ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Fortis Inc. is issuing more than 58 million common shares to holders of convertible debt that was issued to finance part of its US$4.3-billion acqusition of Arizona-based UNS Energy Corp. The Newfoundland-based utility company said Tuesday that the stock represents most of the $1.8 billion in convertible debentures issued to pay for the UNS deal, which was announced last December. Only about $11.2 million of the convertible debt remains outstanding and Fortis will delist its publicly traded installment receipts, which have been a proxy for the debentures' underlying stock.
NEW YORK -- October has been a choppy month for stock markets, but for auto sales -- another key economic indicator -- a long-term recovery keeps rolling along even as concerns about excessive incentives and unsustainable pricing levels mount. Forecasters predict sales growth of 5% to 6% from the same month a year earlier, and LMC Automotive forecasts total 2014 light-vehicle sales of 16.4 million.