French state-backed lender Bpifrance SACA is selling a new type of bond backed by small company loans, looking to end a more than decade-long regulatory impasse over European Secured Notes. An arm of Bpifrance is offering at least €500 million ($578 million) in the first-ever ESN, according to a person familiar with the matter. Initial price thoughts for the five-year bonds indicate a spread of ar...
French state-backed lender Bpifrance SACA is selling a new type of bond backed by small company loans, looking to end a more than decade-long regulatory impasse over European Secured Notes. An arm of Bpifrance is offering at least €500 million ($578 million) in the first-ever ESN, according to a person familiar with the matter. Initial price thoughts for the five-year bonds indicate a spread of around 42 basis points over mid-swaps, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Investors have already shown interest in the deal, placing more than €1.75 billion of bids, they added. The sale marks the culmination of a long process to create a type of debt that is backed by loans to small enterprises, which tend to fall outside the remit of European commercial banks’ covered bonds. With no formal rules in place yet, the issue is designed to encourage regulators to take action, potentially creating an instrument that further facilitates lending beyond blue-chip firms. ESNs have been stuck in what ING Bank analyst Maureen Schuller called a “chicken-and-egg dynamic” in a note last week, as banks didn’t want to issue without regulatory clarity and regulators didn’t want to set rules in the absence of an established market. The securities are similar to European banks’ covered bonds, which are backed by pools of mortgages. The asset-backed format gives investors additional protection and, in turn, allows borrowers to raise funds at lower costs. Like covered bonds, ESNs are dual recourse, giving investors the right to claim money both from the borrower and the underlying pool if things go wrong. “Due to the dual recourse, secured nature of the bonds and their Aaa rating and, as such, better risk weights, the notes should be able to price through Bpifrance’s senior curve,” Schuller said on Tuesday. Bpifrance’s June 2031 unsecured notes are currently indicated at 40 basis points over mid-swaps. The notes will be sold under Bpifrance’s €2 bi...
The targeted oncology sector is shifting after GSK ( GSK ) decided to buy Nuvalent ( NUVL ) for $10.6B. This massive deal proves that Wall Street has been underestimating the true value of advanced, highly precise cancer treatments. As Nuvalent ( NUVL ) leaves the stock market to develop its next-generation lung cancer therapies with GSK’s ( GSK ) deep pockets, big investment funds are searching f...
The targeted oncology sector is shifting after GSK ( GSK ) decided to buy Nuvalent ( NUVL ) for $10.6B. This massive deal proves that Wall Street has been underestimating the true value of advanced, highly precise cancer treatments. As Nuvalent ( NUVL ) leaves the stock market to develop its next-generation lung cancer therapies with GSK’s ( GSK ) deep pockets, big investment funds are searching for the next stock to buy. They are looking for similar biotechnology companies that have strong stock momentum, cheap valuations, and promising drug pipelines. With Nuvalent exiting the public market, it is the perfect time to find out which small and mid-sized cancer-drug companies are rated as a "Strong Buy" by the Seeking Alpha Quant system. Here is the list: Q32 Bio ( QTTB ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.96 /5) Equillium ( EQ ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.95 /5) Rallybio Corporation ( RLYB ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.87 /5) Adlai Nortye ( ANL ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.87 /5) Cue Biopharma ( CUE ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.81 /5) Fortress Biotech ( FBIO ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.81 /5) Century Therapeutics ( IPSC ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.77 /5) Vaxart ( VXRT ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.70 /5) Tango Therapeutics ( TNGX ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.69 /5) Legend Biotech ( LEGN ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.67 /5) Dianthus Therapeutics ( DNTH ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.66 /5) Ironwood Pharmaceuticals ( IRWD ) - Strong Buy (Quant Score: 4.62 /5) More on biotechnology stocks: Tango Therapeutics, Inc. (TNGX) Discusses Promising Clinical Results for Vopimetostat and Pan-RAS Inhibitor Combination in MTAP-Deleted Pancreatic Cancer Transcript Tango Therapeutics, Inc. (TNGX) Discusses Promising Clinical Results for Vopimetostat and Pan-RAS Inhibitor Combination in MTAP-Deleted Pancreatic Cancer - Slideshow Equillium, Inc. (EQ) Discusses Mechanistic Insights Linking AhR Signaling and miR-124 in Inflammatory Disease - Slideshow GSK to buy Nuvalent for ...
Wayve Technologies Ltd. , the UK-based autonomous driving software startup, is considering letting investors sell shares through the country’s new private securities market, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be the first major endorsement of the novel system. The startup, last valued at $8.6 billion in a funding round in February, is looking to allow investors to sell sha...
Wayve Technologies Ltd. , the UK-based autonomous driving software startup, is considering letting investors sell shares through the country’s new private securities market, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be the first major endorsement of the novel system. The startup, last valued at $8.6 billion in a funding round in February, is looking to allow investors to sell shares on the trading platform for private companies operated by London Stock Exchange Group Plc , the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private matters. It still needs shareholders to vote to approve the planned sale, one of the people said. No final decisions have been made, and there’s no certainty that a transaction will take place, the people said. A representative for Wayve declined to comment. Read more: Self-Driving Startup Wayve Raises $1.5 Billion for Robotaxi Wars Wayve, whose backers include Mercedes-Benz Group AG , Nvidia Corp. and Uber Technologies Inc. , would be the largest company of the few that have used Britain’s Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System. The use of the framework by a high-profile startup will work to ease concerns that Pisces may not attract the buzzy companies it was designed for. The UK introduced Pisces last year, describing it as the world’s first regulated private stock market. Shareholders in an unlisted company can opt to sell shares using an auction process similar to a public market. LSEG operates the main Pisces trading platform, but there are others. The framework was partly intended to help prevent the UK’s top technology companies from drifting overseas, particularly to the US. By making it easier for investors to sell shares, a company’s shareholder register is likely to retain a more UK-based focus. That, in turn, could prevent shareholders from lobbying for a US listing if the company eventually seeks an initial public offering. As startups have delayed going public, investors have been s...
undefined China’s exports rose 19.4% year-on-year in dollar terms in May, beating expectations and extending strong gains driven by global demand for AI infrastructure, while traditional consumer goods remained weak. Imports climbed 27.4% last month, according to customs data released Tuesday. The trade surplus widened to $105.4 billion. Both growth figures beat expectations in a Caixin survey of ...
undefined China’s exports rose 19.4% year-on-year in dollar terms in May, beating expectations and extending strong gains driven by global demand for AI infrastructure, while traditional consumer goods remained weak. Imports climbed 27.4% last month, according to customs data released Tuesday. The trade surplus widened to $105.4 billion. Both growth figures beat expectations in a Caixin survey of 11 domestic and international institutions, which forecast average export growth of 13.3% and import growth of 23.8%. Year-on-year change in dollar terms China’s Strong Trade Growth Sources: General Administration of Customs, CEIC -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40% July May 27.4% Imports High-tech products tied to AI drove the export surge. Integrated circuits and automatic data processing equipment posted the fastest growth, rising 110.9% and 66.1%, respectively. Integrated circuit export volumes rose only modestly, pointing to price effects.
The Pentagon added tech giants Alibaba and Baidu and carmaker BYD to a blacklist of Chinese companies with military ties amid widening competition between the world’s two largest economies. Drug maker WuXi AppTec, robot company Unitree and carmaker Nio were among other businesses added to the 1260H list, according to a US Department of Defence notice. Some Chinese companies no longer operating in ...
The Pentagon added tech giants Alibaba and Baidu and carmaker BYD to a blacklist of Chinese companies with military ties amid widening competition between the world’s two largest economies. Drug maker WuXi AppTec, robot company Unitree and carmaker Nio were among other businesses added to the 1260H list, according to a US Department of Defence notice. Some Chinese companies no longer operating in the United States were removed in the annual update. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. The...
World’s first prefabricated computing base opens The world’s first prefabricated computing center base began operations in Qingdao, Shandong province. Unlike traditional bases, the facility connects directly to the green power grid to achieve 100% renewable energy consumption, cutting the electricity cost of processing artificial intelligence tokens by about 30%. It also coordinates with energy-st...
World’s first prefabricated computing base opens The world’s first prefabricated computing center base began operations in Qingdao, Shandong province. Unlike traditional bases, the facility connects directly to the green power grid to achieve 100% renewable energy consumption, cutting the electricity cost of processing artificial intelligence tokens by about 30%. It also coordinates with energy-storage equipment to create a smart power computing synergy system that could further reduce computing costs.
In a reversal of fortune, oil companies in Colombia, where outgoing president Gustavo Petro has all but barred exploration for the last four years, are scoping out Venezuela. Two decades ago, Venezuelan oil executives and engineers rushed into Colombia to escape their country’s declining state-run energy industry, asset seizures and political purges. Colombia beckoned with similar geology, cultura...
In a reversal of fortune, oil companies in Colombia, where outgoing president Gustavo Petro has all but barred exploration for the last four years, are scoping out Venezuela. Two decades ago, Venezuelan oil executives and engineers rushed into Colombia to escape their country’s declining state-run energy industry, asset seizures and political purges. Colombia beckoned with similar geology, cultural affinity and historic ties. As Venezuela shakes off sanctions and reopens to investment this year, it’s now the Colombian oil sector’s turn to look across the border for opportunities they’ve lost at home. Even though Petro’s soon-to-be-elected successor could upend his green agenda, Colombian oil executives are taking no chances, and are still looking east to revive their business. They’re now poised to play a starring role in Venezuela’s revival. Venezuela’s oil reserves dwarf Colombia’s, yet chronic mismanagement drove down production following socialist president Hugo Chávez ’s rise to power in 1999. After the US imposed oil sanctions on Caracas in 2019, Colombia was pumping twice as much oil as its neighbor. Now the trends are moving in the opposite direction. One company preparing to harness the momentum is Independence Drilling, Colombia’s biggest drilling contractor. A day after US forces captured Chávez successor Nicolás Maduro on January 3, José Miguel Saab, who heads commercial operations at Independence, says he got a call from an industry friend in Venezuela. “We need you here,” he recalls being told. Operating in Venezuela is no easy feat, veteran oilmen say. Just securing diesel to operate trucks and drilling pumps presents a logistical hurdle in a country plagued by fuel shortages and accident-prone pipelines and refineries. “Venezuela’s reconstruction will take time, but the first thing that will kickstart it is oil services, because they have to get the crude to the surface to sell it,” Saab said in an interview. Like many Colombian companies, Independen...
Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) just got destroyed. There's no softer way to say it. On May 27, shares of the smart transportation company collapsed more than 70% in a single trading session — wiping out roughly $1.4 billion in market capitalization in a matter of hours — after Avis Budget Group delivered a termination notice, ending a commercial services contract effective September 2026. For a com...
Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) just got destroyed. There's no softer way to say it. On May 27, shares of the smart transportation company collapsed more than 70% in a single trading session — wiping out roughly $1.4 billion in market capitalization in a matter of hours — after Avis Budget Group delivered a termination notice, ending a commercial services contract effective September 2026. For a company that had been quietly building recurring-revenue infrastructure for transportation , tollways, rental fleets, and school bus safety programs, it was a gut punch that re-priced everything the market thought it knew about Verra Mobility. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
BlackRock Inc. ’s Global Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd . are among private equity firms shortlisted to buy a stake in a Kuwaiti pipeline network, indicating sustained interest for marquee Gulf assets despite a monthslong war that’s impacted regional production and roiled energy markets globally. Kuwait Petroleum Corp. also picked other contenders to proceed to the nex...
BlackRock Inc. ’s Global Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd . are among private equity firms shortlisted to buy a stake in a Kuwaiti pipeline network, indicating sustained interest for marquee Gulf assets despite a monthslong war that’s impacted regional production and roiled energy markets globally. Kuwait Petroleum Corp. also picked other contenders to proceed to the next round of bidding, including EIG Global Energy Partners LLC , Apollo Global Management Inc. and KKR & Co. , according to people familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified as the information is confidential. The OPEC member has been working with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Centerview Partners LLC to lease part of its pipeline network. KPC could raise around $7.5 billion from the deal and is expected to receive the next round of bids later this month, some of the people said. Deals similar to those being considered by KPC have become increasingly popular with Gulf governments seeking to diversify their economies. Such transactions are typically structured to allow regional oil producers to tap global institutional capital while retaining control over key assets. Read More: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Seek to Pursue Energy Deals Despite War Kuwait had started work on the deal months before the war began in a renewed push to draw in foreign investors, many of whom have flocked to neighboring countries in recent years. Representatives for KPC didn’t respond to requests for comment, while Apollo, Brookfield, EIG, GIP and KKR declined to comment. The lineup of bidders indicates Wall Street’s continuing appetite for dealmaking in the Middle East three months into a regional war. In that time, Kuwait has taken multiple hits, including to two of its refineries and even KPC’s headquarters, and had to cut production as storage tanks filled up amid a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Crude oil output remains at levels last seen in the early 1990s after the Iraqi invasion, though offi...