“The weakest companies are succumbing and even relatively healthy firms are showing signs of strain.” Reports the Financial Post in Canada
It’s a short report but it portends what we expect to see for most of 2020..
The cannabis bankruptcy filings are starting to roll in.
Already plagued by a tough regulatory environment, disappointing sales and capital markets that had closed to all but the strongest companies, the industry is now facing a pandemic-related collapse in stock markets and ever-shrinking financing options. Pot companies completed two capital raises worth just US$5.6 million the week ended March 27, according to data from Viridian Capital Advisors. That’s the lowest level of activity this year and compares to 17 capital raises worth $169 million for the same period in 2019.
The lack of financing is starting to take its toll on the weakest companies. Last week, CannTrust Holdings Inc. and James E. Wagner Cultivation Corp. both filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada. For CannTrust, it was the end of a nine-month-long saga that began when regulators discovered it grew pot in unlicensed areas and ultimately suspended its license, a blow it wasn’t able to recover from.
