Environment

Vietnam electric car whizz takes ambitious road

9 Feb 2022

Carmaker Vinfast is going all-electric and aims to sell overseas. The strategy combines conglomerate power through parent Vingroup with potential for a faster-than-expected shift to new energy vehicles in Southeast Asia. It maps a decent drive to a mooted $3 bln U.S. listing.

Capital Calls: Continental, Harley-Davidson

8 Feb 2022

Concise views on global finance: German car-parts maker Continental may spin off its self-driving unit, while the iconic maker of motorbikes has turned supply shortages to its own advantage.

Offshore wind power gets a tartan quantum leap

7 Feb 2022

The green energy’s drawback is its major use of scarce coastal shelf. Scotland’s recent auction of 15 gigawatts of floating turbines, enough to power 60% of UK homes, changes the game. The economies of scale created should make a nascent technology cost-competitive quicker.

Wall St can have $47 trln field day in wetlands

2 Feb 2022

Swamps, mangroves and reefs store surprising value. Some is tied to services like tourism but much comes from these ecosystems’ ability to suck up carbon and reduce flood risk. The headline number may be heady but creative financiers ready to dive in will find a deep opportunity.

Capital Calls: Netflix, Google-India

28 Jan 2022

Concise views on global finance: Netflix hints at deals by flagging the risks associated with potential acquisitions; Google’s $700 million investment in Bharti Airtel also reflects on Reliance.

The Exchange: Hydrogen wave

27 Jan 2022

Can green hydrogen decarbonise big chunks of our economies? Air Products CEO Seifi Ghasemi, who’s backing the carbon-free gas in a major Saudi Arabia project, thinks so. He tells Lisa Jucca how his $61 bln group plans to be the world’s top green hydrogen producer in five years.

ESG fervour is weathering its first big storm

27 Jan 2022

Despite a U.S. greenwashing probe, Germany’s 7 bln euro asset manager DWS is seeing further green inflows. Investors’ zeal for funds that tick ethical boxes is outdoing concerns about their fine print and performance relative to dirty funds. Yet the worries aren’t going away.

New backer would fuel Aussie hydrogen hype machine

25 Jan 2022

Fortescue’s ambitious plans to use the gas for renewable energy help it trade at a premium to mining peers. Scant detail raises concerns, however. Chair Andrew Forrest could ease them by selling a stake in the FFI green unit, as GM and Ford did with their self-driving outfits.

Serbia’s Rio smash dents EU electric-car dream

21 Jan 2022

The Balkan state nixed the $120 bln miner’s lithium project on environmental grounds. A looming election and spat over tennis ace Novak Djokovic didn’t help. Belgrade’s status as an investment destination is at stake. So are European hopes for reliable local battery ingredients.

New England chooses expensive dirty power

19 Jan 2022

Like Japan, the area has shut down nuclear plants and is relying more on gas, wind and solar. But unwillingness to build pipelines and upgrade electric transmission creates a system that is costlier, dirtier, and potentially more unstable than need be.

Review: A cautionary tale of bad climate investing

31 Dec 2021

“Don’t Look Up” has several flaws. But the satire about a giant comet heading for earth makes heroes of scientists, wallops politicians and the media and is often funny. Its warning not to put faith in flashy moonshots is also spot-on for companies grappling with global warming.

Climate M&A will shift from risk to opportunity

29 Dec 2021

Defensive and green-signalling plays dominate ESG-touted deals, like BHP’s coal sales and Santos’ Oil Search swoop. SPACs are active, too. Next will be more ambitious, impactful tie-ups, from banks upping their skills to firms like Autodesk and Ecolab being predator or prey.

Mammoth re-engineering project begins: Germany

28 Dec 2021

Its manufacturing-led, carbon intensive economy is ill-suited to the 21st century. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and firms like Volkswagen will spend more on green and digital investment. The trick will be to plough on despite short-term supply chain problems and rising labour costs.

The Exchange: Environmentalist on Exxon’s board

28 Dec 2021

Kaisa Hietala was one of the directors elected by shareholders in May through activist Engine No. 1’s successful campaign to green up the $250 bln oil giant. The former Neste executive from Finland sat down with Rob Cox to explain her vision for creating sustainable businesses.

Climate-change money will flow freely to Plan B

24 Dec 2021

COP26’s so-so outcome makes damaging temperature rises more likely. At some point, optimal portfolios may require guns and canned food. Until then investors will lean towards shares in Syngenta, Veolia and other companies that aid adaptation to global warming not just mitigation.

ESG acronym is due for a spin-off of its initials

24 Dec 2021

Lumping environmental sustainability, social justice and corporate governance into a single bucket is a clumsy way to address three complex and distantly related challenges. Savvy executives and investors want to separate them. E, S and G will be more valuable after a breakup.

Capital Calls: Intel in China, Covid-testing M&A

23 Dec 2021

Concise views on global finance: The chipmaker apologizes over Xinjiang to protect its business in the People's Republic; Quidel's deal to buy Ortho Clinical Diagnostics for $6 bln provides some future-proofing – and a windfall for private equity firm Carlyle.

Rio and BHP wrestle with green M&A conundrum

22 Dec 2021

The two rivals are fighting over access to battery metals, including stakes in volatile startups. BHP just withdrew from a pricey battle for a wannabe nickel maker, but Rio is pressing on with an $825 mln bid for a nascent lithium firm. Investors are wise to be wary.

The Exchange: Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg

21 Dec 2021

With an election looming early next year, the Liberal Party’s deputy leader discusses everything from booster shots to Big Tech, climate change to China, immigration to inflation, and more. He tells Jeffrey Goldfarb how his country can overcome the many economic challenges ahead.

Alibaba climate tide can lift valuation boat

20 Dec 2021

The e-commerce titan, whose market worth has halved this year, has unveiled bold 2030 carbon neutrality goals. Notably, it wants to widen the scope of consumer and merchant emissions it includes. Details will be key but longer term, the efforts could bolster shareholder returns.