Abengoa’s risk profile was already very high but this has been aggravated to the point where there is no possibility of business continuity due to the situation resulting from the Covid-19. Abengoa and the banks are negotiating against the clock to find a solution that will allow the company to receive 300 million euros before July 31 and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.
The rumor has been confirmed. Cellnex has announced a capital increase of 4 billion euros, 18.5% of its current market cap, which will put into circulation 101.4 million shares, which means 26.3% of the current shares at an issue price of 39.45 euros. The purpose of the capital hike is to finance the group’s expansion via acquisitions. According to the company’s press release, it is looking at assets worth up to 11 billion euros to invest in within the next 18 months.
The state-owned company China Three Gorges could be negotiating the purchase of X-Elio’s photovoltaic assets in Spain. These total 640 MW of installed capacity in operation, under construction or in a developing phase, includes the acquisition of 13 photovoltaic plants. According to sources close to the company, the operation could be worth around 500 M. €, which could include the debt related to these project. The operation could be one of China’s few acquisitions in Europe this year, Bloomberg said.
Banco Sabadell | Portugal’s EDP and Australia’s fund Macquarie have created a joint venture to acquire Spain’s Viesgo, the country’s fourth largest electricity company. EDP is acquiring Viesgo’s 500 MW of renewable assets for 615 million euros. As a result, EDP will hold 75.1% of the capital of the new Viesgo and Macquarie will hold the remainder. This new company would have been valued at 2.7 billion euros. Although a priori the creation of a new stronger competitor could mean pressure on the sector, we think it will have little impact since the greatest competitive pressures in the energy sector come from the commercialization leg.
ArcelorMittal reinforced the competitiveness of its facilities in Spain with the investment of more than 147 million euros in 2019, according to the ‘Sustainability Report’. In addition, the group invested 45 million euros in research and development work in Spain, an increase of 12.5% compared to 2018. The company highlighted that the investment in this section of its R&D exceeds 100 million euros in the last three years.
Grifols makes a significant investment to become the only large-scale commercial manufacturer of plasma products in Canada, with a fractionation capacity of 1.5 million liters/year.The operation aligns with Grifols’ commitment to helping countries reach self-sufficiency of life-sustaining plasma-derived medicine. The acquisition includes 11 collection centers in the United States
The European Union has given Enagás the green light to develop 15 refueling stations for LNG vehicles and one for hydrogen. This move is within the framework of the ‘ECO-net’ project, coordinated by the Spanish energy company. The project has a global budget of approximately 13 million euros. These supply points – the hydrogen one will be the first in Spain at 700 bar pressure – will be distributed along the Spanish corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network.
Cellnex would be studying taking a minority stake in the European telecommunication tower network CK Hutchison, which is valued at about $10 billion, according to Bloomberg. This has been linked to news about Cellnex potentially making a €3 billion capital increase to raise funds for a large operation. The acquisition of a minority stake in a telco tower business would imply a deviation from Cellnex’s growth strategy up to now, as it has focused on buying complete networks.
Mobin Tahir (Wisdom Tree) | The S&P China 500 Index is up 17.7% and the CSI 300 Index is up 16.8% year-to-date.Breakneck gains in stock markets create excitement, but also raise fears of bubbles. There are good reasons for the strong ongoing rally in Chinese equities, and – although risks lurk on the horizon – we aren’t in bubble territory.
McDonald’s was born in 1948, after the crisis following the US government’s demobilisation from the war economy. Airbus, Microsoft, and Starbucks were founded during the stagflation era of the 1970s. Firms that are able to adapt and grow in difficult times often present attractive long-term investment opportunities. Which companies will become market leaders after the Covid-19 crisis?