Corporate Bits | CK Hutchison sells Euro bonds in first post-merger debt offering

Li Ka-shing

CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd has sold 2 billion euros worth of bonds, the company’s first debt sale since being formed through a merger by billionaire Li Ka-shing.
The Hong Kong-based conglomerate sold 1.35 billion euros worth of seven-year notes at 110 basis points above benchmark rates and 650 million euros worth of 12-year bonds at 138 basis points, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The company has interests in ports, telecommunications, retail and energy through which it generated more than half of its revenue in Europe last year.
Li’s CK Hutchison is the latest overseas issuer to be lured to the euro-area debt markets by declining borrowing costs after the European Central Bank expanded its stimulus program last month. FedEx Corp. and Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB are among other non-
euro area companies that have contributed to 38 billion euros of debt sales in the wake of the ECB’s decision.

facebook rearranging notification buttons to highlight video

Facebook is rearranging the notification panel on its mobile apps in an effort to increase the number of people watching live videos on its social network.
Announced yesterday, the shift is part of Facebook’s efforts to turn its live video feature into a marquee attraction as more people use their smartphones to record and share snippets of their lives.
Facebook is moving the button for its Messenger service so that the new video option can be highlighted on the notification panel. When pressed, the video button will show a directory of live streams from a user’s friends, as well as segments available to anyone on the world’s largest social network.
Messenger notifications will move to the top of Facebook’s mobile apps, near the search box. The app update for Apple and Android devices will be rolled out in phases and will take several weeks to complete.
Facebook is also adding filters to live video and making it possible to express more emotions in response to a post by selecting “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad” or “angry” emojis. These options are to run in conjunction with  Facebook’s “like” button for photo and text posts.
The update underscores Facebook’s commitment to its live video option, which was introduced last year to compete against Periscope, a similar service run by its smaller rival Twitter.