
China Lenders Rush to Sell Riskiest Debt to Catch Low Yields
Overall, issuance of capital bonds, including high-yielding subordinated debt, rose 23% to a record 638.7 billion yuan ($88.95 billion) in the second quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The average coupon on Tier-2 bonds fell to 2.35% and to 2.31% on perpetual debt, both the lowest since records began in 2009.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Strategy Earned $10B in Q2 on Back of Bitcoin Price Gain
Strategy (MSTR), the largest corporate holder of bitcoin (BTC), posted second-quarter operating earnings of $14 billion or $32.60 per share, and net income of $10 billion. The massive profit came as the price of bitcoin rose roughly 30% during the thre-month period. "Strategy has achieved a year-to-date BTC Yield of 25%, meeting our full year target well ahead of our initial timeline," said CFOM Andrew Kang. "As a result, our BTC $ Gain now exceeds $13 billion, and the increase in the price of bitcoin in the second quarter drove second quarter operating income of $14 billion and Q2 diluted EPS of $32.60." Strategy, led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, continued executing its aggressive bitcoin accumulation plan, fueled by cash generated from the sale of its common and preferred stock issuances, bringing its stack to 628,791 bitcoin by the end of July. The company lifted its full-year bitcoin yield target to 30% and expects full-year operating income of $34 billion and net income of $24 billion, based on an expected year-end bitcoin price of $150,000. MSTR is up modestly in after hours trading to $408.25 and higher by 34% year-to-date.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hidden reality behind 'horrendous' prices at Aussie airports revealed: 'Comes at a cost'
Travellers have long complained about the price of food, drink and other items at the airport. It's not uncommon to pay close to $20 for a beer or a simple bacon and egg sandwich while you're waiting for your flight. A poll of more than 2,300 people found 63 per cent of travellers refuse to buy anything airside because it's a "rip off". It's a unique shopping and dining experience unlike the outside world, as you're essentially trapped once you've gone through security and customs. You might automatically think it's because of corporate greed. But, consumer expert Gary Mortimer told Yahoo Finance it's much deeper than that. RELATED 'Hidden' cost of using cash in Australia Centrelink pension warning for 4.3 million Aussies facing super nightmare Rare 50 cent coin sells for $3,050 due to 'unique' reason Aussies rage over $28 cost at the airport for just two items Reid Polak was recently shocked at how much it cost him for a quick and simple meal at an Aussie airport. "I got a burrito and a flat white for $28, and it was terrible," he said. "A 600ml water is $7.50. Just because you can charge more, doesn't mean you should." The revelation sparked fury among other travellers, with many calling out Aussie airports for unfairly imposing higher prices. "You're trapped there. It's horrendous," one person wrote. "How is price gouging okay at the airport but not anywhere else?" added another. Other travellers have similarly been forced to do a double-take when they found out how much simple items would woman said she was charged $35 at Perth Airport for two separate purchases: $11 for a small coffee and bottle of water $24 for two rice paper rolls and a packet of chips If she had bought her meal outside the airport, she would've paid $5.45 for the first purchase, and about $16.05 for the second. Meanwhile, another traveller shared their outrage at being charged $10 for a single slice of banana bread at Melbourne Airport. Mortimer told Yahoo Finance it's easy to blame businesses for being greedy, but outlined the not-so-obvious costs businesses have to contend with to operate at an airport. Airport workers cost much more to onboard The QUT professor said staffing can be a huge cost to cafes, restaurants, and luxury designer brands inside an airport. Airports operate from early morning until late night, seven days a week. This means staff need to be rostered, including on weekends and public holidays. Comparatively, a cafe on the outside might open at 6am and close at 3pm, while a restaurant might open at 5pm and close at midnight. Airports can also be sent into disarray if there's a flight delay or cancellation. As a result, most airport businesses have to have enough staff on at all times to account for these instances. But there is another major consideration. "Imagine having a cafe inside a shopping centre. You can hire people all the time. They can park pretty easily to turn up at work. They can come and go as they please," Mortimer said. "An airport situation, there's security clearances that need to take place for staff, which comes at a cost." Airport workers have to have an Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) to get through the security checkpoints, as well as a national police check. The ASIC card can cost upwards of $240, which is usually the responsibility of the employer. The police check can cost $56, but if you need to give your fingerprints, that price jumps to $113. "When we think about the services sector, there's a high turnover, which means you're constantly having to recruit people for your airport business," Mortimer said. "They have to be security checked before they can go on to airside, which means, if they only last three months and then leave, there's more cost for you to actually put another person back on and go through that whole process again." Sourcing supplies more difficult at an airport The professor said this stringent security requirement for workers is also applied to all the goods that come into the airport each day. They have to be thoroughly screened and the delivery driver also has to be ASIC-certified. These extra steps can cause additional costs that have to be worn by the business. But Mortimer explained that airports can often charge businesses to perform regular audits to ensure all their supplies are up to scratch. "If you're a bistro and you sell meals, there are knives and forks and cutlery that can be used as weapons," he said. "So you need to keep running a tally of those products. If you lose a knife in the kitchen, you need to be able to find it." Not only that, but airports can also demand a percentage of revenue for the privilege of being in a highly sought-after commercial area. The World Tourism Forum said this is what's called "percentage rent", which contributes to vendors jacking up their prices to account for this extra cost. Simon Westaway, Australian Airports Association CEO, told Yahoo Finance that these "complex infrastructure and operations" that affect businesses often result in higher costs. But he stressed that airports across the country have tried to "enhance the passenger experience" by offering a wider range of shopping, dining, and service options.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oil Falls Below $70 as Sentiment Sours
A poor U.S. jobs report led to a broader sell-off on Friday, with leading stock indices falling from record highs. Friday, August 1st, 2025 Buoyed by Trump's Russia threats and news of Indian state refiners curbing purchases of Russian crude, crude oil futures have been trending above $70 per barrel throughout the week, settling on Friday slightly below the $71 mark. Towards the end of the week, sentiment has been sapped by expectations of yet another OPEC+ production hike, potentially even as high as 548,000 b/d, as the eight output-cutting countries aim to get rid of voluntary quota commitments. US Slaps New Sanctions on Chinese Ports. The US State Department stated it would impose sanctions on 20 entities it suspects of trading Iranian oil and petrochemical products, including the Chinese oil terminal Zhoushan Jinrun, the fourth port facility in China to be directly targeted by the US. Indian State-Owned Refiners Stop Russian Imports. India's state-controlled refiners have stopped buying Russian oil as discounts narrowed to just -$1 per barrel to Dubai, further disincentivized by Donald Trump's announced 25% tariff on India if the country continues its purchases of Russian crude. Saudi Budget Deficits Shrinks on Higher Oil. Buoyed by higher crude oil production on the heels of OPEC+ unwinding, Saudi Arabia's budget deficit shrank to $9.2 billion in Q2 2025, a 40% decline compared to the previous quarter, putting the kingdom's public debt at 370 billion. Trump Endorses Chevron's Venezuela Return. Confirming rumours from a week ago, the Trump administration has reportedly granted a sanctions waiver to US oil major Chevron (NYSE:CVX), allowing it to resume operations in Venezuela on the condition that no money reaches the Venezuelan state. China's Polysilicon Industry Launches Its Own Revamp. Top Chinese producers of polysilicon, a key component of solar panels, are reportedly negotiating a $7 billion plan to purchase and shut down a third of the country's production capacity, equivalent to 1 million tonnes per year, eyeing an industry revamp. LNG Canada Runs into Problems. Shell's (LON:SHEL) $40 billion LNG Canada is undergoing technical issues that halved its liquefaction capacity, with problems reported at the Kitimat plant's gas turbine and refrigerant production unit, prompting at least one LNG tanker to divert away from the facility. Egypt's Favourite Oil Majors Expand Their Presence. Seeking to kick-start rapidly depleting offshore gas fields, Egypt's state oil company EGPC signed a joint exploration deal with European oil majors ENI (BIT:ENI) and BP (NYSE:BP) to appraise the El Temsah block to the east of Chevron's Nargis discovery. New Zealand Wants to Drill for Oil Again. The government of New Zealand has lifted its 2018 ban on offshore drilling introduced by the Ardern government back in the day, with crude production in the country gradually declining over the past years due to lack of investments, to just 17,000 b/d. Power Outage Saps Freeport LNG Output. The US' Freeport LNG terminal has been running at 50% of its capacity after a power outage had put the entire plant offline on Wednesday, representing a 1.1 BCf per day loss for feedgas demand in the country as it reported seven outage events in July alone. Europe Mulls Pooling LNG Purchases from US. The European Commission suggested pooling LNG buying demand from European companies to ramp up imports of US-origin LNG in line with Brussels' $250 billion energy import commitment, seeking to create some negotiating leverage with US suppliers. Copper TACO Clears Chicago Premium. In a perfect example of a TACO trade, US copper futures plunged by 22% on Wednesday after the Trump administration exempted copper ores, concentrates and cathodes from its oft-hailed 50% copper import tariff, sending COMEX futures down to $9,650/mt. US Refiner Gets Slapped with Giant Penalty. US downstream giant Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) was mandated to pay $800 million in damages to biofuels producer Propel Fuels for stealing trade secrets under the guise of gathering due diligence for a potential acquisition, according to a California state court ruling. Egypt Eyes FSRU Start Next Week. Egypt's government announced that flows from its recently deployed LNG regasification vessel Energos Eskimo are expected to start next week, seeking to further ramp up LNG imports after taking in an all-time high of 1 million tonnes last month, doubling June imports. By Tom Kool for More Top Reads From this article on Sign in to access your portfolio