Enterprising Investor
9 months ago
The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. Commences Tender Offer for up to 10% of Outstanding Common Shares (2/20/24)
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Feb. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc., an SEC-registered investment advisor, today announced the commencement of a Tender Offer by The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. (NASDAQ: CUBA) (the “Fund”). Under the terms of the Tender Offer the Fund is offering to purchase up to 10% of outstanding shares of the Fund at 97.5% of NAV.
The Fund announced the Tender Officer in a press release on February 9, 2024.
The Fund has offered to purchase up to 10% of the currently outstanding common shares of the Fund, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Shares”) at 97.5% of Net Asset Value (“NAV”) per Common Share (determined as of the close of ordinary trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market on March 19, 2024) for cash, upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase dated February 20, 2024 and the related Letter of Transmittal. Shareholders of the Fund should read the Offer to Purchase, the Letter of Transmittal and related exhibits, as they will contain important information about the Tender Offer. These and other filed documents will be available to investors for free both at the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov) and from the Fund (www.herzfeld.com/CUBA).
Requests for more information, questions and requests for additional copies of the offer materials, please contact EQ Fund Solutions, LLC, the Information Agent for the Tender Offer, at (877) 291-1738.
About Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc.
Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc., founded in 1984, is an SEC registered investment advisor, specializing in investment analysis and account management in closed-end funds. The Firm also specializes in investment in the Caribbean Basin. The HERZFELD/CUBA division of Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. serves as the investment advisor to The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. a publicly traded closed-end fund (NASDAQ: CUBA).
More information about the advisor can be found at www.herzfeld.com.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/20/2832244/0/en/The-Herzfeld-Caribbean-Basin-Fund-Inc-Commences-Tender-Offer-for-up-to-10-of-Outstanding-Common-Shares.html
Enterprising Investor
12 months ago
The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. Announces Preliminary Results of Rights Offering (12/14/23)
The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. (NASDAQ: CUBA) (the “Fund”) today announced the preliminary results of its non-transferable rights offering (the “Offering”) that expired on December 13, 2023 (the “Expiration Date”). In the Offering, the Fund received subscription requests for 14,371,838 shares of common stock from rights holders.
The Offering’s final subscription price per share was determined to be $2.35. The subscription price was established pursuant to the terms of the Offering and based on a formula equal to 92% of the volume-weighted average closing sales price of a share of Common Stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market on the Expiration Date of the Offering and the four preceding trading days.
The Offering was oversubscribed and the over-subscription requests exceeded the primary subscription shares available. Accordingly, a minimum of 7,150,673 shares will be issued as part of the Primary Subscription as described in the registration statement related to the Offering. The Fund may, but is not required to, issue an additional number of shares (up to 200% of the Primary Subscription) to meet over-subscription requests. The Fund will make a determination of whether to allocate available shares pro rata among fully exercising stockholders (pursuant to the formula as described in the prospectus) and to what extent to honor over-subscription requests upon receipt of final results of the Offering and receipt of payment for “delivery-guaranteed” subscriptions, on or about December 18, 2023. Gross proceeds from the Offering are expected to total approximately $16.8 million to up to $33.7 million, before expenses, depending upon the amount of additional over-subscription shares, if any, issued by the Fund.
The foregoing numbers are estimates only. The Fund will announce the final results of the Rights Offering in a press release on or about December 18, 2023.
The final subscription price is lower than the original estimated subscription price of $2.57 per share. Accordingly, any excess payments will be returned to subscribing rights holders as soon as practicable, in accordance with the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 22, 2023.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy.
For additional information on the Fund, please contact the Fund at 800-TJH-FUND or visit us on the web at www.herzfeld.com/cuba.
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end fund managed by HERZFELD/CUBA, a division of Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. (based in Miami Beach). The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. To achieve its objective the Fund invests in issuers that are likely, in the Advisor’s view, to benefit from economic, political, structural and technological developments in countries in the Caribbean Basin, which the Fund considers to consist of Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Aruba, Haiti, the Netherlands Antilles, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and the United States (Caribbean Basin Countries).
Investments in the Fund involve risks. Investing in companies of Caribbean Basin Countries may present certain unique risks not associated with domestic investments, such as currency fluctuation, political and economic changes and market risks. These factors may result in greater share price volatility.
Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value (NAV). The price of the Fund’s shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above NAV.
Before investing in the Fund, investors should carefully consider the investment objective, risks, and charges and expenses of the Fund. This information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. An investor should carefully read the Fund’s prospectus before investing.
Participating stockholders will be required to initially pay for the Shares subscribed for in the offer as well as any additional shares subscribed for as part of the over-subscription privilege at the estimated subscription price.
About Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc.
Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc., founded in 1984, is an SEC-registered investment advisor, specializing in investment analysis and account management in closed-end funds. The Firm also specializes in investment in the Caribbean Basin. The HERZFELD/CUBA division of Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. serves as the investment advisor to The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. a publicly traded closed-end fund (NASDAQ: CUBA).
More information about the advisor can be found at www.herzfeld.com.
Enterprising Investor
1 year ago
The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. Announces Important Dates for Rights Offering (10/20/23)
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Oct. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. (NASDAQ: CUBA) (the “Fund”) announced initial terms of its Non-Transferable Rights Offering on August 29, 2023 together with information about the Fund’s Self-Tender Policy. The Record Date for the Rights Offering will be October 27, 2023. Pursuant to the Rights Offering, the Fund will distribute to Record Date stockholders one non-transferable right (“Right(s)”) for each share of the Fund held on the Record Date.
Rights Offering
Rights holders may purchase one share of the Fund’s common stock for every one Right held. Rights may be exercised at any time during the subscription period. The subscription period will begin on November 1, 2023, and end at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on November 22, 2023 (the “Expiration Date”), unless the Rights Offering is extended. The subscription price per share will be set at 92% of the average volume-weighted closing sale price at which the common stock trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market on the Expiration Date and the four preceding trading days. In addition, Record Date stockholders who fully exercise their rights will be entitled to subscribe for additional shares of common stock (“Over-Subscription Shares”). The Over-Subscription Shares will be allocated pro rata to stockholders who over-subscribe based on the number of rights originally issued to them. The Fund may increase the number of shares of common stock subject to subscription by up to 200% of the shares available pursuant to the Rights Offering.
Subscription certificates evidencing the Rights and a copy of the prospectus for the Rights Offering (the “Prospectus”) will be mailed to Record Date stockholders beginning on or about November 1, 2023. The Rights Offering will be effected only through the Prospectus.
The Fund has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The beginning and expiration dates of the Rights Offering are subject to the effectiveness of the Fund's registration statement. The definitive terms of the offer, including the estimated subscription price, will be contained in the Fund’s Prospectus for the offer.
Important Dates:
Record Date: October 27, 2023
Subscription Period Opens: November 1, 2023
Mailing Date (on or about): November 1, 2023
Expiration Date: November 22, 2023
For additional information on the Fund or the Rights Offering, or to obtain a Prospectus, please contact the Fund at 800-TJH-FUND or visit us on the web at www.herzfeld.com/cuba.
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end fund managed by HERZFELD/CUBA, a division of Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. (based in Miami Beach). The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. To achieve its objective the Fund invests in issuers that are likely, in the Advisor’s view, to benefit from economic, political, structural and technological developments in countries in the Caribbean Basin, which the Fund considers to consist of Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Aruba, Haiti, the Netherlands Antilles, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and the United States (Caribbean Basin Countries).
Investments in the Fund involve risks. Investing in companies of Caribbean Basin Countries may present certain unique risks not associated with domestic investments, such as currency fluctuation, political and economic changes and market risks. These factors may result in greater share price volatility.
Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value (NAV). The price of the Fund’s shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above NAV.
Before investing in the Fund, investors should carefully consider the investment objective, risks, and charges and expenses of the Fund. This information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. An investor should carefully read the Fund’s prospectus before investing.
Participating stockholders will be required to initially pay for the Shares subscribed for in the offer as well as any additional shares subscribed for as part of the over-subscription privilege at the estimated subscription price.
Self-Tender Policy
In addition, the Fund’s Board of Directors has modified the Fund’s Self-Tender Policy. Under the terms of the Self-Tender Policy, the Fund has undertaken to commence a tender offer for its shares of common stock by October 31, 2023. Because of the uncertainty regarding the timing of the Rights Offer, the Board of Directors of the Fund modified the Self-Tender Policy to allow for the Fund to commence the tender offer within a reasonable amount of time following the conclusion of the Rights Offer. The formal offer and detailed terms of the tender offer will be announced following the conclusion of the Rights Offer.
The Fund’s investment adviser is HERZFELD/CUBA, a division of Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. and the Fund’s shares trade on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “CUBA.” Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. specializes in the field of closed-end funds. Information about the investment adviser and the Fund can be found at www.herzfeld.com.
This announcement is not an offer to sell these securities and the Fund is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted. The Offer will be made only by means of a prospectus and only after the registration statement on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) has been declared effective by the Commission. The final terms of the Offer may be different from those discussed above.
NASDAQ Capital Market: CUBA
CUSIP: 42804T106
Contact Information:
For further information contact:
Tom Morgan
305.777.1660
Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, Inc.
119 Washington Avenue, Suite 504
Miami Beach, FL 33139
www.herzfeld.com
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/20/2764264/0/en/The-Herzfeld-Caribbean-Basin-Fund-Inc-Announces-Important-Dates-for-Rights-Offering.html
deet49
6 years ago
Might United States cruise lines and United States airlines agree to out-of-court settlements with plaintiffs as a means to avoid having a United States District Court Judge rule on the definition of “tourism.”
With a court ruling that travel-related activities authorized by the Obama Administration and the Trump Administration constitute “tourism” which is specifically prohibited, thus illegal, by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA) of 2000, a substantial revenue stream would evaporate for United States-based cruise lines, airlines, travel agents, tour operators, one hotel management company and for the government of the Republic of Cuba and Republic of Cuba government-operated companies.
According to a Washington DC-based analyst, if the “educational travel” sub-category of “people-to-people” is eliminated, the result could be a 66% decrease in the number of non-family visitors from the United States to the Republic of Cuba.
https://www.cubatrade.org/blog/2019/5/30/0smfw9z54xml4jgc1frt4udkey8imc
Follow the Money Stupid' [LINK]
FRAZ MNII CUBA FCX XOM ODP CLL WU COT KO NSRGY SCGLY AMZN BNPQY HSBC ING CS UBS CVX PDRDF FDX BUD AXP MC V PYPL SMIZF GOOGL MSFT GOOG YHOO BABA NTIOF HOMB
deet49
6 years ago
Nick Gutiérrez is a legal consultant for several law firms and families that prepare claims under the Helms-Burton Act. "We are preparing lawsuits against Meliá, Blau, Iberostar for the traffic of property confiscated in Holguín, Varadero, Cienfuegos and Jibacoa," he told this newspaper. Also against El Salado Resort, of the Globalia Group, which last year signed an agreement with Cuba to invest in a joint venture with a billion dollars in a complex of apartments, hotels and golf courses on a beach that would have belonged to the family Castle-Pokorny.
Other of its objectives will be the companies installed in the Special Zone of Development of Mariel, star project of Castroism to attract foreign investment. Those lands belonged to several Cuban-American families who had sugar mills and cane plantations there, according to Gutiérrez. At least eight Spanish companies operate in Mariel. "We will go against all those who have presence in the US," says the lawyer. That condition would allow the US authorities to apply goods embargoes if they are condemned to pay compensation and resist doing so.
https://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/internacional/donald-trump-acecha-firmas-espanolas-operan-cuba_1361649.html
FRAZ MNII CUBA CVX FCX XOM ODP CLL WU COT KO NSRGY SCGLY BNPQY HSBC ING CS UBS
deet49
6 years ago
Francisco Sugar Company Still a site of a huge (15,000 hectares) sugar mill installation, its local economy still depends on installations established in 1902 which produce alcohol, rhum (Conde de Cuba, Corsario and Sevilla brands), sugar, bagasse, honey, molasses and other sweet and addictive stuff.
A song by Benny Moré is famous here if only because of its title : "Francisco-Guayabal", refering to the train route from the Francisco sugar mill to the port of Guayabal.
//www.cubacasas.net/cities/amancio/
FRAZ ODP FCX XOM CCL CUBA
deet49
6 years ago
IMO Investment in Cuba just got a whole lot better now that potential ventures can clearly identify original owners and make arrangements that will not hinder their plans easily determine Cost Of Doing Business
Following the 62 MW Ciro Redondo biomass plant, the British-Chinese group Havana Energy is moving ahead with another 62 MW biomass plant at Mario Muñoz sugar mill. The project, estimated at a cost of $140 million investment, is expected to begin later this year and take two years to complete. The significant investment marks the largest of its kind by a foreign group. Cuba has ambitious plans of obtaining 24% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, though the country has faced difficulty attracting would-be investors. Efforts to secure financing for potential projects have been delayed and/or hindered partly due to the US embargo making investment difficult even for non-U.S. banks. When the first two of Havana Energy’s plants open they will contribute 4 percent more to Cuba’s renewable energy share, and that will be a big attraction for banks estimates Andrew MacDonald, President of Havana Energy. “Seeing is believing, and as we gain traction, as banks see four tons of biomass equals one of ton of fossil fuel, I think that’s going to bring a quantum leap in financing over the next 24 months,” said MacDonald. http://newenergyevents.com/havana-energy-announces-second-biomass-plant-in-cuba/
Planned for the 2019-2020 sugar harvest, Ciro Redondo is part of a government programme aiming to add 755 MW of renewable energy through the development of 22 bioelectrics plants throughout the country
https://renewablesnow.com/news/cuba-breaks-ground-on-60-mw-biomass-plant-566943/
FRAZ MNII ODP FCX XOM CCL CUBA
deet49
6 years ago
August 29, 2018 https://www.theinvestor.jll/news/cuba/others/will-a-free-market-in-cuba-spark-a-real-estate-investment-frenzy/
Who truly owns Cuban property?
When Castro came into power, the Cuban government seized the property of those living on the island. Given the growth in tourism and development in the Caribbean and Latin America since then, the amount of property seized may be worth more than US$100 billion, according to Nicholas Gutierrez, a legal consultant in Florida who has advised Cuban émigrés in the United States on property disputes.
If the new Constitution passes, it is still unclear how the legislation will be ratified and how those disputes will be settled. While some smaller investors may be willing to take the risk, institutional investors will likely remain cautious for several years.
“There needs to be some credibility around the legislation change in order to make investors feel comfortable,” Klerian says. “First, the changes will have to actually go into effect, and then it will take two, three, four or five years for investors to trust that they are there to stay.”
deet49
7 years ago
Cuba seeks $4 billion foreign investment
Cuba is looking to the sugar industry to play a key role
Cuba is making a concerted effort to decrease its reliance on fossil fuels and boost its renewable energy output. There is an added urgency.
CGTN’s Michael Voss reports.
The economic crisis in Venezuela has significantly reduced its deliveries of subsidized oil. Cuba is also feeling the effects of climate change with rising sea levels and the threat of more severe hurricanes.
This week saw Havana host its first Renewable Energy Business Forum, attracting companies from 16 countries. Cuba’s goal is to increase its output of renewable energy from just over four percent today to 24 percent by 2030.
“It is quite an ambitious project but totally possible,” said Rational Use of Energy Director Elaine Moreno. “We have projects in quite advanced stages including solar, wind and biomass energy. It’s ambitious but we can implement it.”
Two Chinese companies are currently building wind farms in Cuba, and there has been considerable co-operation with solar power, including a panel assembly plant.
In addition to a strong Chinese presence, there are plenty of European companies as well as some from Latin America, all looking for investment opportunities here. But because of the trade embargo, no one has come from the United States.
The U.S. trade embargo has also deterred most foreign banks from financing projects in Cuba.
This event is co-sponsored by the European Union, which has committed $22 million to help Cuba develop and implement its alternative energy strategy. The next step is to use EU development funds to encourage private investors.
“All these funds are there to de-risk private investment,” said EU International Cooperation Commission’s Stefano Manservisi.
“Therefore, this is the way we will work, soliciting private investors, and since the risk remains high to help by lowering the rate of interest but also simply giving the guarantee that the market is not able to give.”
Cuba is looking to the sugar industry to play a key role by using bagasse, a waste product from the refining process to power large energy plants servicing the national grid. The first large-scale Anglo/Chinese project is now under construction with more to follow.
https://america.cgtn.com/2018/02/02/cuba-seeks-4-billion-foreign-investment
deet49
7 years ago
(Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that it had created a Cuba Internet Task Force to promote “the free and unregulated flow of information” on the Communist-run island, an action denounced by Cuban state media as subversive.
“The task force will examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access and independent media in Cuba,” the agency said in a statement. It said the task force of U.S. government and non-governmental representatives would meet for the first time on Feb. 7.
Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma said it was “destined to subvert Cuba’s internal order.”
“In the past, Washington has used phrases like ‘working for freedom of expression’ and ‘expanding access to internet in Cuba’ to cover up destabilizing plans,” Granma wrote, adding that some 40 percent of Cubans connected to the internet in 2017, 37 percent more than in 2010.
Some analysts said the creation of the task force seemed counterproductive.
“By casting the issue of internet access in an explicitly political frame, it will only create greater obstacles for those U.S. telecom companies that have made inroads toward partnerships with the Cuban side,” said Michael Bustamante, an assistant professor of Latin American history at Florida International University.
“Measures like these strengthen the hand of those in Cuba for whom the prospect (and reality) of external meddling justifies maximum caution with respect to internal reform.”
Cuba has created public Wi-Fi hotspots and hooked up more homes to the internet, but most Cubans cannot get access on cellphones and only a tiny share of homes has broadband access.
The $1.50 hourly tariff for using a Wi-Fi hotspot in Cuba represents 5 percent of the average monthly state salary of $30.
Havana has said it has been slow to develop network infrastructure because of high costs, attributed partly to the U.S. trade embargo. Critics have said the government fears losing control.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama made improved internet access a central part of his efforts to normalize relations with Cuba. Telecommunications equipment and services were among the first exemptions to the embargo after Washington and Havana said in 2014 that they would restore diplomatic relations.
Google signed an agreement with Cuba in 2016 granting internet users there quicker access to its branded content.
Cuba has balked at allowing U.S. companies to participate in wiring the country.
deet49
7 years ago
Witnesses speaking to the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Tuesday argued that the Obama administration aided Cuban government profits, ignoring demands for justice for American citizens, as it sought closer ties to the communist regime.
Dr. Javier García-Bengochea, whose family owns the Santiago de Cuba port and has sought justice following the Castros’ expropriation of it during the Revolution, told the panel that he had reason to believe Chinese government companies and American cruise lines were benefitting from the use of property stolen by “Cuba’s white male military dictatorship.” When he approached the Obama-era State Department requesting help in regaining control of his family’s property, García says they did nothing.
García inherited the port from a cousin who was a U.S. citizen. The port is thus rightfully American citizen property.
“Regardless, bureaucrats at the State Department allow[ed] [Cuba] to violate my property rights and laws that protect me regarding my property confiscated in Cuba,” he concluded, “while allowing the Chinese to protect assets and take advantage of our rule of law that protects property ownership in general.”
In written testimony, García added that he was not alone in having his family’s property used for criminal profits. “Foreign entities and more recently U.S. cruise ships have been trafficking in our stolen property without our consent or consideration to us,” he argued.
García specifically accused Cuba State Department boss Mark Wells of having “refused to act and serially lied to me and my proxies that work was being done on my behalf when, in fact, nothing had been done.”
García had approached the State Department and issued testimony before Congress of evidence that the state-run China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) had used his port in Santiago for profit:
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/01/17/house-hearing-obama-aided-china-using-ports-stolen-by-cuba-white-male-military-dictatorship/