Brent tumbles after Opec fails to agree an oil production ceiling June 2, 2016 Oil tumbled after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) failed to agree a production ceiling at a widely watched meeting in Vienna today. Brent crude, the international benchmark, plunged 1.3 per cent to $49.1 per barrel. It had climbed above the $50 mark this morning, hitting its highest level in a week. West Texas [...]
As North Korea hails him as wise and far-sighted, does Donald Trump pose a threat to world peace? June 2, 2016 Chad Wilcox, chief operating officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes. Donald Trump certainly poses a threat to world peace, though not for the reasons you might initially think. Libertarian political satirist PJ O’Rourke endorsed Hillary Clinton purely out of fear of Trump, warning, “they’ve got this button, you know? It’s in a briefcase. [...]
Olympic Games 2016: Team GB set for medal slump in Rio de Janeiro say economists June 2, 2016 Great Britain’s net medal haul is set to plummet more than any other nation at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to financial services giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Team GB’s medal total is predicted to take a bigger hit than anyone else, with PwC forecasting the loss of home advantage being the main [...]
England boss Roy Hodgson claims squad selection is clear hint Three Lions will go on attack at Euro 2016 June 1, 2016 England boss Roy Hodgson admits the composition of his squad is a clear indication that the Three Lions will go on the attack at the European Championship in France, which starts next week. Hodgson has selected five strikers in his 23-man party for the tournament, including teenage Manchester United frontman Marcus Rashford, who made the cut [...]
Learning your tournament fate can be a weird process — Roy Hodgson has made the wrong call with Danny Drinkwater May 31, 2016 I feel for the players who have been left out of England boss Roy Hodgson’s final Euro 2016 squad. There isn’t any way to dress it up, it must be hugely devastating and extremely demoralising. Fortunately, I always made the cut when in that situation but I remember being there on the last day with then [...]
Russia’s Gazprom moves to quash Saudi-style gas price war speculation May 31, 2016 Russian export monopoly Gazprom has moved to quash speculation that it could start a price war in the European gas market. Analysts, industry experts and commentators have argued Russia, which supplies about a third of Europe's gas via pipelines, could cut its prices in response to higher cost US liquefied natural gas shipments. Such a move would [...]
These three perilous trends spell disaster for Saudi Arabia May 31, 2016 “How the mighty have fallen!”– 2 Samuel 1:27 What a difference a year makes in terms of political risk in the energy markets. Just 12 short months ago, all talk was of a resurgent Russia and corresponding security of supply issues in Eastern Europe, as the Kremlin seemed the world’s greatest destabilising force. Traditionally stable [...]
EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to visit Russia one week before EU referendum May 30, 2016 Europe's top official, Jean-Claude Juncker, is set to meet the Russian president Vladimir Putin in June during his first visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis, it was confirmed today. Juncker, president of the European Commission, is set to attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on 16 June – just one week before the UK's referendum – where he will [...]
World leaders declare Brexit a “serious risk to growth” May 27, 2016 World leaders have said the possibility of the UK voting to leave the European Union poses one of the most serious risks to growth in the global economy. At the end of the second day of the G7 meeting in Japan, the leaders of the seven big industrial nations, plus the European Union, said: “A [...]
Should you start hoarding gold? Some say China’s gold ambitions mean you should keep some stashed at home May 26, 2016 China’s decision to buy its second gold storage vault in London last week was another step towards total dominance of the market. The vault is in a secret location and was bought by Chinese state-owned bank ICBC Standard Bank from Barclays. It could store $90bn of gold at today’s prices, and follows the purchase of [...]