Headlines

Austrian prosecutors raided the home of Signa founder Rene Benko and his insolvent company’s headquarters as part of a fraud investigation, Bloomberg News reported. A lawyer for Benko confirmed the search of the residence on Tuesday and said his client was cooperating with authorities. “A search is currently being carried out on site in order to seize any documents relating to the allegations that have already been reported,” Norbert Wess said by email, referring to suspicions in the wake of Signa’s collapse. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment.

Mexico’s inflation accelerated more than expected in early June to move further above the central bank’s target, likely cementing a second straight pause by Banco de Mexico at its Thursday rate meeting, Bloomberg News reported. Consumer prices rose 4.78% in the first two weeks of the month from a year earlier, above the 4.73% median estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey and up from the 4.59% increase in the prior two-week period.

The price Japanese companies charge each other for services rose 2.5% in May from a year earlier, data showed on Tuesday, a sign prospects of steady wage increases are prompting more companies to pass on higher labour costs, Reuters reported. The year-on-year increase, however, slowed from the previous month's 2.7% gain, Bank of Japan (BOJ) data showed.

Inflation unexpectedly surged in Canada, a setback for policymakers as they weigh further interest rate cuts next month, Bloomberg News reported. The consumer price index rose 2.9% in May from a year ago, up from 2.7% a month earlier, primarily due to higher prices for services, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday in Ottawa. On a monthly basis, the index climbed 0.6%, versus expectations for a 0.3% gain and up from 0.5% in April. On a seasonally adjusted basis, inflation rose 0.3%.

A Hong Kong court gave Chinese property developer Kaisa Group a seven-week respite on Monday to finalise a debt restructuring plan, adjourning a hearing on a liquidation petition for what it said could be the last time, Reuters reported. The High Court adjourned the hearing to Aug. 12 after the petitioner representing a key group of bondholders agreed to Kaisa's request for more time. The Shenzhen-based developer has been working to restructure its offshore debt since defaulting on $12 billion in offshore debt payments in late 2021.

Businesses failed to remit to Ottawa billions of dollars in sales taxes they had collected from customers last year, new data shows, indicating financial difficulties as those companies are unable to keep up with their invoices, the Globe and Mail reported. The Canada Revenue Agency says there was $19.4 billion in GST and HST debt outstanding as of March 31, an increase of $3.2 billion from a year ago and double what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s the largest single-year figure in CRA data, which goes back a decade.

Infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) are enjoying immunity from insolvency proceedings and should be brought under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, a top official from SBI said on Friday, the Economic Times of India reported. Ashwini Kumar Tewari, the managing director of the bank, said lenders need the assurance of being able to recover their dues from InvITs in case of a default and added that they are in touch with the Reserve Bank and the government on the same.

Uttar Pradesh government’s rehabilitation package for developers of housing projects undergoing insolvency proceedings has been extended by two weeks, the Economic Times of India reported. Builders can opt for the package if they choose to withdraw their cases with National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) or in different courts, Noida Authority notified on Thursday. The rehabilitation package was introduced by the state government in December last year. It gave several concessions to developers including a two year interest waiver and penalties imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sri Lankan officials and global investors are expected to hold a second round of direct talks this week to agree on the restructuring of $12 billion in defaulted bonds, Bloomberg News reported. A group of bondholders, known as the steering committee, will continue to negotiate on the government’s new proposal in this round of the talks. The bondholders went “restricted,” meaning the conversations with the government are covered by temporary trading limitations because the topics under discussion may be market sensitive.

Ghana reached an agreement in principle with private creditors to restructure about $13 billion of debt, a key milestone in the West African country’s efforts to overhaul its loans. The nation’s bonds rallied, Bloomberg News reported. Under terms of an accord announced on Monday, investors accepted nominal losses of 37% on their holdings, according to a statement issued by the advisers to an international creditor committee and the government..