Evergrande set to sell part of stake in property services unit
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One man rides a horse cart along the streets of apartment buildings in China Evergrande Group’s Life in Venice real-estate and tourism development in Qidong in Jiangsu, China on Tuesday September 21st, 2021.
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Indebted developer EvergrandeThe second sale of assets in two weeks by the liquidity-strapped property company is expected to be a part of the stake it holds in its property services division.
Evergrande shares can be traded Evergrande Property ServicesIt was stopped Monday morning. Evergrande requested the Hong Kong exchange to halt trading ahead of an announcement regarding a “major transactions.”
Evergrande Property Services claimed that the announcement represents “a potential general offer for shares of Company”.
Chinese developer HopsonIt also stopped trading its shares due to an impending announcement about a major transaction that would involve the acquisition of shares in a Hong Kong-listed firm. China’s state media Global Times claimed that Evergrande would sell 51% of its property service arm to Hopson, without naming media sources.
Last week, Evergrande said it will sell a $1.5 billion stakeShengjing Bank will become a state-owned asset manager firm.
Evergrande’s debtIt has raised investor concerns as warned twice it could defaultThe markets are in turmoil. Overseas investors are left in the dark after the giant property firm has failed to pay interest on two bonds offshore in the last weeks. So far the firm has remained silent on those payments
Buckling under the weight of more than $300 billion in debt, Evergrande has been trying to offload stakes in other assets.
In order to pay off some outstanding payments, the company sold units of property to suppliers and contractors. According to Evergrande, the outstanding debts totaled around 25.17 trillion yuan ($3.8 billion) as of August 27, according to its most recent financial statement.
Vishnu Varathan (head of economics and strategic at Mizuho Bank) stated that “targeted or partial asset disposal is not a good option to fulfill obligations.”
CNBC’s Jeremy Sullivan said, “The question is whether there will sustainable financing/cashflow arrangements to maintain the property sector” referring specifically to functional businesses that generate cash-flows and not being liquidated.
Varathan stated that restoring trust is the key to a wall of debt. The general trend is to home-buyers getting spooked and creditors keeping a close eye on the situation.
Evergrande also faces another deadline — a dollar note worth $260 million, issued by Jumbo Fortune Enterprises and guaranteed by Evergrande, was set to mature on Monday.
Varathan explained that nonpayment would be considered default which could put pressure upon the yuan.
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