The failure to sell the factory was attributed to the burden of OPP’s debt to Ostchem, and to a conflict with the company Nortima, allegedly controlled by controversial billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky. The failure to sell OPP was a setback for the Ukrainian authorities, who consider the sale of OPP as a landmark event that would send a message to investors globally that transparency is being introduced into Ukraine’s economy. Source BNE IntelliNews
General Motors will keep two of its assembly plants shuttered until at least mid-April, another until the end of March and will idle a fourth, all due to a severe shortage of semiconductor chips used in various vehicle parts. Source Detroit Free Press
Germany’s national carrier Lufthansa has announced billions of euros worth of losses for 2020. Coronavirus disruption has catapulted the airline into an unprecedented crisis. The German airline Lufthansa on Thursday announced a record loss of €6.7 billion ($8 billion) in the COVID-19-stricken year of 2020. That compared with a profit of €1.2 billion for 2019. Source DW
Investors flocked to Italy’s inaugural environment-focused government bond offering on Wednesday, allowing the country to raise more than €8bn. The banks running the issuance chalked up around €80bn in orders for €8.5bn of debt. It was the biggest debut sovereign green bond from a European issuer to date, according to Intesa Sanpaolo, which worked on the deal. Source FT
