China’s fate tangled with Eurozone February 6, 2012 AS CHINA’S economic power grows, its authorities are increasingly willing to punch their weight on the international stage. The decision to direct Chinese airlines to ignore the European Union’s carbon-emissions system is a slap in the face. But can China really afford to be sanguine? The latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests [...]
From the UK to Silicon Valley and back again February 5, 2012 GLOBALISATION throws up some interesting associations. The western world’s need to stay awake supports the coffee industries of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa; the desires of Japanese, Indians and Chinese consumers to imbibe is helping the UK’s Scotch whisky industry flourish. No less interesting is the case of WANdisco – a tech company that [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 2, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES RISKY DEBT USE ON REPO MARKET HITS 2008 LEVELS The use of lower-rated debt in a key US funding market has returned to pre-crisis levels, fuelling fears that the so-called shadow banking system is becoming riskier. The repo market is an important part of the shadow banking sector, which consists of unregulated financial [...]
It ain’t over until Ivan Glasenberg sings February 2, 2012 IT ain’t over till Ivan Glasenberg sings. Everyone knows the rationale for the deal: massive scale, a raft of cost-saving synergies, and a much-improved presence for Glencore in commodity markets. Indeed one of the main reasons the famously secretive Glencore went public was so it could bag Xstrata, whose other shareholders were cold on a [...]
Chinese may invest in euro bailout funds February 2, 2012 MARKETS rose yesterday as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao suggested the country will invest in the Eurozone bailout fund – but fell later when Eurogroup leader Jean Claude Juncker cast doubt on the success of Greek debt talks. Wen (pictured) said the country supports efforts to stabilise the currency, and could invest some of its huge [...]
China and US help Johnson Matthey sales February 1, 2012 JOHNSON Matthey, the world’s largest supplier of catalytic converters for vehicles, expects second-half profits to be “slightly ahead” of the first, after a third quarter boosted by Chinese sales and North American truck sales. The British speciality chemicals company said yesterday underlying profit before tax rose 34 per cent to £104m in the quarter, in [...]
Bell sounds out Chime’s public relations division January 31, 2012 LORD Bell is considering a management buyout of parts of Chime, the marketing group which he chairs. Margaret Thatcher’s former media guru, as well as Chime deputy chair Piers Pottinger and other executives, plan to buy some of Chime’s public relations businesses, the firm said. Chime, which provides services in public relations, advertising and sports [...]
Xstrata in coal output surge January 31, 2012 MINER Xstrata has posted record output from its Australian thermal coal operations for 2011, boosting total coal production seven per cent, as the newly commissioned Mangoola mine helped offset a flood-hit start to the year and strikes in South Africa. Copper, however, dipped, in line with expectations and Xstrata’s peers. Copper was hit by lower [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 30, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES HK IPO FOR SUNSHINE OILSANDS Sunshine Oilsands, a Canadian tar sands company backed by Chinese state-owned enterprises, has shunned Toronto and will next month launch an initial public offering in Hong Kong that could raise as much as $600m. The company plans to sell a 25 per cent stake in the offering, according [...]
How to answer the $100bn question January 30, 2012 IT’S the $80bn question, or maybe even the $100bn question: just how much is Facebook worth? To find the answer, you would normally try to value the company using traditional multiples – price to sales, price to earnings and so on – and you would quickly find out that the valuations being discussed look ridiculously [...]