Headlines

They don’t call it the Schatz for nothing. The term — market parlance for German two-year debt — means ‘darling’ in its native language. Little wonder, then, that this pocket of the eurozone government bond markets has become the centre of an intense love affair. Having fallen as low as minus 0.95 per cent in February, yields on the beloved debt now stand at a still eye-popping minus 0.84 per cent, the Financial Times reported. Buyers are clearly willing to wear a substantial nominal loss on this cherished asset.

Ukraine's largest steelmaker, Metinvest said on Wednesday steel and coke assets in territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists had been seized by rebels, the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story. "Metinvest does not expect any such seizure to have a negative effect on the implementation of its debt restructuring," the company said in a statement. Metinvest's bond holders and banks agreed a restructuring last month. Metinvest is part of the business empire of Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov.

Trade unions have acknowledged that the eradication of inefficiencies at Bus Éireann may result in some staff earning less than at present, the Irish Times reported. In letters to the company on Wednesday, they said that any losses incurred by members as part of any new survival plan could be addressed as part of future discussions. However, unions have insisted that Bus Éireann should continue to provide “industry-leading” terms and conditions for its employees.

The number of German companies filing for insolvency fell last year to the lowest level on record thanks to a prolonged upswing in Europe's biggest economy although the amount of creditor claims rose nearly 60 percent, data showed on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Just 21,518 companies registered for insolvency in 2016, down 7 percent in the seventh consecutive annual drop in numbers and the fewest since insolvency rules changed in 1999, the Federal Statistics Office said in a statement.

Volkswagen AG sought to draw a line under the diesel scandal that has locked it in crisis mode for more than a year, with sweeping restructuring efforts starting to take hold and profitability improving at the namesake car brand, Bloomberg News reported. While Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller acknowledged Tuesday that emissions lawsuits will continue to preoccupy the automaker for many years, he said the company is “back on track” and in a position to push ahead with tackling an “epochal shift” in the auto industry.

Britain's plans to leave the European Union threaten to cause Ireland all kinds of economic and security headaches. But a silver lining is expanding daily along the crane-filled banks of the River Liffey, a likely post-Brexit refuge for British banking operations, the International New York Times reported on an Associated Press story. Dublin's financial district barely existed three decades ago but today stretches for nearly a mile on both banks of the river. More than 60 construction cranes are erecting future high-rise offices, hotels and apartments along the riverfront.

Nagpur-based Gupta Coal India has filed for insolvency at the National Company Law Tribunal. The petition says there are liabilities of Rs2,580 crore towards eight major banks, the Business Standard reported. A source told this newspaper, “Allahabad Bank, ICICI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Union Bank of India, Vijaya Bank, IDBI Bank, Punjab National Bank and Bank of India are lenders.” Gupta Coal supplied to power generating companies, including Monnet Ispat Energy. This is one of the biggest amounts in question in a petition fied since the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code took effect.

Just how much do you trust Venezuela? That’s the question to ask as $2 billion of bonds from the state-owned oil company that come due next month trade at about 95 cents on the dollar, Bloomberg News reported. Traders with nerves of steel might be able to bank a quick profit if all goes well and Petroleos de Venezuela SA honors the debt. But there’s always the chance that won’t happen. Venezuela investors have been on default watch for years now, racking up some of the world’s highest yields for dollar-denominated debt amidst the omnipresent threat that it will all go belly up at some point.

Consumer prices rose at their fastest level since 2012 in Spain, marking a fresh four-year high for the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, the Financial Times reported. Rises in transport and housing pushed Spain’s harmonized index of consumer prices up to 3 per cent in February from the same period the previous year. On a monthly basis, prices fell 0.3 per cent compared to January. Both figures were in line with initial estimates from Spain’s statistics office at the end of February.

Grupo Schahin said on Monday it can execute a reorganization plan after an appeals court favored the ailing Brazilian engineering and rig-leasing conglomerate over disgruntled creditors, according to a statement, Reuters reported. The reorganization, confirmed by a bankruptcy court a year ago, was challenged by a 13-bank consortium led by Itaú Unibanco SA, the statement said. Schahin's reorganization foresees repayment of 6.5 billion reais ($2 billion) of defaulted debt over a 15-year period, without any deductions, the company said.