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China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned as it seeks new debt deal

China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned as it seeks new debt deal

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China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned as it seeks new debt deal

A Hong Kong court gave China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) a five-week reprieve to come up deal with creditors or face liquidation after the embattled developer said on Monday it was working on a revised debt restructuring plan.

The Hong Kong High Court agreed to further adjourn a hearing to wind up Evergrande to Dec. 4, with Justice Linda Chan saying the next hearing would be the last before a decision is made on liquidating the company.

Evergrande needed to come up with a “concrete” revised restructuring proposal before that date, she said, otherwise, it was likely the firm would be wound up.

Evergrande, which has more than $300 billion of liabilities, defaulted on its offshore debt in late 2021 and became the poster child of a debt crisis that has since engulfed China’s property sector.

Evergrande had been working on a $23 billion offshore debt restructuring plan which was thrown off course last month when its billionaire founder Hui Ka Yan was confirmed to be under investigation for suspected criminal activities.

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Due to an investigation into its flagship property unit, Evergrande was barred by mainland regulators from issuing new dollar bonds, a crucial part of the restructuring plan.

Evergrande’s lawyer told the court on Monday the company plans to “monetise the value” of its two Hong Kong-listed units.

Evergrande has reached out to some bondholders with a new restructuring plan in the past two weeks, two sources said.

The revised plan would allow bondholders to swap their bonds into equity and bonds tied to two listed subsidiaries, Evergrande Property Services Group (6666.HK) and Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (0708.HK).

Any proposal no longer includes new notes to be issued by China Evergrande, they added.

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Evergrande did not respond to a request for comment.

‘NO BETTER OPTION’

An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023.

REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
The company’s shares closed down 9.8% on Monday, having fallen as much as 23% in the morning session before the adjournment.

China’s property sector accounts for about a quarter of the activity in the world’s second-largest economy. Its woes have rattled global markets and prompted a slew of measures by Beijing to reassure investors and homeowners.

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A liquidation of Evergrande, which listed total assets of $240 billion as of end-June, would send further shockwaves through already fragile capital markets but is expected to have little immediate impact on the company’s operations, including its many home construction projects.

“The company has been given a very clear message by the court that this is the last chance to propose a viable restructuring plan that is acceptable to the creditors,” Neil McDonald, a Kirkland Ellis partner who represents the major bondholder group, told Reuters.

A lawyer for the bondholders group told the court they supported the adjournment because a restructuring plan could have a higher recovery rate for creditors than a liquidation scenario of less than 3%.

Top Shine, an investor in Evergrande unit Fangchebao, filed the winding-up petition in June 2022 because it said Evergrande had not honoured an agreement to repurchase shares the investor bought in the unit.

LOGAN LIQUIDATION

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Fellow property developer Logan Group’s (3380.HK) winding up order was also adjourned by the same court on Dec 4.

The Shenzhen-based company said last year it would suspend interest payments and restructure its offshore debt including $3.7 billion in dollar bonds due to liquidity pressure.

Little progress has been made on the restructuring talks since the company said in March it started negotiations with offshore creditors to agree with proposed restructuring terms, bondholders told Reuters.

Logan did not respond to a request for comment.

Logan and two of its subsidiaries received a winding-up petition in Nov 2022 filed by the bond trustee who represents a few investors holding the 5.75% 2025 bond. 

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Dollar treads water as Trump tariff clarity, central banks awaited

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Dollar treads water as Trump tariff clarity, central banks awaited

The dollar steadied against major peers on Thursday, continuing its near paralysis of the past two days before more concrete announcements on tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

A spate of central bank policy decisions are also due over the next week, with the Bank of Japan widely expected to raise interest rates at the end of a two-day meeting on Friday.

Rate decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week, respectively.

The dollar index – which measures the currency versus six top rivals, including the euro and yen – was flat at 108.25, following two days of gains of around 0.1%.

On Monday, it tumbled 1.2%, its steepest one-day slide since November 2023, as Trump’s first day in office brought a barrage of executive orders, but none on tariffs.

So far this week, Trump has mooted levies of around 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China from Feb. 1. He also promised duties on European imports, without giving details.

“President Trump has so far taken a less hostile-than-expected approach to China,” amid overall “softer-than-expected policies and tone on tariffs”, said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

At the same time, “we are cautious (that) risk sentiment remains fragile and can quickly turn sour if President Trump strikes a more aggressive tone.”

The Chinese yuan was little changed at 7.2812 per dollar in offshore trading .

Wall Street’s main indexes rose Wednesday, with the S&P 500 hitting an intraday record high thanks to strong Netflix earnings and a rally in tech shares.

Japan’s yen edged up about 0.1% to 156.40 with markets pricing 95% odds of a quarter-point hike on Friday.

The euro was flat at $1.0411. The ECB is widely expected to cut rates by a quarter point next week.

The Canadian dollar held steady at C$1.4386 against the greenback. The Bank of Canada is seen as likely to reduce rates by a quarter point next Wednesday.

The Mexican peso was little changed at 20.47 versus the U.S. currency.

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Oil prices extend losses amid uncertainty over tariff impact

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Oil prices extend losses amid uncertainty over tariff impact

Oil prices dipped in early trade on Thursday, extending losses amid uncertainty over how proposed tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on several countries would impact global economic growth and energy demand.

Brent crude futures fell 23 cents, or 0.3%, to $78.79 a barrel at 0135 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) eased 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $75.26.

In its previous session, Brent futures settled at $79.00 in a fifth straight day of losses. WTI futures settled at $75.44 in a fourth consecutive day of declines.

Trump has said he would add new tariffs to his sanctions threat against Russia if the country does not make a deal to end its war in Ukraine. He added these could be applied to “other participating countries” as well.

He also vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs, impose 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico, and said his administration was discussing a 10% punitive duty on China because fentanyl is being sent to the U.S. from there.

Meanwhile, estimates from an extended Reuters poll showed that on average U.S. crude oil stockpiles were expected to have fallen by 1.6 million barrels in the week to Jan. 17.

Gasoline stockpiles were estimated to have risen by 2.3 million barrels last week, and distillate inventories were likely to have gained 300,000 barrels.

The poll was conducted ahead of the American Petroleum Institute industry group’s report and another from the Energy Information Administration at 12:00 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Thursday.

European wind shares fell on Tuesday (January 21).

The reports were delayed by a day due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday on Monday.

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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reaffirm commitment to boost economic ties

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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reaffirm commitment to boost economic ties

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral economic ties for shared prosperity.

The commitment was expressed when Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with his Saudi counterpart Mohammad bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan on the sidelines of World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

Muhammad Aurangzeb highlighted the key reform measures undertaken by the Government to promote economic stability and sustainable growth.

He briefed him on structural reforms, fiscal discipline and regulatory improvements that have contributed to an improved investment climate in Pakistan.

Earlier, Aurangzeb met Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank.

They discussed cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank, with a particular focus on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability.

The finance minister emphasized the government’s strong partnership with the Bank and expressed hope that the World Bank would continue playing a key role in the country’s socio-economic development.

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