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Factbox-Stranded assets: How many billions are stuck in Russia?

Published

3 years ago

March 3, 2022

So far global companies, banks and investors have announced that they have exposure in some form to Russia of more than $110 billion. That number could rise. Data from research firm Morningstar, meanwhile, shows exposure from international funds to the tune of $60 billion in stocks and bonds.

Here is a breakdown of what we know so far as Western sanctions grip Russia’s economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine.:

STOCKS AND BONDS – ESTIMATED $60 BLN FROM MUTUAL FUNDS AND ETF

Overseas investors in Russia have tens of billions invested in the country’s stocks and bonds, according to Morningstar data. U.S. asset managers like Capital Group, Black rock and Vanguard disclosed large exposures, according to the most recent portfolio information available to the research firm.

Disclosures cover a period starting September 2021 through to Feb. 25 this year. They total over $60 billion when considering the top 100 open-end funds and exchange-traded funds worldwide in terms of estimated U.S. dollar exposure to Russian securities, according to Morningstar data.

Of these, some of the biggest were Capital Group Companies Inc, one of the world’s largest investment management companies, Vanguard and PIMCO and BlackRock.

DEBT SECURITIES – $79 BLN

JPM analysts said in a research note that foreigners own around $79 billion of Russia’s debt securities, including local currency Offs, sovereign hard currency euro bonds and corporate hard currency eurobonds.

BANKS – AROUND $78 BLN EXPOSURE DISCLOSED

Bank of International Settlements data https://stats.bis.org/statx/srs/table/B4?c=RU&p= show that foreign banks have exposure to the tune of $120 billion to Russia. In Europe, Italian and French banks have the largest Russian exposure, representing just over $25 billion each at the end of September, the data says. The exposure of U.S. banks totals $14.7 billion, according to BIS data.

Of those that have announced exposure:

Raiffeisen Bank International RBIV.VI overall Russian exposure totalled 22.85 billion euros ($25 billion), more than half relating to the corporate private sector, it said in its 2021 results presentation.

Societe Generale, which controls Russian bank Rosbank, had 18.6 billion euros ($20.5 billion) of overall exposure to Russia at the end of last year – or 1.7% of the group total.

Unicredit UniCredit’s overall exposure to Russia totalled 14.2 billion euros ($15.7 billion) as of mid-2021. That includes 8 billion euros in loans extended by its Russian arm.

Intesa Sanpaolo ISP.MI Italy’s biggest bank, loan exposure to Russia was 5.57 billion euros ($6 billion) at the end of 2021, or 1.1% of the total.

Of the U.S. banks, Citi announced total exposure of nearly $10 billion.

As a comparison, Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS.N reported in a filing last month $293 million in net exposure to Russia, as well as a total of $414 million of market exposure as of December 2021.

EXXON MOBIL – $4 BLN EXPOSURE

Exxon Mobil on Tuesday said it would exit Russia oil and gas operations that it has valued at more than $4 billion and halt new investment as a result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

BP – $25 BLN EXPOSURE

BP announced it was abandoning its stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft. Rosneft accounts for around half of BP’s oil and gas reserves and a third of its production and divesting the 19.75% stake will result in charges of up to $25 billion, the British company said.

SHELL – $3 BLN EXPOSURE

Shell will exit all its Russian operations. Shell said the decision to exit Russian joint ventures will lead to impairments. Shell had around $3 billion in non-current assets in these ventures in Russia at the end of 2021, it said.

NORWAY’S SWF – $3 BLN EXPOSURE

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has written off the value off the roughly $3 billion in assets it held in Russia. The fund held investments in Russia worth some 27 billion crowns ($3.0 billion) at the end of 2021, equivalent to 0.2% of its total value, but now likely worth 2.5 billion crowns. The fund’s Russian assets consisted of shares in 51 companies at the end of 2021. The most valuable stakes were in gas producer Gazprom, bank Sberbank and oil firm Lukoil, which together accounted for two-thirds of the total.

“They are pretty much written off,” CEO Nicolai Tangen later told Reuters on Thursday, after Norway’s government told the fund to sell the assets.

CALSTRS – $171.5 MLN

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), the second-largest U.S. pension fund, said on Wednesday the value of its holding in Russia as of the end of February was $171.5 million.

CALPERS – $900 MLN

CalPERS, which manages the largest U.S. public pension fund, said late on Thursday that the fund had around $900 million of exposure to Russia, but no Russian debt.

(Reporting by Reuters correspondents globally; Additional reporting by Davide Barbuscia in New York and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Compiled by Megan Davies; Edited by Alistair Bell)

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‘It’s literally incredible’: Swifties line up for merch ahead of Toronto concerts

Published

1 hour ago

November 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans lined up outside the gates of Toronto’s Rogers Centre Wednesday, with hopes of snagging some of the pop star’s merchandise on the eve of the first of her six sold-out shows in the city.

Swift is slated to perform at the venue from Thursday to Saturday, and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, with concert merchandise available for sale on some non-show days.

Swifties were all smiles as they left the merch shop, their arms full of sweaters and posters bearing pictures of the star and her Eras Tour logo.

Among them was Zoe Haronitis, 22, who said she waited in line for about two hours to get $300 worth of merchandise, including some apparel for her friends.

Haronitis endured the autumn cold and the hefty price tag even though she hasn’t secured a concert ticket. She said she’s hunting down a resale ticket and plans to spend up to $600.

“I haven’t really budgeted anything,” Haronitis said. “I don’t care how much money I spent. That was kind of my mindset.”

The megastar’s merchandise costs up to $115 for a sweater, and $30 for tote bags and other accessories.

Rachel Renwick, 28, also waited a couple of hours in line for merchandise, but only spent about $70 after learning that a coveted blue sweater and a crewneck had been snatched up by other eager fans before she got to the shop. She had been prepared to spend much more, she said.

“The two prized items sold out. I think a lot more damage would have been done,” Renwick said, adding she’s still determined to buy a sweater at a later date.

Renwick estimated she’s spent about $500 in total on “all-things Eras Tour,” including her concert outfit and merchandise.

The long queue for Swift merch is just a snapshot of what the city will see in the coming days. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto will be in town during the concert period.

Tens of thousands more are also expected to attend Taylgate’24, an unofficial Swiftie fan event scheduled to be held at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Destination Toronto has said it anticipates the economic impact of the Eras Tour could grow to $282 million as the money continues to circulate.

But for fans like Haronitis, the experience in Toronto comes down to the Swiftie community. Knowing that Swift is going to be in the city for six shows and seeing hundreds gather just for merchandise is “awesome,” she said.

Even though Haronitis hasn’t officially bought her ticket yet, she said she’s excited to see the megastar.

“It’s literally incredible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

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Via Rail seeks judicial review on CN’s speed restrictions

Published

1 hour ago

November 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

OTTAWA – Via Rail is asking for a judicial review on the reasons why Canadian National Railway Co. has imposed speed restrictions on its new passenger trains.

The Crown corporation says it is seeking the review from the Federal Court after many attempts at dialogue with the company did not yield valid reasoning for the change.

It says the restrictions imposed last month are causing daily delays on Via Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor, affecting thousands of passengers and damaging Via Rail’s reputation with travellers.

CN says in a statement that it imposed the restrictions at rail crossings given the industry’s experience and known risks associated with similar trains.

The company says Via has asked the courts to weigh in even though Via has agreed to buy the equipment needed to permanently fix the issues.

Via said in October that no incidents at level crossings have been reported in the two years since it put 16 Siemens Venture trains into operation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CN)

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Japanese owner of 7-Eleven receives another offer to rival Couche-Tard bid

Published

1 hour ago

November 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

LAVAL, Que. – The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven says it has received a new management buyout proposal from a member of the family that helped found the company, offering an alternative to the takeover bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

The proposal for Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. is being made by Junro Ito, who is a vice-president and director of the company, and Ito-Kogyo Co. Ltd., a private company affiliated with him.

Terms of the non-binding offer by Ito were not disclosed.

In a statement Wednesday, Seven & i said its special committee has been reviewing the proposal with its financial advisers.

Stephen Hayes Dacus, chair of the special committee and board of directors of the company, said the company is committed to an objective review of all alternatives as it considers the proposals from Ito and Couche-Tard as well as the company’s stand-alone opportunities.

“The special committee and the company board will continue to engage with all parties in a manner designed to maximize value and will continue to act in the best interests of the company’s shareholders and other stakeholders,” he said in a statement.

The company noted that Ito has been excluded from all discussions within the company related to the offer and the bid by Couche-Tard.

Quebec-based Couche-Tard made a revised offer for Seven & i last month after an earlier proposal was rebuffed by the Japanese firm because it was too low and did not fully address U.S. regulatory concerns.

It did not respond to a request for comment about Ito’s offer.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Irene Nattel said the latest development underscored her belief that a Couche-Tard deal with Seven & i is a “low probability event.”

“Assuming attractive pricing and a fully-funded transaction, the potential privatization from a friendly Japanese group would seemingly provide investors with the value creation event they seek,” said Nattel, adding that it would skirt potential competition issues in the U.S. and concerns around the foreign takeover of a core local entity for Japanese regulators.

Couche-Tard has argued its proposal offers clear strategic and financial benefits and has said it believes the two companies can reach a mutually agreeable transaction.

However, the Japanese company has said there are multiple and significant challenges such a transaction would face from U.S. competition regulators.

Couche-Tard operates across 31 countries, with more than 16,800 stores. A successful deal with Seven & i could add 85,800 stores to its network.

Seven & i owns not only the 7-Eleven chain, but also supermarkets, food producers, household goods retailers and financial services companies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ATD)

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