Investment
TikTok was just the beginning: Trump administration is stepping up scrutiny of past Chinese tech investments
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The letters, which began landing in dozens of companies’ email inboxes in the spring, reflect the broadly held view among U.S. officials and lawmakers that the United States failed in recent years to adequately screen investments pouring in from China and other countries — particularly low-profile venture-capital investments that didn’t make the headlines. The 2018 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, or FIRRMA, aimed to address that by boosting CFIUS’s funding and powers.
Tech executives say the inquiries are part of a growing chill in U.S.-China relations that has made Silicon Valley companies more cautious about accepting foreign investments and caused some China-backed venture-capital funds to curb their activity.
The decoupling can be seen in data showing that Chinese venture-capital investment in the United States dropped to a six-year low in the first half of 2020, to $800 million, according to research provider Rhodium Group. VC investment by U.S. firms in China hit its lowest level in four years, at $1.3 billion.
Michael Borrus, the founding general partner of XSeed Capital, said CFIUS scrutiny is causing investors and companies to think twice about deals.
“We’ve had Chinese VCs or Chinese families who have been interested in putting money in” to some companies where XSeed Capital is a shareholder, Borrus said. “In the current environment, we’ve decided it’s too complicated.”
Start-ups decide which investments to accept, but existing shareholders often have a say in the matter, Borrus said. “You have discussions with companies, ‘You need to think about this very seriously, it could open you up to CFIUS investigations … if you have alternatives, you should consider them,’ ” he said. “They usually see the wisdom.”
In addition to boosting CFIUS’s work, the government is also sending national-security officials to visit venture capitalists and other tech leaders in Silicon Valley to advise them to exercise caution about accepting Chinese investments, industry executives say.
Some tech companies have overlooked the CFIUS emails because they are brief and cryptic, requesting a phone call to discuss a confidential matter, tech-industry lawyers said.
CFIUS is particularly focused on companies and apps that collect sensitive personal information on users, such as location or financial data, and on companies involved in technology seen as critical for national security, such as certain types of battery technology and biotechnology, lawyers said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The committee is mostly inquiring about Chinese investment, but on a few occasions has asked about Russian investors.
CFIUS, an interagency committee chaired by the Treasury Department, has several powers to influence foreign investments it sees as risky. The committee can impose conditions, such as limiting a foreign investor’s access to information on the company’s research and development, or mandating that the company’s board members be government-approved. In extreme cases, CFIUS can advise the parties to abandon or unwind a deal, or kick the matter up to the president for a formal ban or divestment order.
The Treasury Department declined to comment for this story.
CFIUS’s more aggressive role stems from the authority FIRRMA gave the committee to scrutinize more types of foreign investment, including minority shareholdings and real estate transactions. The legislation also gave CFIUS funds to set up a new enforcement arm.
The Treasury Department introduced the enforcement arm in a tweet this summer, linking to a Web page that included an email address where the public can send tips about transactions that might carry national-security risks.
The email tip line “has the potential to ratchet up CFIUS enforcement activity by giving commercial competitors a mechanism to create CFIUS troubles for their rivals seeking foreign investment,” the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati warned this summer.
The 2018 FIRMMA law made it mandatory for companies to report to CFIUS some investments involving foreign governments or certain technologies. Previously, it had been optional for companies to notify CFIUS of planned transactions. If they did and CFIUS cleared them, it protected the parties from further CFIUS interference. If they didn’t, they ran the risk CFIUS could take an interest in their deal after it closed and demand changes.
“CFIUS is increasingly contacting parties that didn’t make filings,” said Stephen Heifetz, a lawyer at Wilson Sonsini. “We’ve heard about matters going back almost 10 years. Historically, it was unusual for [CFIUS] to reach back more than three years. But there is in theory no time limitation, and we are increasingly hearing about long reach-back periods.”
CFIUS’s scrutiny of TikTok shows how a foreign investment can raise alarms years after the fact.
The committee only late last year began probing the November 2017 acquisition that helped TikTok’s owner build its U.S. presence. In that deal, Beijing-based ByteDance spent about $1 billion on a karaoke app, Musical.ly, that was popular with American tweens, and rebranded the app as TikTok.
TikTok’s quick rise in the U.S. was shadowed by signs that Beijing was influencing the videos that could appear on the app. In September 2019, The Washington Post reported that a search for “#hongkong” on TikTok yielded few images of the city’s pro-democracy protests, while such images were common on Twitter.
The Post also reported that ByteDance imposed strict rules on what could appear on the app, in keeping with China’s restrictive view of acceptable speech, a policy that sparked a backlash from the company’s U.S. employees.
In October 2019, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) asked CFIUS to review the 2017 Musical.ly acquisition out of concern that TikTok was “censoring content” around the world to satisfy Beijing’s leaders.
CFIUS opened a review the following month. In keeping with protocol, it did not publicly disclose the probe or the reasons behind it, but when it concluded its review nine months later, it suggested TikTok’s access to user data was a primary concern.
In August, the Treasury Department said CFIUS had advised President Trump to order ByteDance to divest its U.S. business.
“CFIUS conducted an exhaustive review of the case and unanimously recommended this action to the President in order to protect U.S. users from exploitation of their personal data,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
A Trump executive order that same day ordered ByteDance to sell within 90 days, a deadline that expires Nov. 12.
Source: – The Washington Post
Investment
MOF: Govt to establish high-level facilitation platform to oversee potential, approved strategic investments
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KUALA LUMPUR: A meeting with 70 financial fund investors and corporate members at the recently concluded Joint Investors Meeting in London has touched on the MADANI government’s immediate action to stimulate strategic investment in important technologies, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
In a statement today, it said that the government is serious about making investments a national agenda through the establishment of a high-level investment facilitation platform to ensure the implementation of potential and approved strategic investments through a “Whole of Government” approach.
Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan (pix), who led the Malaysian delegation to the Joint Investors Meeting from April 20 to 22, said that the National Investment Council (MPN) chaired by the Prime Minister is an integrated action that reflects how serious the government is in making Malaysia an investment hub in the region.
Among the immediate actions taken by the government is establishing the National Semiconductor Strategic Committee (NSSTF) to facilitate cooperation between the government, industry players, universities, and relevant stakeholders to place the Malaysian semiconductor industry at the forefront and ensure the continued growth of the electronics & electrical industry, especially the semiconductor sector, as a major contributor to the Malaysian economy.
The government also aims to empower Malaysia as a preferred green investment destination as well as remove barriers and bureaucracy in the provision and accessibility to renewable energy, especially for the new technology industry, including data centres, said Amir Hamzah.
He also said that the country’s investment prospects have reached an extraordinary level, with approved investments surging to RM329.5 billion in 2023 from RM268 billion in 2022.
He said about 74 per cent of manufacturing projects approved between 2021 and 2023 have been completed or are in process.
In addition, Amir Hamzah said the greater initial stage construction work completed in 2023 (RM31.5 billion) and 2022 (RM26.3 billion) shows a positive trend for future investment opportunities.
“From a total of 5,101 investment projects approved in 2023, as many as 81.2 per cent or 4,143 projects are in the services sector, 883 projects in the manufacturing sector, and 75 projects in other related sectors,” he said.
Before this, Amir Hamzah met with international investors in New York and Washington to clarify the direction of the implementation of the MADANI Economic framework to improve investors’ confidence in Malaysia’s economic level and strengthen the perception and investment sentiment of foreign investors towards the country.
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Compound interest is a thing of magic. It’s also one of your best bets if you’re looking to retire rich.
It might take time and patience but there’s not a whole lot of heavy lifting when it comes to a buy-and-hold investment strategy. What matters most is having decades of time in front of you, which will allow you to maximize the benefits of compounded returns. And, of course, choosing the right investments is equally important.
The magic of compound interest
With a decent return, building a million-dollar portfolio might not be as hard as you think. An initial investment of $15,000, returning 15% annually, would be worth just shy of $1 million in 30 years.
First off, 30 years is a long time, which means you’ll need to be planning your retirement far in advance. However, all it takes is one initial investment of $15,000 and the right stocks to build a $1 million portfolio.
Additionally, it’s important to remain realistic and acknowledge that a stock returning 15% annually is not exactly common. That being said, the TSX certainly has its share of dependable companies with track records of returning far more than just 15% per year.
I’ve put together a list of three Canadian stocks that are perfect for hands-off investors who are looking to retire rich.
Constellation Software
It will require a steep initial investment, but Constellation Software (TSX:CSU) is well worth its nearly $4,000-a-share price tag. When it comes to market-crushing returns, the tech stock has been in a league of its own over the past two decades.
Even as the company is now valued at a massive market cap of close to $80 billion, the impressive returns have continued. Shares are up more than 200% over the past five years. That’s good enough for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25%.
At a 25% annual return, a $15,000 investment would be worth a whopping $12 million in 30 years.
Descartes Systems
Descartes Systems (TSX:DSG) is another tech stock that’s no stranger to delivering market-beating returns. The company is also only valued at a market cap of $10 billion, leaving plenty of room for growth in the coming decades.
There’s a reason why Descartes Systems is one of the few tech stocks trading near all-time highs today. This stock is a proven winner, with lots of growth left in the tank.
Over the past five years, the stock has had a CAGR just shy of 20%.
goeasy
The last pick on my list is a beaten-down growth stock that’s trading at a serious discount.
The consumer-facing financial services provider has been hit by short-term headwinds from sky-high interest rates. With potential rate cuts around the corner though, now could be an excellent time to be loading up on goeasy (TSX:GSY).
Even with shares down 25% from all-time highs, the stock is still nearing a return of 300% over the past five years.
goeasy was crushing the market’s returns before the recent spike in interest rates, and there’s no reason to believe why the company won’t continue to do so for years to come.
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TORONTO, April 24, 2024 /CNW/ – Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust (the “REIT” or “Flagship“) (TSX: MHC.U) (TSX: MHC.UN) announced today that it has completed its previously announced public offering (the “Offering“) of 3,910,000 trust units (the “Units“) on a bought deal basis at a price of US$15.35 per Unit for total gross proceeds to the REIT of approximately US$60 million.
The Offering was completed through a syndicate of underwriters co-led by BMO Capital Markets and Canaccord Genuity Corp.
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The REIT intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund a portion of the approximately US$93 million aggregate purchase price for the REIT’s previously announced acquisition of seven manufactured housing communities comprising 1,253 lots (the “Acquisitions“) and for general business purposes. In the event the REIT is unable to consummate one or both of the Acquisitions, the REIT intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to fund future acquisitions and for general business purposes.
The REIT has also granted the underwriters an over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 586,500 Units on the same terms and conditions, exercisable at any time, in whole or in part, up to 30 days after the date hereof.
About Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust
Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust is a leading operator of affordable residential Manufactured Housing Communities primarily serving working families seeking affordable home ownership. The REIT owns and operates exceptional residential living experiences and investment opportunities in family-oriented communities in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois. To learn more about Flagship, visit www.flagshipcommunities.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that include forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws). Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “believe”, “anticipate”, “project”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “will”, “may”, “can”, “could”, “would”, “must”, “estimate”, “target”, “objective”, and other similar expressions, or negative versions thereof, and include statements herein concerning the use of the net proceeds of the Offering.
These forward-looking statements are based on the REIT’s expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections, as well as assumptions that are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in such forward-looking statements. While considered reasonable by management of the REIT as at the date of this news release, any of these expectations, estimates, forecasts, projections, or assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those expectations, estimates, forecasts, projections, or assumptions could be incorrect. Material factors and assumptions used by management of the REIT to develop the forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, that the conditions to closing of the Acquisitions will be met or waived in a timely manner and that both of the Acquisitions will be completed on the current agreed upon terms.
When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, the REIT cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, as they are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. A number of factors, many of which are beyond the REIT’s control, could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, such as the risks identified in the REIT’s management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 available on the REIT’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under the heading “Risks and Uncertainties” therein and the risk of the REIT’s plans with respect to debt bridge financing for the Acquisitions not being achieved as anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and, except as expressly required by applicable Canadian securities laws, the REIT assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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