Canada makes Marijuana legal

Agencies
October 18, 2018

Montreal, Oct 18: When Canada legalizes recreational pot on Wednesday, market watchers predict the birth of a new industry -- creating thousands of jobs, investor euphoria, a new tax source for governments and maybe even tourism.

Hundreds of licensed growers have sprouted in anticipation of the end of pot prohibition, attracting major investment.

In just the past year, the market capitalization of firms including Canopy Growth and Tilray has increased fivefold, to a total of more than US$10 billion on the New York stock market.

And with significant know-how gained since Canada's legalization of medical marijuana in 2001, others including Aurora and Aphria are making inroads abroad as more and more foreign markets allow therapeutic cannabis use and research.

Beverage makers and pharmaceutical companies are also partnering in the sector, hoping to develop new products infused with THC or cannabidiol (CBD).

Constellation Brands, the North American distributor of Corona beer and Robert Mondavi wine, recently invested about Can$5 billion ($3.8 billion US) in Canopy Growth for a 38 per cent stake in the company.

And soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is looking into using CBD, the non-psychoactive molecule in cannabis believed to provide health benefits, as an ingredient in some drinks.

Experts like John-Kurt Pliniussen, a marketing professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, are also predicting a bump in tourism worth several billion dollars, citing as examples Amsterdam and a handful of US states where pot is legal.

"The same can happen in Canada, because one of the things we have going for us and that no other country in the world has, is the name of our country -- it is almost spelt very similar to cannabis," Pliniussen told AFP.

"And so you could have Canatourism -- from a marketing point of view, it lends itself very well."

In the meantime, an investor frenzy is fueling mergers and acquisitions, with 48 deals worth a total of Can$5.2 billion announced in the first six months of this year alone, according to Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC).

The consolidation will continue after legalization, says PwC, as an "expected oversupply takes its toll and forces undercapitalized players into bankruptcy" and firms "look to fuel further growth by tapping emerging foreign medical markets."

There are untold economic spinoffs to be had, for sure.

Tokyo Smoke -- a reinvention of the classic coffee shop -- promotes cannabis lifestyle, selling pipes, infusers and other pot paraphernalia along with shots of espresso (but not cannabis itself).

The three-year-old company was purchased for Can$500 million last month by Canopy Growth and plans to expand nationwide from five locations in Toronto.

"I think Canada will become a world leader in cannabis -- it's exciting and something we can be proud of," Tokyo Smoke vice president Josh Lyon told AFP.

"Legalization will open the doors to a dynamic, sophisticated industry that will create new jobs, new opportunities for businesses, and new revenues for the government," echoed Deloitte in a report.

Nearly five million Canadians or 16 per cent of the population consumed 773 tonnes of cannabis in 2017, mostly for recreation, paying an estimated Can$5.5 billion to buy bud, according to the government statistics agency.

The number of consumers is expected to increase slightly after legalization, but spending is predicted to remain the same, Statistics Canada said in a recent report.

Further growth is expected from derivative products like edibles, cosmetics and e-cigarette products containing the pot, which will be allowed starting in 2019.

But there is disagreement among forecasters on just how much of a boost the new industry could give Canada's economy.

According to the TD Bank, cannabis will push up economic growth 0.9 percentage points in the fourth quarter to hit 2.9 per cent.

But the government statistics agency expects the new cannabis industry to have at best a "minimal impact" on growth in Canada.

And according to Benoit Durocher, a senior economist with Desjardins Bank in Montreal, it will be a drop in the bucket for this G7 nation's massive and highly diversified economy.

"Given the small size (of the sector) relative to overall GDP (which is close to Can$2 trillion), the impact on growth will be very small or no impact at all," Durocher said.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 30: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday launched 'Skill Connect Forum' and said that the government is committed to provide impetuous to creating jobs by reviving economic and industrial activities.

The 'Skill Connect Forum' portal connects both private entrepreneurs and job seekers on the same platform.

After launching the forum, the Chief Minister said that the portal provides information on jobs available and who needs a job. "Under this forum, an unemployed will be imparted skills and then enabled to get a job," Yediyurappa said.
Besides providing jobs via registration, the portal also provides a skilled pool of people for those looking to hire, he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, who is also the Skill Development Minister said that portal will be a boon to the youth seeking jobs and it will avoid unemployment issue to a great extent.

"All these years, there was no information and communication between job seekers and recruiters. The portal will solve that problem," he said.

Narayan said that there was no proper information on skilled workers and job market. Moreover, skill development was not in sync with the market. All these issues have been addressed by the portal, he added.

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Agencies
February 26,2020

New Delhi, Feb 26: With the government pushing for the disinvestment of Air India, industrial conglomerate Adani Group may emerge as one of the bidders for the debt-laden national carrier, sources said.

According to highly placed sources, the Group has held internal rounds of deliberations on whether or not to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) and the discussions are still in the preliminary stage.

If the company actually submits an EoI, it would be a major move towards further diversification of the company which has business interests across sectors right from edible oil, food to mining and minerals. 

It also entered into airport operations and maintenance business and won bids for privatisation of six airports, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru in 2019. 

On being contacted by IANS, the company did not comment on the matter.

Air India is one of the most important divestment proposals for the current fiscal to reach the huge Rs 2.1 lakh crore target.

The government in January restarted the divestment process of the airline and invited bids for selling 100 per cent of its equity in the state-owned airline, including Air India's 100 per cent shareholding in AI Express Ltd. and 50 per cent in Air India SATS Airport Services Private Ltd.

After its unsuccessful bid to sell Air India in 2018, the government this time has decided to offload its entire stake. In 2018, it had offered to sell its 76 per cent stake in the airline.

Of the total debt of Rs 60,074 crore as of March 31, 2019, the buyer would be required to absorb Rs 23,286 crore.

Air India, along with its subsidiary Air India Express, has a total operational fleet of 146 aeroplanes.

Further, the disinvestment department has extended the last date for submission of written queries on the Performance Information Memorandum and Share Purchase Agreement to March 6.

The last date for submission of written queries on PIM and SPA was originally set for February 11, following which the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) on February 21 issued 20 clarifications on the queries raised and expected.

Any delay in the tentatively rolled out timeline would also delay DIPAM's plan to identify the pre-qualified bidders by March 31 and the financial bids invitation as well. It is expected to take more than two months after the selection of the pre-qualified bidders to complete Air India's sale.

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News Network
February 5,2020

Feb 5: Tesla is making Elon Musk a lot richer without paying him a dime.

A blistering stock rally has bolstered the value of CEO Musk's 19% stake in the electric car maker by $16 billion since the start of 2020, to $30 billion.

Tuesday's steep climb in the share price could sweeten Musk's payday under his record-breaking compensation package, which is built on stock options that rely on market value targets. Two milestones have now been achieved that could see Musk unlock options worth $1.8 billion.

The controversial chief executive, who is also the majority owner and CEO of rocket maker SpaceX, recently testified that he did not have a lot of cash as he successfully defended himself in a defamation lawsuit. He previously has taken loans using his Tesla shares as collateral.

Musk does not take a salary, choosing instead a risky options package that envisions the stock market value of Tesla rising to $650 billion over 10 years, a prospect that was derided by some investors when the deal was announced in 2018.

That target now looks less crazy. Shares of Tesla have rallied over 50% since the company posted its second consecutive quarterly profit last Wednesday, which was viewed as a major accomplishment for a company competing against established automotive heavyweights including General Motors Co  and BMW.

Tesla shares have climbed about 400% since early June, helped by the company's better-than-expected financial results and ramped-up production at its new car factory in Shanghai.

On Tuesday, Tesla surged as much as 24% before falling back in the final minutes of the trading session to end the day up 13.7%. That put its market capitalization at $160 billion, almost twice the combined value of Ford Motor and General Motors.

The shares had also rallied on Monday, partly fueled by Panasonic Corp's 6752.T saying its automotive battery venture with Tesla was profitable for the first time.

The options Musk was awarded in 2018 vest incrementally based on targets for Tesla's stock market value and its financial performance. The market capitalization would have to sustainably rise by $50 billion increments over the agreement's 10-year period, with the full package payout reached if the market cap reaches $650 billion, as well as the company's meeting revenue and profit targets.

Musk is on his way to seeing his first two tranches of options vest. He achieved operational targets on revenue and adjusted earnings last year.

The rise in Tesla's market capitalization last month to a target of $100 billion opened the way for Musk's first tranche of options to vest. With Tuesday's surging share price, the market capitalization blew past the second target of $150 billion, opening the way for the second tranche to vest. Tesla's market capitalization must stay at or above each target level for one- and six-month averages for each set of options to vest.

Tesla was valued at about $52 billion when shareholders approved the pay package in March 2018, a time when the company faced a cash crunch, production delays and increasing competition from rivals.

A full payoff for Musk would surpass anything previously granted to U.S. executives, according to Institutional Shareholder Services, a proxy advisor that recommended investors reject the pay package deal at the time.

Musk currently owns about 34 million Tesla shares, and his compensation package would let him buy another 20.3 million shares if all his options tranches vest.

When Tesla unveiled Musk’s package, it said he could in theory reap as much as $55.8 billion if no new shares were issued. However, Tesla has since awarded stock to employees and last year sold $2.7 billion in shares and convertible bonds, diluting the value of the stock.

Musk has transformed Tesla from a niche car maker with production problems into the global leader in electric vehicles, with U.S. and Chinese factories. So far it has stayed ahead of more established rivals including BMW and Volkswagen.

Many investors remain skeptical that Tesla can consistently deliver profit, cash flow and growth. More Wall Street analysts rate Tesla "sell" than "buy," and the company's stock is the most shorted on Wall Street.

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