago
Bloomberg
Coinbase Sails Toward $100 Billion Valuation on Crypto Frenzy
(Bloomberg) -- Looks like Wall Street is about to get 100 billion new reasons to believe in Bitcoin.Coinbase Global Inc., the fast-growing exchange at the center of the speculative frenzy in cryptocurrencies, is expected to go public this week at a staggering valuation of about $100 billion. That’s more than the venerable New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market combined -- for a company that didn’t even exist a decade ago.If all goes according to plan, Wednesday’s scheduled direct listing on Nasdaq will cement Coinbase’s position as the Big Board of the U.S. crypto scene and a potent symbol of the risks and rewards of the new era of digital money. Its founders, Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam, own stakes worth $15 billion and $2 billion, respectively, according to Bloomberg estimates.The bottom line at the San Francisco-based exchange would seem to justify the sky-high valuation, at least recently. Coinbase said last week it expects to report first-quarter profit of $730 million to $800 million, more than double what it earned in all of 2020. And revenue in the first three months of 2021 probably surpassed all of the $1.3 billion total for last year. That compares with the $5.6 billion of revenue Nasdaq generated last year.Coinbase has 56 million verified users and adds about 13,000 new retail customers a day, according to cryptocurrency analytics firm Messari.“Coinbase is one of the most prominent cryptocurrency exchanges in the world,” Mira Christanto, an analyst who covers the company for Messari, said in a research report. “The market has shown that investors are hungry for crypto exposure through equity markets.”It’s an astounding ascent for a company started in a San Francisco apartment in 2012 by Armstrong and Ehrsam, who met online in a Bitcoin forum on Reddit. The apparent demand for Coinbase shares mirrors the appetite for all things crypto: Bitcoin has surged almost eightfold in the past year, hitting a record $61,742 in mid-March.The opportunity for Coinbase now is to capture the increasing number of institutional and corporate customers, such as MicroStrategy Inc. and Tesla Inc., that are buying Bitcoin for the long haul.“That’s going to be the Holy Grail for them if they can hold on to that business, because those folks are seen more as holders than traders,” said Julie Chariell, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence for fintech and payments firms.Providing additional products such as custody services might mean Coinbase could look more like a bank than an exchange in a few years, according to Chariell. “It’s a broader play, getting to be a one-stop shop for whatever you want to do with your crypto assets,” she said.Coinbase spokesman Elliott Suthers declined to make any company officials available for comment, citing the “quiet period” Coinbase is required to maintain before its Nasdaq listing.It’s been a long and sometime grueling road to the planned debut, and there are still risks to its business model.Coinbase disclosed in filings for the share sale that it had received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to a person familiar with the matter, the inquiry was related to XRP, the digital token created by Ripple that’s the subject of an SEC lawsuit alleging it was sold as an unregistered security.That same month, the SEC announced it was suing Ripple and two of its founders for violating U.S. securities laws. Coinbase was forced to de-list XRP, which at the time was the third most-valuable cryptocurrency in the world.It’s difficult to tell how the loss of XRP affected Coinbase’s earnings because Bitcoin at the same time was skyrocketing to records, said Bloomberg Intelligence’s Chariell. A greater risk would be the need to de-list many of the alt coins Coinbase now offers if the SEC case determines XRP is a security.“It is a risk, definitely, but I just don’t think it’s a big risk at this point,” she said.Despite the XRP scrutiny, Coinbase’s expansion plans seem to be working. In 2020, coins on the exchange other than Bitcoin and Ether accounted for the largest revenue share, at 44%, according to its SEC filing.“It made economic sense for Coinbase to list high-demand tokens due to higher competition from other exchanges,” Messari’s Christanto said.Bitcoin LinkAnother risk: Coinbase’s fortunes tend to correspond to Bitcoin’s volatile history. The exchange only turned a profit last year as institutional demand for crypto assets propelled Bitcoin and other coins such as Ether to new highs. The recent lean years, known as the crypto winter, stretched from 2018 to 2019, with Bitcoin hitting a low of about $3,100 in December 2018. Until then, Coinbase was known for listing only the big hitters in the crypto world, including Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ether.Coinbase’s prospects won’t come down to a single token like XRP. The majority of its revenue comes from trading fees, with retail customers charged an average of 1.4% and institutional clients about 0.05%, according to Christanto.To get it through the lean years, Coinbase has conducted seven fundraising rounds for a haul of more than $500 million since September 2012, Messari research shows. That’s on top of the revenue from selling Bitcoin and Ether, which more than tripled last year to $134 million, according to Messari.All of that has provided a strong financial position for Coinbase to list publicly. Based on figures provided by the company, Chariell calculated that 5.5 million monthly users equates to $3 billion in 2020 revenue. The top 12 fintech firms to go public in the last six months have had price-to-sales ratios of 36 times, she said. Multiplying that by 2020 revenue gets you a very large number.“You’re easily over $100 billion in market cap,” she said.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
15h ago
CoinDesk
Market Wrap: Bitcoin Near $60K as Coinbase Listing Stirs Fresh Crypto Hype
The listing could spur newbie investors to try cryptocurrencies.
6h ago
FX Empire
Gold Price Futures (GC) Technical Analysis – Trader Reaction to 50% Level at $1746.90 Sets the Tone
The early price action suggests the direction of the June Comex gold futures contract on Monday is likely to be determined by trader reaction to $1746.90.
16h ago
Bloomberg
Showdown Looms Between Central Bank and Bond Market in Australia
(Bloomberg) -- Bond traders searching for a chink in the armor of central banks are starting to look Down Under, where a likely showdown over yield-curve control is set to test the power of policy makers to contain the next wave of reflation bets.The global trading day for bonds begins in earnest in Sydney each morning, giving developments in Australia’s $600 billion sovereign debt market an out-sized impact on sentiment. It was the scene of a dramatic “flash crash” last year when the yield program was announced, illustrating the potential for turmoil.While the Reserve Bank of Australia has largely tamed markets since then, as the economy’s recovery strengthens, wagers against the RBA’s ability to keep yields lower look poised to rise.“If inflation expectations do start to un-anchor, then I think the RBA will be one of the first central banks to be tested by bond traders,” said Shaun Roache, an economist at S&P Global Ratings in Singapore. “The RBA is a canary in the coalmine for central banks as it is ahead in its labor market recovery.”The RBA brought short-sellers quickly to heel when the global bond rout emboldened them to test its grip on yield control in February. After weeks of aggressive positioning by traders, the bank nudged up the cost of speculating on rising rates and the yield on benchmark three-year bonds fell neatly back into line with its 0.1% target.But keeping the market at bay next time may prove more difficult, as vaccination campaigns gather pace in major economies and the U.S. recovery nears an “inflection point,” emboldening traders.If yield control fails in Australia, it may fade away as a potential option for other monetary authorities in need of more policy ammunition. Especially because yield control’s record in Japan -- the only other country to officially employ it -- is patchy.Pinning the rate of one key bond maturity has helped the Bank of Japan reduce borrowing costs in general and also allowed it to slow the pace of bond purchases. But it has come at a cost. The nation’s debt market is lambasted as dysfunctional and an economic recovery strong enough to revive inflation looks as far away as ever.Widening GapBeneath the surface, problems appear to be building Down Under too. While the RBA has its thumb on one specific bond line, there is a large gulf between the yield on this security and those maturing slightly later. There’s also a widening gap to rates on the suite of derivatives linked to three-year yields that flow through into borrowing costs for companies and consumers.Take Australia’s three-year swap rate, an important tool for corporate borrowers to manage interest-rate risks. It surged through February and March, rising to four times the RBA’s target for three-year bonds amid pressure from higher U.S. yields and a rebounding economy at home.Australia’s bond futures tell a similar story. The yield implied by three-year futures doubled in the two weeks to Feb. 26 and remains elevated, even after retreating from its high point.“Lack of liquidity, a central bank that’s digging its heels in -- all that, for us, means there’s going to be more volatility in Aussie rates,” said Kellie Wood, a fixed-income portfolio manager at Schroders Plc’s Australian unit. “The RBA has succeeded in terms of round one. But we are starting to see cracks,” said Wood, who expects the market to challenge the 0.1% target again.Stephen Miller, an investment consultant at GSFM, an arm of Canada’s CI Financial Corp., agrees that higher yields may arrive in Australia sooner than the RBA thinks. “It will be powerless if the U.S. curve shifts upwards and other rates markets follow,” said Miller.Not everyone is prepared to bet against the RBA.For Fidelity International’s Anthony Doyle, taking on the RBA may be a recipe for steep losses if past lessons from the European Central Bank and U.S. Federal Reserve are anything to go by.Nine years ago, then ECB President Mario Draghi vowed to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro, leading to quantitative easing and bond purchases that are still in place. The Fed said more than a year ago that it would buy unlimited amounts of Treasuries to keep borrowing costs at rock-bottom levels, and it’s still holding firm.“I don’t think it’s ever wise to fight anyone that has a printing press,” said Doyle, a cross-asset investment specialist at Fidelity in Sydney. “The RBA as a house holds all the cards. If they want yields lower, they’ll get it.”Yet Governor Philip Lowe isn’t doing everything he could to damp doubts over the RBA’s resolve. His reluctance to make an early switch in the yield target to bonds maturing in November 2024, from ones due in April 2024, is fueling debate about how soon the policy could be wound back.Lowe said at the conclusion of the latest board meeting on April 6 that a decision would be made later this year, without being more specific. He also indicated that the RBA expected to maintain “highly supportive monetary conditions” until at least 2024, even though the number of Australians with a job has returned to pre-pandemic levels.“We don’t think they’ll extend yield-curve control” beyond the current April 2024 bond, said Wood, who warned of potential taper tantrums.Lowe’s February win against short sellers, and a slide in yields at home and abroad over recent weeks, has given the RBA space to breathe. But it’s likely only a matter of time before bond traders come back for round two.“Everybody’s watching how this is going to unfold,” said S&P’s Roache. “The RBA may not want this role, but it is taking quite a starring role I think among global central banks.”For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
6h ago
Yahoo Finance
What Warren Buffett said about the 'Buffett Indicator'
Who wouldn't love to replicate the investing success achieved by billionaire Warren Buffett? This is why investors are drawn to stories about the "Buffett Indicator."
17h ago
Bloomberg
GameStop Posts Longest Losing Streak in a Year as Shine Fades
(Bloomberg) -- GameStop Corp. fell on Monday, wrapping up its longest losing streak in a year, amid growing skepticism over its long-term potential despite activist Ryan Cohen’s latest efforts to revitalize the company.Shares fell 11% in New York to close at $141.09, their lowest level in more than two weeks, as Reuters reported the video-game retailer is seeking a replacement for the current Chief Executive Officer George Sherman, without naming sources.GameStop didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the Reuters report.News of the potential change at the company’s helm followed a warning by Ascendiant Capital Markets analyst Edward Woo, who downgraded the retailer to sell from hold, raising questions about the company’s long-term prospect as it faces growing competition from the likes of Microsoft Corp. and Sony Group Corp.GameStop’s Reddit-trading surge is likely to fade and shares will tumble in the long run “to match its current weak results and outlook,” he wrote.GameStop shares surged about 650% this year, pushing its market value to nearly $10 billion thanks in part to optimism over a Cohen-led overhaul. The activist investor has brought on a number of new executives and board members over the past few months as part of his turnaround.Still, trading in GameStop, as with most stocks favored by traders using social platforms like Reddit, has fizzled recently as investors turn their focus elsewhere. The company’s announcement earlier this month that it plans to offer as much as $1 billion in additional shares added to the selling pressure.Read more: Meme Stock Mania Fizzles, Wall Street Sees ‘Big Reckoning’GameStop has suffered with the video-game industry’s shift to online distribution. With gamers downloading more and more there’s less reason to make a trip to a physical store, analysts said. The company reported disappointing fourth-quarter earnings last month.The stock now has five sell-equivalent ratings, compared to two hold ratings and zero buys, data compiled by Bloomberg show. An average price target of $46.50 implies shares will lose two-thirds of their value in the coming year.(Close prices, updates with details throughout)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
6h ago
Reuters
HSBC and Huawei CFO reach agreement on document publication linked to extradition case
HSBC and Huawei Technologies' Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou have reached an agreement in a dispute about the publication of documents relating to U.S. fraud allegations against her, their lawyers told a Hong Kong court. The legal dispute reached the Hong Kong court last month after a British judge in February blocked the release of internal HSBC documents relating to the fraud allegations against Meng.
23h ago
Bloomberg
Bitcoin Nears Record Before Largest U.S. Crypto Exchange Listing
(Bloomberg) -- Bitcoin neared an all-time high on Monday as bullish sentiment gathered steam ahead of a listing by the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange.The token rose as much as 2.6% to $61,229, the highest in nearly a month, before falling back to trade little changed. On March 13, Bitcoin reached a record of $61,742. The cryptocurrency is up almost ninefold in the past year, a return that towers above that of more familiar assets like equities or bullion.Against the backdrop of Wall Street’s growing embrace of crypto, the direct listing of digital-token exchange Coinbase Global Inc. is fanning interest. Coinbase is due to go public on the Nasdaq on April 14, the first listing of its kind for a major cryptocurrency company and a test of investor appetite for other start-ups in the sector.Meanwhile, exchange tokens, such as Binance Coin, are seeing their value rise ahead of Coinbase’s public debut as well. Binance’s, known as BNB, rose 23% Monday, according to CoinMarketCap.com. Huobi Token and KuCoin Token, among others, also gained.“A crypto company moving to IPO is a big milestone,” said Nick Jones, CEO and co-founder at cryptocurrency wallet Zumo. “It’s moves like this that make consumers feel safer with crypto and ultimately boost confidence in the space.”A growing list of companies are looking at or even investing in Bitcoin, drawn by client demand, price momentum and arguments that it can hedge risks such as faster inflation. Tesla Inc. earlier this year disclosed a $1.5 billion investment in Bitcoin and more recently started accepting it as payment for electric cars.Elsewhere, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has said it’s close to offering investment vehicles for Bitcoin and other digital assets to private wealth clients. Morgan Stanley plans to give rich clients access to three funds that will enable crypto ownership. The deck of exchange-traded funds tracking the token is expanding, while Paypal Inc. and Visa Inc. have begun using cryptocurrencies as part of the payments process.A study by Dutch asset manager Robeco suggests that despite its high volatility, a 1% allocation to Bitcoin in a diversified multi-asset portfolio could be beneficial given its resemblance to gold and its near zero correlation to other asset classes.“In recent months, a clear and emphatic narrative that Bitcoin is becoming a store of value in the form of digital gold has developed,” according to Jeroen Blokland, a portfolio manager at Robeco.Other cryptocurrencies, such as second-ranked Ether, have also been climbing. The overall value of more than 6,600 coins tracked by CoinGecko recently surpassed $2 trillion.(Adds paragraph about exchange tokens)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
12h ago
Bloomberg
Walmart Plans Massive India Warehouse With Billionaire Adani
(Bloomberg) -- Walmart Inc.’s e-commerce unit, Flipkart Online Services Pvt., signed a pact with tycoon Gautam Adani’s conglomerate to build one of the largest retail warehouses in India as the U.S. giant gears up to battle Amazon.com Inc. and homegrown rivals in the South Asian nation.The partnership marks the entry of Adani, India’s fastest-rising billionaire, into the three-way fight for domination of India’s online shopping space. Up against the Walmart-Adani alliance is not just Amazon, but also Reliance Industries Ltd., the conglomerate owned by Mukesh Ambani, India and Asia’s richest man.They all want a slice of a market estimated to generate $200 billion in sales by 2026 -- turbocharged by pandemic restrictions that are keeping people away from brick-and-mortar stores.Adani Logistics Ltd., a unit of Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd., will build a 534,000-square-feet fulfillment center in its upcoming logistics hub at Mumbai and lease it to Flipkart, the companies said in a joint statement Monday. Expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2022, this warehouse -- roughly the size of 11 football fields -- can store 10 million units of inventory, the firms said.Bengaluru-based Flipkart will also develop its third data center at the AdaniConnecX facility in Chennai to help the e-commerce company keep its data within India, according to the statement. Adaniconnex Private Ltd. is a joint venture between U.S.’s EdgeConneX Inc. and Adani Enterprises Limited., the conglomerate’s flagship listed unit.Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.More CompetitiveAmazon has already invested heavily in fulfillment centers in India, and its data-centric approach enables it to offer next-day delivery for select products in large cities, according to Utkarsh Sinha, managing director at Mumbai-based consultancy Bexley Advisors. “It will be critical to see if Walmart’s plans follow a similar tech-first infrastructure approach, which could make Flipkart’s delivery and fulfillment more competitive.”The new fulfillment center being planned is likely to be larger in area than the ones operated by Amazon in India so far, underscoring the potential size of the Indian market.“We see this as a great opportunity to serve Flipkart’s physical as well as digital infrastructure needs,” said Karan Adani, chief executive officer of Adani Ports.The partnership is another sign of Adani’s rising clout: his coal mining-to-data centers conglomerate has rapidly expanded and diversified across sectors, adding $24 billion to his net worth this year. Riding a massive rally in his companies’ shares, Adani’s wealth has jumped to almost $58 billion -- the fastest rise in wealth globally.(Updates with analyst comments 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.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
15h ago
CoinDesk
Bitcoin Dominance at 2-Year Low as XRP, Binance’s BNB Rally
Bitcoin prices have doubled this year, but several major altcoins have risen by many multiples.
15h ago
Bloomberg
China Led The Recovery Trade; Now Almost Everyone Is Cautious
(Bloomberg) -- No matter the asset class, the outlook is turning bleak for China’s financial markets.The nation’s stocks, bonds and currency are losing their shine after an impressive start to the year, overshadowed by a stronger dollar, higher U.S. Treasury yields and a domestic campaign to cut financial risk.China’s benchmark stock index remains 13% below a 13-year high in early February, following a brutal selloff that wiped out more than $1.3 trillion in market value. The yuan just suffered its worst month in a year in March, erasing all its 2021 gains against the greenback. Chinese sovereign bonds, a sanctuary during the recent global rout, saw foreign investors lower their holdings last month for the first time in more than two years.The sharp reversal of fortunes came as confidence grew in a strong U.S. economic recovery that is reclaiming the allure of dollar assets around the world. The latest underperformance of Chinese markets also resulted from Beijing’s decision to resume a battle on debt that was interrupted by the trade war with Washington and the pandemic.Concerns about inflation and tighter monetary conditions mean appetite for Chinese shares will likely remain subdued, while the country’s government debt market faces the test of a supply glut later this year, investors and analysts say. The yuan could weaken further as the dollar extends its global resurgence.“China’s bull run is being tested,” said Adrian Zuercher, head of global asset allocation of UBS Chief Investment Office. “Volatility will stay elevated in the near term.”Subdued TradingAfter delivering a world-beating rally earlier in the year, Chinese shares have reversed course since February, when it became increasingly clear that policymakers were shifting their priority to taming asset bubbles and reducing financial leverage.The broader de-risking campaign also includes a crackdown on the country’s internet and fintech giants. In the latest of such moves, the authorities slapped a record $2.8 billion fine on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. over the weekend after an anti-monopoly probe found it abused its market dominance.While the penalty triggered a relief rally of as much as 9% in Alibaba’s shares in Hong Kong, those of its peers including Tencent, JD.com and Baidu fell by at least 2.7% amid concerns that they could be among the next targets of Beijing’s clampdown.The onshore benchmark CSI 300 Index fell 1.4% at Monday’s midday break, bringing its year-to-date loss to 4.7% and down 14.5% from a peak in February.The world’s second-largest stock market is $838 billion smaller than at its February peak and trading interest has been waning. Daily average turnover on China’s two stock exchanges was 670 billion yuan ($102 billion) so far this month, the lowest since May, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.UBS’ Zuercher said he expects rising Treasury yields to be a major source of near-term volatility in China’s equity market, as it will continue to exert pressure on valuations of the country’s growth stocks and trigger rotation.Echoing the view, Herald van Der Linde, HSBC Holdings Plc’s head of Asia Pacific equity strategy, said there remains downside risk to Asian equities in the near term and “China is no exception”.Domestically, a central bank unwilling to keep funding conditions too loose, a contrast to its peers in other major economies, has also disappointed stock investors. Apart from its deleveraging campaign, signs of inflationary pressures, as shown in March’s consensus-beating 4.4% jump in China’s producer prices, could prompt Beijing to further dial back its pandemic-induced economic stimulus.“We believe monetary policy might be tightened,” Hanfeng Wang, a strategist at China International Capital Corp., wrote in a note this week, adding that investors should pay attention to policy signals from the next meeting of the Politburo, the Communist Party’s top decision-making body.Bonds PressuredWhile Chinese government bonds outpaced their competitors in the first quarter as their haven status helped them stand out as a bulwark amid the global slump, they are facing a host of challenges in the coming months.In addition to a longer-than-expected phase-in period for the inclusion in FTSE Russell’s World Government Bond Index, a surge in bond supply from local governments and a narrowing China-U.S. yield gap also threaten to reduce the appeal of Chinese debt.Now at 3.21%, yields on China’s benchmark 10-year sovereign notes are expected to rise to 3.5% by the end of this quarter, according to Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered Plc.As China’s yield premium over Treasuries thinned, global investors last month trimmed their holdings of Chinese government debt for the first time since February 2019, a trend that is expected to continue for some time. The yield gap fell to 144.8 basis points on March 31, the narrowest since Feb. 24, 2020 when it was 144.2 basis points.Weaker YuanThe dollar’s renewed strength, the tighter yield gap, as well as Beijing’s latest move to boost capital outflows also have prompted analysts, including ING’s, to lower their forecasts on the Chinese currency.After rising nearly 7% against the dollar last year and reaping further gains earlier this year, the yuan suffered its worst selloff in a year last month, arresting a steady advance since May.Read: Yuan Erases Year’s Gains Against Dollar as PBOC Steps AsideAlso weighing on the yuan is the slowing speed of capital inflows: Cross-border currency flows tracked by Goldman Sachs totaled $1.5 billion in the week ended on April 7, compared with about $3 billion in the previous week.“It’s about how views on the U.S. dollar have changed rapidly,” said Zhou Hao, an economist from Commerzbank AG. “People believe the U.S. economy will recover strongly in the next two years and that’s what stocks and bonds have been pricing in.”Zhou said he expects the yuan to weaken to 6.83 per dollar by the end of this year, from around 6.56 Friday.(Updates with performance of broader stock market and tech shares in the ninth and 10th paragraphs)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
23h ago
BBC
China forces Jack Ma's Ant Group to restructure
The overhaul will force the Alibaba-backed group to become a financial holding firm.
31m ago
Bloomberg
Singapore Dealer Prepares Vault for 15,000 Tons of Silver
(Bloomberg) -- Inside a six-story high warehouse near Singapore’s Changi airport, a vast hangar-like space is waiting to be filled with a precious metal that usually plays second fiddle to its more lustrous sibling.The vault that’s being built by Silver Bullion Pte Ltd. will -- when completed in the first half of next year --- be able to store 15,000 tons of silver. It’s only holding around 400 tons of the metal at the moment, but the vacant space is an indication that silver appears to be on the cusp of a promising few years.Demand for coins and bars is booming, fueled in part by a Reddit-induced buying frenzy in February that drove prices to an eight-year high. While the fervor has abated, retail interest is still elevated, valuations are relatively cheap and measures are being taken to meet the surge in demand. The amount of silver stored in vaults in London rose 11% in March to a record, according to the London Bullion Market Association.As well as the Singapore vault, JM Bullion, one of the biggest precious metals retailers in the U.S., plans to open a 25,000-square-foot-warehouse in Dallas in June that will be used for storing silver and other precious metals.The metal’s crucial role in the energy transition -- it’s a key component in solar panels -- also looks set to buoy consumption over the longer-term. All this has some analysts forecasting that silver will outperform gold this year.“The outlook for demand growth for silver over the next few years looks very positive, especially across a wide range of industrial applications, including solar, 5G and automotive,” said Philip Klapwijk, managing director of Hong Kong-based consultant Precious Metals Insights Ltd. “That, coupled with ongoing high levels of investment is likely to create the need for more dedicated storage space for silver in bullion and also intermediate forms.”Gregor Gregersen, founder of Silver Bullion, said he started searching for a bigger warehouse two or three years ago and that decision was vindicated last year when demand for the metal surged during the coronavirus pandemic. “The idea is to make this into a really iconic building,” he said during a tour of the vault that will be known as The Reserve. “There isn’t really a facility built specifically to store large quantities of silver securely.”Singapore has a reputation as a stable financial center and has taken steps to position itself as a bullion hub, exempting investment-grade gold, silver and platinum from a goods and services tax.Physical investment in silver, which covers bullion coin and bar purchases, is expected to reach a six-year high of 257 million ounces in 2021, according to the Silver Institute.Spot silver, currently trading around $25 an ounce, is forecast by Citigroup Inc. to peak at $28 to $30 in the second half, aided by “still solid” investment demand and an end to physical de-stocking in China and India. The lender sees the price averaging $27.30 this year. Morgan Stanley, meanwhile sees the metal averaging $25 an ounce in 2021, up 22% from last year.Gold, meanwhile, is stabilizing after its first quarterly loss since 2018 amid high bond yields and optimism over the global economic recovery from the pandemic that’s damping demand for the metal. Citi sees gold, currently fetching around $1,740 an ounce, falling to $1,575 in six to 12 months.Sill, there’s no shortage of silver. The Silver Institute expects the global market to remain in a surplus this year, although it sees the lowest excess since 2015. And even against a backdrop of strong electronics and automotive demand as well as growing solar power investment, silver’s failure to break higher suggests the gold price, real yields and the U.S. dollar remain powerful drags, Morgan Stanley said in a note.“Considering the high correlation of silver to gold, and our bearish outlook for the yellow metal over the next 12 months, we expect silver together with gold to continue to struggle amid higher real interest-rate expectations in the U.S.,” said Giovanni Staunovo, a strategist at UBS Group AG.JM Bullion Chief Executive Officer Michael Wittmeyer is more optimistic. The Reddit-fueled buying frenzy caused a spike in demand from existing silver bugs as well as bringing in a lot of first-time investors in the metal, he said. “We’re just trying to expand our capacity so that next time this happens, we’ll be able to get all these orders shipped more quickly.”The accelerating move away from fossil fuels should also provide an enduring tailwind for silver demand as investment in solar power ramps up. China, Japan and South Korea all set carbon zero targets last year, while the U.S. is considering emissions cuts of 50% or more from 2005 levels by 2030.The energy transition demand should give prices an extra boost, said CPM Group analyst Rohit Savant. Silver will average $27 this year and beat gold due to its relatively cheaper valuation and strong investment demand, he said. Spot silver fell 2% to $24.77 an ounce at 10:40 a.m. in New York on Monday after gaining 1% last week.In Singapore, Silver Bullion’s Gregersen is confident all that currently vacant space in his vault won’t go to waste. “Silver is usually a forgotten metal that people don’t really care much about,” he said. “But it’s starting to shine a bit more and that trend will continue.”(Updates with spot silver price in the 16th paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
12h ago
Oilprice.com
Russia Tightens Its Grip On Europe's Natural Gas Markets
The EU has aimed to reduce its dependence on Russia as a gas supplier, but despite its best efforts to diversify supply, Russia continues to have significant strategic advantages
9h ago

S&P Futures

Dow Futures

Nasdaq Futures

Russell 2000 Futures

Crude Oil

Gold

Silver

EUR/USD

10-Yr Bond

Vix

GBP/USD

USD/JPY

BTC-USD

CMC Crypto 200

FTSE 100

Nikkei 225

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Presenting at Capital Link's 16th Annual Closed-End Funds & Global ETFs Forum Thursday, April 27, 2017 - the Metropolitan Club, New York City

Recommended Stories

Tesla to Conquer Trillion-Dollar Energy Market, Canaccord Says

Vingroup Said to Weigh $2 Billion U.S. IPO of Unit VinFast

Jack Ma’s Fortune Jumps $2 Billion After Record Alibaba Fine

Apollo SPAC Tied to Solar Lender Sinks to Palihapitiya’s Price

“Er xuan yi”: The business tactic that led to Alibaba’s $2.8 billion antitrust fine

Investors Dump Commodities as Supercycle Call Meets Skepticism

Coinbase Sails Toward $100 Billion Valuation on Crypto Frenzy

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Near $60K as Coinbase Listing Stirs Fresh Crypto Hype

Gold Price Futures (GC) Technical Analysis – Trader Reaction to 50% Level at $1746.90 Sets the Tone

Showdown Looms Between Central Bank and Bond Market in Australia

What Warren Buffett said about the 'Buffett Indicator'

GameStop Posts Longest Losing Streak in a Year as Shine Fades

HSBC and Huawei CFO reach agreement on document publication linked to extradition case

Bitcoin Nears Record Before Largest U.S. Crypto Exchange Listing

Walmart Plans Massive India Warehouse With Billionaire Adani

Bitcoin Dominance at 2-Year Low as XRP, Binance’s BNB Rally

China Led The Recovery Trade; Now Almost Everyone Is Cautious

China forces Jack Ma's Ant Group to restructure

Singapore Dealer Prepares Vault for 15,000 Tons of Silver

Russia Tightens Its Grip On Europe's Natural Gas Markets