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China Vanke bonds drop as developer wants to delay bond repayment by one year
China Vanke bonds fell on Tuesday, after the developer sought to defer a bond repayment for one year. China Vanke, formerly the top homebuilder in China by sales, has been trying to avoid default after a prolonged real estate slump that has affected all of its main competitors. Shenzhen Stock Exchange suspended trading early after a yuan bond with a maturity date of May 2028 dropped by as much as 22 per cent to 23 par value. The developer's exchange traded bonds are all at similar prices. Three sources said that Vanke had asked bondholders of a 2 billion Yuan ($283 millions) bond due to mature on December 15, whether they could delay principal and interest payments till the same date next year. They said that the coupon would remain at 3 percent during the extension. China Vanke, a company owned by Shenzhen Metro to the tune of 30%, has declined to comment. This would be the first time a developer has requested a delay for an onshore bond. The company announced the extension last Monday without revealing how long it wanted to delay. The proposal must be approved by 90% of bondholders at a meeting scheduled for December 10. The market is divided over whether bondholders would approve the plan. According to one source, bondholders are unlikely to approve a loan without collateral, or if the principal and interest payments were made in a straight-forward, unsecured manner. A second source stated that investors were clearly not happy with the plan for extension, but it may still be approved after stakeholders reach a compromise. As the matter is confidential, we have not named the person. Bloomberg was the first to report on Monday that an extension plan had been announced. Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai Newsroom, Editing by Christopher Cushing & Sonali Paul.
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US to withhold $30.4 Million from Minnesota due to foreign truck drivers' licenses
The U.S. Transportation Department announced on Monday that it could withhold up $30.4 million of federal highway funding to Minnesota due to improperly issued commercial driver's licenses to non-U.S. citizens. After a federal audit, the letter sent to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gave Minnesota 30 days to comply and revoke licenses. After a fatal accident in Florida and an audit by the government, the Transportation Department issued emergency regulations to severely restrict commercial drivers licenses for non-U.S. Citizens. Walz's spokesperson did not respond immediately to a comment request. Separately USDOT announced that it would remove nearly 3,000 commercial license training providers for failing to adequately equip trainees. The USDOT also announced that another 4,000 providers of training were put on notice due to possible non-compliance. Walz, 2024 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Walz has been repeatedly attacked by President Donald Trump. Walz called on Trump last week to release results of a recently performed MRI. Karoline Lavitt, White House Press Secretary, said that on Monday that revealed that Walz was in good heart health. USDOT stated that in 2023, approximately 16% of U.S. drivers born outside the United States. USDOT threatened last month to withdraw $160 million from California for failing to revoke the 17,000 commercial drivers licenses that were held by foreigners and which, according to the government, had been issued improperly. USDOT withheld $40,6 million in federal transportation funds from California for not complying with the truck driver English proficiency rule. The Trump administration took a number of steps to address concerns regarding foreign truck drivers that do not speak English. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in August that the United States would immediately suspend the issuance all commercial truck driver visas. In April, Trump issued an executive order that directed enforcement of a rule that required commercial drivers to meet English proficiency requirements in the U.S. The order reverses 2016 guidance which stated that inspectors shouldn't remove commercial drivers from service for a single infraction of not knowing English. (Reporting and editing by Leslie Adler, Matthew Lewis, and David Shepardson from Washington)
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CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select widens
On Monday, the discount between West Texas Intermediate and Western Canada Select futures (the North American benchmark) widened. WCS for Hardisty, Alberta delivery in January settled at $12.75 per barrel below U.S. benchmark WTI according to brokerage CalRock. This compares to $12.40 Friday. * The WCS Discount began the month at its largest point since March. Analysts predict that the WCS discount will continue to widen through the winter as seasonal supply increases and pipelines are used more, while OPEC+ barrels on global markets increase. The Canadian crude market began its trading cycle on Monday. This cycle runs from the 1st of every month to the day before pipeline nominations due date, and is where the majority of trading takes place. * Oil prices increased by more than 1% Monday, following the drone attacks by Ukraine and the United States' closure of Venezuelan airspace. OPEC also decided to maintain the same output level in the first quarter 2026. (Reporting from Amanda Stephenson, Calgary; Editing done by Maju Samuel.)
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Zipcar, the car-sharing company, plans to stop operations in UK
Zipcar, an American car-sharing company and a subsidiary of Avis Group, announced on Monday that it will cease operations in the United Kingdom, as well as suspending any new bookings after the end of this year. The company said it was awaiting the results of formal consultations with its UK staff before deciding on a date for the closure of their operations. Avis Budget Group's spokesperson stated in an email that Zipcar had proposed changes to the UK operation as part of an overall transformation for international operations. This proposal is only for the UK market. Zipcar's operations on the United States market and other international markets continue to be fully operational, according to the statement. Zipcar provides car rental services in Europe and North America to students and business people. It has over 1 million members. Avis Budget Group acquired it in 2013 for approximately $500 million. Reporting by Unnamalai and Nishara in Bengaluru, editing by Shrey Biswas and Alan Barona
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US Midwest grid operator accelerates review of 15 power supply projects
Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the U.S. Midwest grid operators, will speed up reviews of 15 additional power projects in order to add electricity faster. This is part of a legal challenge from environmental and consumer groups. The country's largest regional grids – MISO, Southwest Power Pool, and PJM Interconnection – have approved dozens power projects for a speedy review this year as operators raise the alarm about the rising demand that is outpacing new electricity sources. Some of these fast-tracking procedures have been challenged in court on the grounds that grid operators favor natural gas-fired projects over renewable energies, like solar and wind. Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and other groups have sued the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for MISO and SPP programs that require FERC approval. MISO has announced that the second round of projects selected by MISO includes seven gas-fired power plants, three storage battery projects, three solar energy projects, and two wind turbines. The fast-track project is designed to reduce the time required to connect power supplies to grid by months or even years. MISO Vice-President Aubrey Johnson said, "These projects are crucial to meeting near term reliability needs and to ensuring that new resource additions come online to meet the load growth." The 15 projects have a total capacity of more than 6 gigawatts and their start-up dates range between December 2027 and August 2028. One gigawatt is enough to power 750,000 homes.
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Israeli carrier Israir is in negotiations to purchase 2 Airbus A330 aircraft
Israir, an Israeli airline, said Monday that it is working on acquiring two widebody Airbus A330s for a combined total of $80m. The company wants to expand long-haul flights to counter the push made by Wizz Air to enter the Israeli market. Israir stated that it was in negotiations through various channels to complete the purchase. It is also in advanced discussions with local tourism group Issta in order to consider a seat allocation for 10 years for an advance payment of approximately $35 million. The company noted that there was no guarantee the deal would be completed at this time, and it continues to look for additional sources of financing. Wizz announced on Sunday that it planned to open a hub in Israel before April. Israir is opposed to this move as it would make it a direct rival. Israir owns or leases a fleet consisting of 21 aircraft, and it flies mainly domestically and into Europe. It has a 14 percent market share at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv. The carrier said that the move was part of a series strategic adjustments it is making in response to Wizz Air expanding its activity in Israel. Israir has plans to fly transatlantic and to Asia. The airline has been granted permission to start nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to New York in March. Israir stated that "this strategic move is a continuation of the passenger traffic growth achieved by the company in 2025 with more than two million passengers on international flights." The move will allow Israir to grow its market share and expand to global destinations while also adapting to the market and customer needs. Airbus confirmed earlier Monday that it was facing an industrial quality problem with metal panels on certain A320-family aircraft. This is its latest challenge following a recall for a computer bug. Israir has said that it is not affected.
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Black Sea Shipping Insurance rates increase after Ukraine attacks on tankers, say sources
Sources in the industry said that insurance rates for war risks increased after Ukrainian drones attacked two tankers headed to a Russian harbor. Fears of more attacks prompted insurers to raise their prices. Black Sea is vital for shipping grain, oil, and oil products. Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania, as well Russia and Ukraine, share its waters. Shipping and insurance sources reported that war risk rates, which are determined by each underwriter and are based upon the value of the vessel, have risen to 0.5% from 0.4% a week earlier for calls to Ukrainian port. Sources said that the war risk insurance, which is usually higher, for Russian Black Sea port was quoted between 0.65 and 0.8%, compared to around 0.6% in the previous week. The TANKERS were attacked while sailing to Novorossiyk Officials at the Security Service of Ukraine said that two tankers under Western sanctions were attacked while emptying and sailing towards Novorossiysk - a major Russian Black Sea terminal - by drones. The Black Sea incidents indicate a Ukrainian campaign to limit Russian oil revenues which "shaped underwriters' assessments of intent and ability", according to Munro Anderson. He is the head of operations for marine war risk insurance specialist Vessel Protect. Rates have increased in accordance with this view. Underwriters are now pricing Russian port calls with a wider range of strike locations, and a greater likelihood of repeating the same strike," he explained. As Ukrainian activity increases the likelihood of Russian reciprocal action will also increase. This creates a risk gradient that is more equal across both trades. Tayyip Erdoan, the Turkish president, said that Monday attacks on Black Sea commercial ships were unacceptable. He issued a warning to all "related sides". Andrii Ryzhenko is a former Ukrainian deputy chief of naval staff and a naval expert. He said that the latest Black Sea incidents are the first attacks in international waters on non-military vessels without russian flags. Ryzhenko stated that it is unlikely that Russia will retaliate if commercial ships heading towards Ukraine are in the territorial waters or Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. This would be an attack against NATO territory. "They (Russia) attack (vessels), all the time at least within Ukrainian territorial waters, and use different types of weapons." Mysterious Blasts Sources in maritime security say that Ukraine is suspected of being responsible for at least seven explosions on tankers visiting Russian ports, including the Mediterranean. Four external explosions damaged a Turkish-owned tanker near Senegal last week, but no injuries or pollution were reported, according to its manager. The Mersin Tanker previously visited a Russian port. According to maritime security sources, their initial assessment is that the vessel was targeted by mines. This was similar to incidents in this year, which Ukraine has not confirmed. A spokesperson for the Dakar Port Authority confirmed that "a serious incident" in the engine room had caused a significant water ingress. The spokesperson said that the nature of the incident will be revealed in due time. Reporting by Jonathan Saul, Tom Balmforth, Olena Hartmarsh and Bate Felix from London; editing by Jan Harvey.
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CPC resumes oil loads after attacks, maintaining the Urals differential
The difference between Brent and Russian Urals crudes was unchanged in quiet trading on Monday, while the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which is responsible for the oil loadings, said that the CPC has resumed oil loads after the drone attack at the weekend. The CPC, a consortium of Russian, Kazakh, and U.S. shareholders said that on Saturday, the attack had caused serious damage to Single-Point Mooring 2 (SPM2) at its Novorossiysk Terminal. SPM 1 has resumed oil loading, while SPM 2 is damaged and SPM 3 is idle for repairs since November 12. According to traders, one SPM is capable of handling about half the planned loadings. According to preliminary plans cited by sources, Black Sea CPC blend oil exports will increase to 1.7 millions barrels per day in December. In November they were around 1.45 million. Traders said that the export plan for December will likely be revised downward this week. PLATTS WINDOW Traders reported that no bids or offers for Urals, Azeri BTC, and CPC Blend were made on the Monday. Shipping data from the energy consultancy Kpler revealed that Turkey's imports of Russia’s Urals crude oil dropped sharply in November as Western sanctions against Russian energy suppliers became tighter and Turkish refineries switched to other grades. * The CEO of global commodity trading firm Gunvor, Torbjorn Tornqvist, will sell his shares in a management-led buyout. This comes after the U.S. labeled the company the "Kremlin puppet" because of its previous Russian connections. Alan Barona (Reporting)
Wall Street Journal, December 2,
These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy.
Costco sued the U.S. Government to make sure it gets a refund if the Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s request for broad authority to impose tariffs.
Apple has appointed Amar Subramanya, a veteran researcher and AI expert, as its new vice president. He replaces John Giannandrea.
The Trump administration agreed to buy a stake in xLight, a startup that is developing free-electron lasers. These lasers are seen as a key component to creating faster computer chips.
Warner Bros Discovery is preparing to receive a second round bids in an auction which could end in the next few days or weeks. Netflix has made a cash-based offer.
Shopify has announced that it has fixed issues with logging into the online shopping platform which affected thousands of customers as well as several small businesses during Cyber Monday.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent letters to airlines asking for information on the steps taken to comply with an order issued in early November to reduce flights into 40 major airports.
(source: Reuters)