Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 58

A | TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS | DAIMLER AND THE CAPITAL MARKET 65
Continuation of comprehensive investor relations
activities
In 2015, we once again provided institutional investors, analysts,
rating agencies and private investors with timely information
regarding the company’s business development.
We organized road shows for institutional investors and analysts
in the finance capitals of Europe, North America, Asia and
Australia. We also held many one-on-one meetings at investor
conferences. This was especially the case at the international
motor shows in Geneva and Frankfurt. Sustainability-focused
investors were also able to meet and talk with company repre-
sentatives at events held at the IAA and at a conference in Paris
in November. We reported on our quarterly results in confer-
ence calls and webcasts. The presentations can be viewed on
our website at w daimler.com/investors/events.
The talks with analysts and investors focused on the latest
earnings expectations for 2015, as well as on the business
development and profitability of the individual divisions and
regions. In addition, top-level managers from Mercedes-Benz
Cars discussed the strategies and goals of their division
during a capital market event held in June at our Mercedes-
AMG motor sports subsidiary in Affalterbach, Germany.
The audio recording and charts and illustrations from that event
are also available at w daimler.com/investors/events.
Awards once again for the print and online versions
of the Annual Report
Annual Report 2014 was created in a pilot project that already
included elements of the new Corporate Design. The print
version in the new brushed silver look and the online version
with numerous additional features led to several prestigious
national and international awards for Annual Report 2014.
Daimler was also named the best listed company in Germany
in the “Investor’s Darling” rankings of Manager Magazin,
which took into account reporting, investor relations activities
and capital market presence.
Corporate website with new software platform and layout
The broad range of information offered on our website at the
existing address w daimler.com was transferred to an entirely
new and more powerful software platform in November and
aligned with Daimler’s new corporate design as well. In addition
to its many helpful features, the website has a responsive
layout that allows it to be displayed easily on any device in an
optimal size and format.
Number of online shareholders remains at a high level
Our shareholders continue to make good use of our range
of personalized electronic information and communication.
Approximately 84,000 shareholders once again received
the invitation and agenda for the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting
by e-mail rather than by post in 2015. We would like to thank
those shareholders for helping to protect the environment and
cut costs. As was the case in the past, those shareholders
once again had the opportunity to win attractive prizes in a
lottery. Access to the e-service for shareholders and additional
information can be found at w https://register.daimler.com.
Refinancing benefits from a high level of capital-market
liquidity and good ratings
The ongoing expansionary monetary policies at central banks
also impacted bond markets during the year under review.
As a result of the high level of liquidity, companies with
investment-grade ratings saw their risk premiums remain
at an attractive level despite volatile markets.
In 2015, Daimler primarily covered its refinancing needs by
issuing bonds. A large proportion of those bonds were sold
as benchmark bond issuances (bonds with high nominal volumes)
in euro and US-dollar markets. In the US capital market,
for example, Daimler Finance North America LLC issued bonds
worth a total of $9.5 billion in March, May and August 2015.
The bonds had terms of 18 months and two, three, five or ten
years. In addition, Daimler AG issued euro bonds in benchmark
format with a total volume of €1.5 billion and terms of two
and approximately four years. In 2015, Daimler AG also issued
bonds in the Chinese capital market (so-called Panda bonds)
worth a total of CNY 5.0 billion. Furthermore, many smaller bonds
were issued by the Daimler Group in a variety of currencies in
the euro market as well as in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Canada,
South Africa, Thailand and South Korea.
At the end of 2015, companies of the Daimler Group had
issued bonds that were still outstanding in a volume of
€51.4 billion (2014: €43.2 billion). Besides raising funds through
the issuance of bonds, Daimler also issued a small volume
of commercial paper in 2015.
Daimler also conducted several asset-backed security (ABS)
transactions in the United States, Canada and Germany during
the reporting year. In the United States, for example, the
company generated a refinancing volume of US$5.8 billion
through four issuances. A further C$0.4 billion was placed
in Canada. In addition, Mercedes-Benz Bank used the Silver
Arrow Platform to sell €1.0 billion in ABS bonds to European
investors once again.