Investment
Canadian pension fund CDPQ puts brakes on China investment, Financial Times reports – Reuters
June 1 (Reuters) – Canada’s second-largest pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has stopped making private deals in China and will close its Shanghai office this year, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The news follows a May 8 parliamentary hearing in which several Canadian pensions, including CDPQ, were asked about their relationship with China as bilateral political tensions have intensified.
CDPQ is leading its regional investment efforts from Singapore, the report said, noting that it still has business interests in China.
“We paused private investments for some time already — and have focused on liquid markets, which is the majority of our two per cent total portfolio exposure to China. We expect this trend to continue,” the newspaper quoted CDPQ as saying in a statement.
CDPQ confirmed the Shanghai office closure later this year, but declined to comment further.
The Financial Times in February reported that Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC has reduced private investments in China.
During the May hearing, Michel Leduc, a senior manager at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), said China was an “important source” for its portfolio.
“We recognize that any investment in China needs to be handled with care, sophistication, and an acute understanding of the current political and geopolitical environment,” Leduc said.
A CPPIB spokesperson declined to comment further on Thursday.
In May, Canada’s C$211.1 billion ($157.87 billion) British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) said it had reduced exposure in China and Hong Kong by about 15% over two years and paused direct investments in China.
“Our current exposure in China is less than 5% of the overall BCI portfolio, the majority of which is through public markets and via indexed funds,” the asset manager said.
In April Canada’s third largest pension fund, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), also closed its China public equity investment team based in Hong Kong.
At the start of the year, OTPP said it was pausing future direct investments in private assets in China, citing geopolitical risk as a factor.
OTPP expects to name a new head of Asia-Pacific Private Capital Direct in the coming months to replace Raju Ruparelia who has left to pursue other opportunities, a spokesperson said by email.
($1 = 1.3372 Canadian dollars)
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Investment
Tesla shares soar more than 14% as Trump win is seen boosting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.
“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.”
Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.
Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.
Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.
In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.
The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.
And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.
Tesla began selling the software, which is called “Full Self-Driving,” nine years ago. But there are doubts about its reliability.
The stock is now showing a 16.1% gain for the year after rising the past two days.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Investment
S&P/TSX composite up more than 100 points, U.S. stock markets mixed
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Economy
S&P/TSX up more than 200 points, U.S. markets also higher
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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