AMETOS Updates
In times of crisis, knowledge and Intelligence are foundation of every successful endeavor. We provide unique premium intelligence services that combines innovation, skill, unique intelligence methods and out of the box thinking. Our team of expert analysts can focus and deep dive into any specific countries, regions or Covid-19 related topics you wish to focus on
In times of crisis, knowledge and Intelligence are foundation of every successful endeavor.
We provide unique premium intelligence services that combines innovation, skill, unique intelligence methods and out of the box thinking.
Our team of expert analysts can focus and deep dive into any specific countries, regions or Covid-19 related topics you wish to focus on
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AMETOS Updates
In times of crisis, knowledge and Intelligence are foundation of every successful endeavor. We provide unique premium intelligence services that combines innovation, skill, unique intelligence methods and out of the box thinking. Our team of expert analysts can focus and deep dive into any specific countries, regions or Covid-19 related topics you wish to focus on
This is where global investors are placing bets right now
- More than $8tn has been thrown at the Covid-19 crisis by governments around the globe and hundreds of billions more by central banks. That means investors are finding a swath of opportunities.
- Credit: Investment-grade credit is well supported by central banks and offers a good way to add risk assets to portfolios. The Fed
Fund managers pile into $65bn Covid-19 bond market
- A new coronavirus bond market has reached $65bn in just a few months and is set to top $100bn, as companies and governments rush to issue debt to help ease the effects of the pandemic.
- Issuers include the World Bank
COVID-19 may never go away: WHO official
- There is a possibility that the coronavirus will just become another epidemic in the communities of the world and
American gets most as biggest airlines win bulk of U.S. aid
- Five major airlines have received the lion
Strategists query sudden
Chinese companies rush to exploit global medical equipment shortages
- International demand for protective personal equipment and medical devices such as ventilators and patient monitors has quickly exceeded the productive capacity of most countries.
- Existing Chinese medical equipment producers were joined by newcomers such as Kanou, with sometimes mixed results, leading to rising complaints about faulty Chinesemade equipment in some markets, however not hurting sales.
- Based in Wuhan, Zoncare began receiving a flood of inquiries in late February from foreign buyers in countries ranging from Spain to Saudi Arabia. The company began running its assembly lines 14 hours a day and increased weekly output sixfold.
- Lower wages allow the company to charge about half what their US and European competitors do for machines that provide 70-80% of the functionality of western brands.
UK PLC cuts dividends by
Coal snags $31m in U.S. stimulus loans for small business
- Stimulus loans meant to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic are being doled out to coal companies, stoking criticism from environmentalists that the Trump administration is using the aid to help a preferred industry that was already in financial trouble.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration has given more than $31 million in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program to publicly-traded coal mining companies, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
- Among the recipients are Ramaco Resources, Rhino Resource Partners LP, Hallador Energy Co. and American Resources Corp.
- Opponents of the coal industry say its receipt of Paycheck Protection Program funding defies the purpose of a program established to help businesses survive the economic downturn brought on by the pandemic.
German court ruling casts doubt on European monetary policy
- A bombshell ruling by Germany
VP at Amazon Web Services resigns over whistleblower firings
- A senior software engineer at Amazon has quit in protest at the firing of whistleblowers who had raised concerns about the safety of the company
Virus-hit economies brace for second wave of job losses
- A second wave of job losses could hit developed economies even when governments begin to lift lockdowns, as businesses reassess their ability to operate in an era of continued social distancing.
- Figures released this week showed the mounting damage to labor markets resulting from measures to slow the spread of coronavirus.
- The International Labor Organization, a UN agency, has forecast that the immediate fall in working hours in the second quarter of 2020 will be equivalent to the loss of more than 300m full-time jobs.
- Now most economists expect the short-term hit to GDP to be larger, and the recovery more drawn-out, than governments had initially hoped.
- Companies in the most exposed sectors are starting to recognize that they will be unable to return to business as usual and are facing up to the need for large scale redundancies.
Oil traders turn to salt caves and train cars in storage crisis
- From salt caverns in Sweden to train cars in Chicago, oil traders spent the past two months stuffing unwanted crude into any available space after demand collapsed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Traders called on locations they usually ignored, including barges on rivers normally used for making relatively small deliveries to inland markets. Rail cars were filled up and so were
How Big Banks Decided The Futures Of America’s Small Businesses
- Out-dated government tech, preferential treatment, and a lack of preparation led to the exhaustion of the U.S.
Confidence evaporates among Europe
China struggles with sharp rise in unemployment
- China is struggling to cope with a rise in unemployment in the wake of the coronavirus, with payment of benefits stalling and questions being raised about the real number of jobless claims in the country.
- Beijing has lifted restrictions on most regions in a bid to restart the economy. But some analysts say the country
As oil plunges, bankruptcies loom for private equity portfolio companies
- Oil has plummeted to its lowest levels in nearly four decades. And some small crude producers, many of them backed by private equity, stand to lose the most.
- The price on the May futures contract of WTI, the US benchmark crude, closed at a new low of minus $37.63 a barrel, down some 300%, Monday. It finally closed on Tuesday at $10 a barrel. Crude barrels were priced at more than $60 apiece in January.
- This latest price dip could spell doom for many US oil producers, since it’s nearly impossible to turn a profit at $30 per barrel, much less sub-zero prices. Those most likely to face bankruptcy are small independent producers, which operate under higher capital costs than integrated giants like Exxon Mobil or BP
- Despite the deeply uncertain future ahead for energy investors as portions of their portfolios may face bankruptcy, oil deals won’t disappear as a result of this crisis.
Coronavirus has wiped out more than 90% of international flights
- Airlines have cut international capacity to just half a million seats a week from an average of 5.9 million before the coronavirus shut borders and decimated travel demand.
- Strong domestic capacity has at least helped stem declines in countries such as the U.S., Japan and Indonesia, though demand is lacking. Nearly 9 in every 10 seats scheduled this week will be on domestic flights.
- Total capacity for international and domestic routes has dropped to 29.8 million seats, down more than 70% from January, and could slide below 29 million next week as some more cuts are expected from major carriers.
Prague Airport says thwarted several cyber attacks; hospitals also targeted
- Prague Airport and a regional Czech hospital said on Saturday they had thwarted cyber attacks on their IT networks, reinforcing warnings by the national cyber security watchdog of likely attempts to harm the country
Emerging economies call for more financial help after G20 deal
- Rich countries are facing calls to offer more support to the developing world in the fight against coronavirus, after the G20 agreed this week to freeze bilateral loan repayments for 76 countries until the end of this year.
- Many emerging economies not covered by the agreement such as Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Chile, will be among the hardest hit by the pandemic shock.
- They have appealed to institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank to double net lending to Latin America and the Caribbean and to the IMF to expand its liquid assets known as special drawing rights
Governments face
European CEOs, ministers start campaign for
World economy faces $5 trillion hit
- The corona virus pandemic is set to rob the global economy of more than $5 trillion of growth over the next two years, greater than the annual output of Japan
- Although the downturn is predicted to be short-lived, it
Investment banks brace for pandemic earnings wipeout
- Global investment banks risk are seeing their annual earnings wiped out by the coronavirus crisis, with European banks more vulnerable than their more profitable US counterparts.
- Even the most optimistic
Eurozone finance ministers fail to agree on joint stimulus measures
- Eurozone finance ministers failed to agree a common position on measures to relaunch their economies after the coronavirus crisis, and will meet again on Thursday
Big Banks’ Dividend Dilemma
- Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO, presented a cautious tone on an issue generating intense heat in the corporate world: the payment or not of dividends.
- Companies around the world
Post-Virus Gulf-Region Rebound? Not V Nor U, But L-Shaped
- Forecasters are debating whether the global downturn from the Covid-19 outbreak is going to be short (V-shaped) or protracted (Ushaped), but for the Gulf Cooperation Council consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE the slump could be L-shaped, with growth permanently shifting to a lower level.
- On every metric, the economies are weaker today than before the last oil price shock in 2014: non-oil growth is slower, reserves are lower, debt is higher and deficits are wider.
- Non-oil growth in Saudi Arabia, the largest GCC economy, will probably fall to -2% this year — the first contraction in more than three decades.
Biotech-focused Venture Capital firms raise billions
- The corona virus outbreak didn’t stop two healthcare-focused VC firms from unveiling new mega-funds that could potentially make bets on companies developing corona virus-focused therapeutics and vaccines.
- ARCH Venture Partners has raised $1.46bn for its 10th flagship fund and a related overage fund, both of which will be dedicated to early-stage biotech companies. The firm already backs companies working on COVID-19 therapeutics, as well as Twist Bioscience, a developer of gene engineering tools used in COVID-19 vaccines.
- Life sciences firm Flagship Pioneering has raised $1.1bn for its seventh origination Fund, which it will use to help create new biotech companies within its labs unit. The vehicle will focus in part on startups developing therapies intended to improve societal health defenses before diseases escalate.
- In an effort to extend cash runways, several biotech companies have begun to halt or reassess their drug development and clinical trial budgets.
Pandemic Turns Europe
Corona virus epidemic is reshaping the global economy
- For private equity that means first looking to secure current investments before sourcing new deals.
- Financial analysts have stated that going forward, median time to exit will likely be driven up as firms hold companies rather than sell at a discount.
- Fundraising will continue its slowdown, and prospective investors in nascent funds are likely to be more risk-averse.
- GPs are likely to pursue carveouts, divestitures and PIPE deals in greater numbers.
March 2020 is probably one of the most dramatic months for policymaking
- In early March, the US fiscal response was $8bn, which the White House said was too much. The figure is now $2tn, 10% of GDP. Germany, too, has announced a huge supplementary fiscal package which will be funded by
Extensive blank sailings have left no empty containers available at European ports
- extreme measures implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 could delay the recovery of container demand.
- Container xChange’s Container Availability Index (CAx), which forecasts the availability of containers in particular ports shows there is almost no container equipment in Europe and North America as a result of withdrawn capacity and the inability of carriers to turn around boxes and position them where they are needed.
- Empty containers stacked up in Chinese yards are waiting for demand to return, and while US imports from China are increasing, demand from Europe in the short term is looking increasingly uncertain.
Oil Industry Faces Biggest Crisis in 100 Years
- In normal times the world consumes 100m barrels a day.
- The pandemic could leave a mark on already stuttering oil demand growth: International travel will take time to recover; Companies and employees who adapt successfully to working from home are likely to make it a bigger part of their future, keeping more cars off the road
US Congressional Leaders Agree On $2tn Stimulus Deal
US lawmakers have struck a $2tn stimulus deal to provide economic relief to American taxpayers and businesses hit by the corona-virus pandemic, in what stands to be the largest congressional bailout in US history.
Forged through late-night talks that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning, the draft package amounts to the world
