Investors have poured more than $10bn into junk bond funds since early June, highlighting the intensity of their hunt for yield amid a big rally in the bond market. Net inflows into the asset class registered $2.3bn in the week to Wednesday, according to EPFR data, the Financial Times reported. That brought the boost over the past five weeks to $10.6bn, the largest increase over any such period since 2017.
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The two biggest banks in the Nordic region saw their market values shrink on Tuesday after publishing first-quarter results that disappointed investors, Bloomberg News reported. Danske Bank A/S said it now expects net interest income to be lower this year than in 2018 as the higher cost of funding brought on by its money-laundering scandal erodes its top line. Its shares plunged more than 7 percent after the market opened in Copenhagen. At Nordea Bank Abp, net interest income missed market expectations amid growing pressure from its biggest investors to boost revenue.
A total of 10 former employees of Danske Bank A/S in Estonia were apprehended over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported. Estonian prosecutors suspect they deliberately helped criminals from the former Soviet Union launder money, for personal gain. In Denmark, where Danske is the biggest bank, the government made clear it’s not in favor of clemency. “It’s very important to come down hard on this case,” Danish Business Minister Rasmus Jarlov told Bloomberg.
Finland’s Ahtium Oyj, previously named Talvivaara Mining Company, which ran a troubled nickel mine in northern Finland, has filed for bankruptcy after failing to secure financing for future projects, it said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Ahtium is the former owner of the mine that leaked waste water in 2012 and faced serious production problems, prompting the Finnish government to take control of the mine in 2015 in an effort to protect local jobs and the environment.
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Finland’s economy suffered its worst performance in five years in the second quarter of the year, falling into contraction for the first time since the depth of its woes back in 2012. A measure of adjusted year on year GDP fell 0.5 per cent in the three months to June, down from growth of 2.5 per cent at the start of the year, according to Statistics Finland. Outside the southern European member states, Finland has been one of the worst performing economies in the single currency area over the last decade.
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Finland’s economy stagnated in the last quarter of the year, with GDP growth falling flat at just 0 per cent in the three months to the end of December, the Financial Times reported. Outside its peers in the southern eurozone, Finland’s economy has been one of the worst performing in the 19-member bloc since the financial crisis struck in 2008.
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The Finnish-owned Hong Kong chain of discount stores applied to the Espoo District Court on Thursday for debt restructuring. The company’s 2016 books recorded 1.3 million euros in losses. The chain’s 27 department stores, most of which are located in the southern half of the country, will stay open during the proceedings. The Finnish chain of discount department stores that operate under the name Hong Kong has applied for debt restructuring in the face of major financial difficulties.
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Finnish metal component maker Componenta is seeking debt restructuring after failing to get funding to cover mounting losses in its Netherlands subsidiary, it said on Thursday. Componenta, which makes cast components for vehicle and machine manufacturers, said it was filing for restructuring for the Finnish parent company and Swedish subsidiaries and the Dutch subsidiary was filing for bankruptcy. Its subsidiary in Turkey, Componenta Dokumculuk Ticaret , will continue operations after securing local financing.
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Finland's Talvivaara Mining Company said on Friday it may face bankruptcy following the Finnish government's decision to pull back from a deal relating to a troubled nickel mine in northern Finland. Talvivaara is the former owner of the mine which leaked waste water in 2012 and faced serious production problems, prompting the government to take control of it last year in a bid to protect local jobs and the environment.
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Finland's Santa Claus Office has been declared bankrupt over unpaid taxes after a sharp drop in visits from recession-hit Russians, once the centre's best customers. But Managing Director Jarmo Kariniemi said he believed the company, which employs around 20 people, could yet avoid closure over its 200,000 euro ($223,980) tax bill. "We have one more week to come up with the money. I'm confident that we can handle this," said Kariniemi, whose firm offers the chance to be photographed with Santa for a fee.
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