From Bloomberg:
Winsway Missed Bond Payment Heightens Chinese Default Risk
Investors in coal-related companies face heightened default risks after one that relies on markets in China and Mongolia became the latest Chinese corporate to miss an interest obligation. (More)
U.K. Trade Deficit Hits 7-Month High as Sales to U.S. Slump 
Britain posted its widest trade deficit in seven months in February as sales to the U.S. and other countries outside the European Union declined sharply.
The goods shortfall of 10.3 billion pounds ($15 billion) compared with an upwardly revised deficit of 9.2 billion pounds in January, the Office for National Statistics said in London on Thursday. Economists predicted a gap of 9 billion pounds for February. (Continue reading)
U.K. House Prices Rise 0.4% as Halifax Predicts Slowdown in 2015
U.K. house prices rose in March as a strengthening economy and a boost to real wages spurred demand for property.
The average cost of a home increased 0.4 percent from February, mortgage lender Halifax said on Thursday. Prices gained 7.8 percent from a year earlier to 192,970 pounds ($266,000), though Halifax said the pace may cool through this year. (More here)
Here Are the Top Stocks Leading the Buying Frenzy in Hong Kong
As the flood of Chinese money pours into Hong Kong, shares in the city are rising indiscriminately across industries, driving the Hang Seng Composite Index toward a seven-year high.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” said Warren Lau, an analyst with Maybank Kim Eng Securities in Hong Kong. “This is a liquidity-driven market.” (Here)
Central Banks at Zero Failing to Turbocharge Effect of Cheap Oil 
Central bankers unable to cut interest rates are failing to turbocharge the effect of declining oil prices.
Economists at Oxford Economics Ltd., a U.K.-based research group, say policy makers may be damping hopes that last year’s near-halving of crude prices would spark worldwide demand. (Continue reading)
China Auto Sales Rise 12% in March on Surging SUV Sales
Passenger-vehicle sales in China gained 12 percent last month, led by demand for sport utility vehicles and minivans in the world’s largest auto market.
Retail deliveries of cars, multipurpose and SUVs climbed to 1.78 million units in March, the China Passenger Car Association said on its website today. SUV sales surged 64 percent in March and minivan deliveries jumped 26 percent, while sedan demand fell 0.6 percent, according to the data. (Full article)
Dollar Rally Regaining Strength as Market Sets Aside Divided Fed
The dollar advanced against most of its major peers as the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting suggested the first interest-rate increase since 2006 is still on the table for this year. (More)
Hong Kong Housewife Cheers Stocks as Workers Trade at Lunch
Hong Kong’s stock market rally is drawing individual investors from all walks of life as the Hang Seng Index soars to a seven-year high.
With money from the mainland exchange link contributing to record turnover in the city’s $4.9 trillion stock market, a crowd of part-time traders hunched over computer screens at Bright Smart Securities & Commodities Group in Hong Kong’s central business district to take advantage of the surge in Chinese demand. (More here)
Dimon Says JPMorgan Must Be Ready for Greek Exit From Euro Area
JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest U.S. bank by assets, needs to be ready for Greece to depart from the euro currency union, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said.
“We must be prepared for a potential exit,” Dimon said Wednesday in a letter to shareholders of his New York-based bank. “We continually stress test our company for possible repercussions resulting from such an event.” (Continue reading)
France’s TV5Monde Station Shut by Islamic State Hackers
A French television station that broadcasts around the world has been shut down by hackers claiming allegiance to Islamic State.
TV5 Monde, which is controlled by the French state with minority holdings by the Quebec and Belgian governments, has been off the air since Wednesday night and its Internet site was still down Thursday morning. (More)
U.S. Stock-Index Futures Drop as Alcoa Sparks Earnings Concern 
U.S. stock-index futures declined, signaling equities will fall, as Alcoa Inc. unofficially kicked off the earnings season with quarterly sales that missed projections. (Full article)
China Encourages More Financing for Growth Industries Via Bonds
China is encouraging more financing from the bond market for new growth sectors including clean energy, tourism and senior-care services, as the government shifts toward more sustainable economic expansion. (Read here)
Rising Shareholder Activism Threatens Creditors, Debt Repayment: Moody's 
Bond investors face growing risk as activist shareholders are targeting more companies in 2015 than last year, threatening further damage to corporate credit quality, according to Moody’s Investors Service. (Read more)
Harry Potter Magic Helps Orlando Foreclosure Glut Vanish
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Orlando Resort seems a world away from the nearby Florida neighborhood nicknamed “Crime Hills.” But magic is spreading.
Where foreclosed homes once lingered, empty and dilapidated, the Orlando area of Pine Hills is seeing newfound demand for real estate. A family of seven moved into the vacant property next door to 63-year-old Sam Braunn, who has lived in the neighborhood since junior high school, while the house to the right was renovated with a new columned facade. (Continue reading)
Brooklyn Home Prices Jump 18% to Record as Buyers Compete
Home prices in Brooklyn jumped to a record in the first quarter as buyers clamoring to own real estate in New York’s most populous borough competed for the limited supply of listings on the market. (More)
Russian Oil Floods Export Market as Teapot Refiners Lose Money 
Crude oil exports from Russia, the world’s biggest producer, grew about seven times faster than output in the first quarter as the country processed less fuel at home.
Shipments from the country increased 7.4 percent from a year earlier between January and March, the biggest gain in at least nine years and outstripping a 1.1 percent rise in production, according to Energy Ministry data. Domestic crude deliveries to refineries fell 1.9 percent as OAO Rosneft said simple plants, known as teapots, were not profitable to run after prices plunged last year. (More here)
Orange Seeks to Invest in Bitcoin Startups in Silicon Valley 
Orange SA is looking to invest in bitcoin startups in the coming months, making it one of the first big international phone carriers to become interested in the technology behind the digital currency. (Read more)
Europe Stocks Head for Record After German Industrial Production
European stocks rose for a third day, extending their biggest gain since January, as they headed for an all-time high.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.6 percent to 407.07 at 11:42 a.m. in London. German industrial production rose in February, the latest of economic data in the euro area beating forecasts. The equity gauge closed on Wednesday less than a point away from a March 2000 record after surpassing it intraday. (Full article)
