A few short updates which i think are worth mentioning in a post:
Rhoen Klinikum
One of my “special situations”. My original thesis behind this was that it is a solid company with a lot of interested suitors. Just today, the Fresenius CEO stated in WSJ Germany that they are still interested.
So this is still a solid, uncorrelated speculation that something could happen any time.
KPN
As one part of their capital raising effort, KPN issued two Hybrid bonds last week, 1.1 bn EUR at 6.125% and 400 mn GBP at 6.875%. According to Bloomberg, both bonds seem to have a “change of control” clause, meaning the bonds have to be paid back if someone becomes majority shareholder of KPN. This is quite uncommon for hybrids and looks a little bit like a “poison pill” against Carlos Slim.
Additionally, I found that rating review from Fitch (via Reuters) quite interesting.
KPN is facing some headwinds in the Netherlands. A fourth entrant plans to set up a 4G network (Tele2) and there seems to be a potential 2 bn liability from a subsidiary called Reggefiber, where KPN currently seems to have a 41% share but will soon have the majority.
Commerzbank HT1 Bond
Commerzbank just released news that they plan to increase share capital by 2.5 bn EUR and paying back their silent participations. This is not so nice for shareholders, but very good for HT1 holders as more equity is now “below” the subordinated capital, reducing downside risk.
So not surprisingly, the price of the HT1 bonds increased significantly.
