Ardagh Metal Packaging To Issue Largest Ever Green Junk Bond Deal

Ardagh Metal Packaging will sell green bonds worth about $2.8 billion on Friday, the biggest green issuance in the high-yield market to date, as a part of its plan to merge with a blank-check firm backed by billionaire Alec Gores.

Sub-investment-grade firms rarely issue green bonds, which fund environmentally-friendly projects. Just $12 billion was raised by such companies last year, according to Dealogic, a far cry from 2020’s overall green issuance of $270 billion, according to Climate Bonds Initiative.

United Airlines Settles Fraud Charges on International Mail Contracts for $49.5 Million

United Airlines agreed to pay $49.5 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to fraud on postal service contracts for transportation of international mail, the U.S. Justice Department said Friday.

General Motors To Furlough Workers in Brazil Plant for 20 Days

General Motors Co said on Friday it would furlough all workers at one of its Brazil plants for 20 days in March for maintenance and updating of factory lines, leading to a suspension in production.

The plant, in Gravatai in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, produces the Chevrolet Onix compact car, which has been Brazil’s best selling car for several years in a row.

Nissan Announces Breakthrough Engine Efficiency To Reduce Vehicle Emissions

Nissan Motor Co said on Friday it has reached a breakthrough in achieving a 50% thermal efficiency with its in-development e-POWER hybrid technology, which could lead to a further reduction of car CO2 emissions.

This new thermal efficiency level would improve fuel consumption by 25% over the 40% thermal efficiency level in the upcoming e-POWER engine, the company said.

Internal Review at Nikola Finds Inaccurate Statements by Founder Trevor Milton

Nikola Corp and its founder Trevor Milton had made several statements that were partially or completely inaccurate, the electric-truck maker disclosed in a regulatory filing late on Thursday following an internal review.

Kirkland & Ellis, a law firm hired by Nikola to conduct a review in connection to allegations of fraud by short-seller Hindenburg, was also assessing if the inaccurate statements violated any statute, the filing said.

Trader Joe's, Walmart's Great Value and Unilever's Dove Among 'Most Loved Brands'

Grocery chain Trader Joe’s and Walmart’s Great Value products are among the “most loved brands” by shoppers, according a newly-released analysis of consumer sentiment.

In its fourth annual TotalSocial Brand Awards, Engagement Labs, a data and analytics firm, looked at more than 650 US brands across various consumer categories to find the ones that generated the most positive word of mouth in 2020.

Tesla Says Production in Fremont Was Suspended This Week But Has Restarted

Tesla Inc chief Elon Musk said the electric car maker temporarily halted production at its lone US assembly plant in Fremont, California but has since resumed operations.

“Fremont shut down for two days (parts shortages) & restarted yesterday,” Musk tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Musk did not elaborate on what specific parts caused activity to stop, but supply chain issues involving semiconductors have caused production-line shutdowns for many automakers.

Exxon Mobil Oil and Gas Reserves Fall by 32% in 2020

Exxon Mobil Corp’s global oil and gas reserves tumbled by a third last year as the COVID-19 pandemic slammed global oil prices and demand, the company said on Wednesday.

The largest U.S. oil producer is reeling from the sharp decline in oil demand and a series of bad bets on projects when prices were much higher. It slashed project spending by a third last year, cut jobs and added to debt to cover its dividend.

Best Buy Beats Earnings Estimates But Warns of Slowdown in Demand

Best Buy Co Inc signaled a slowdown in the coronavirus crisis-driven demand for remote-work computer equipment on Thursday as it missed holiday-quarter sales estimates, sending its shares down 6% in premarket trading.

More people setting up home offices and schools switching to remote learning pushed up demand for laptops, webcams, and other computer accessories last year, making Best Buy one of the bigger retail winners of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GameStop Shares on the Move Again, Weeks After Unprecedented Short Squeeze

GameStop Corp shares surged more than 50% in early deals on Thursday as amateur investors jumped back into the stock weeks after an unprecedented short squeeze triggered a 1,600% rally in the video game retailer.

The latest moves build on Wednesday’s rally in GameStop and other so-called “stonks” - an intentional misspelling of “stocks” - favored by retail traders on social media sites such as Reddit’s WallStreetBets.