Putin has an upper hand – it is high time the West said enough is enough February 15, 2015 Vladimir Putin once said “There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” The problem in dealing with the present Russian Tsar is that he knows far more about our weaknesses than we do about his. Coming to maturity as a KGB officer in eastern Germany, the young Vladimir Putin’s tradecraft involved incessantly analysing [...]
Ukraine crisis: Ceasefire violated within an hour, but is largely holding February 15, 2015 The Ukrainian ceasefire agreement lasted all of 50 minutes. Both sides accused the other of having broken the accord, with the telling shots fired near the town of Debaltseve, where 6,000 government troops are being besieged by separatist forces. Both sides allege that within an hour of the midnight cease in hostilities, artillery shells were [...]
S&P 500 hits record high as Germany’s Dax passes 11,000 mark February 13, 2015 It looks like equities markets across the world will end the week on a high, after the S&P 500 hit a new high, while Germany's Dax smashed through its previous record. The S&P 500 nudged up to 2,093.57 points shortly after its opening bell this morning, slightly higher than the 2,093.55 it reached in December. [...]
Ukraine ceasefire boost for Coca Cola bottler helps FTSE – London Report February 12, 2015 COCA-COLA bottler HBC led the UK’s top share index higher yesterday, after news of a general ceasefire from Sunday in Ukraine’s east. The world’s second-largest bottler of Coca-Cola drinks, which counts Russia as its biggest market, surged 6.23 per cent after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the ceasefire agreement following peace talks in Minsk with [...]
Tech rally lifts Wall St stocks – New York Report February 12, 2015 US STOCKS ended sharply higher yesterday, with a rally in technology stocks leading the Nasdaq to a 15-year high, while a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine also eased tensions. Cisco Systems climbed 9.4 per cent, after earnings and revenue beat expectations. TripAdvisor soared 22.5 per cent after revenue topped forecasts. Fellow online travel company [...]
Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin announces ceasefire after Minsk talks February 12, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a ceasefire for eastern Ukraine will begin on 15 February. The announcement comes after marathon talks in Minsk, which swayed between reports a deal could be imminent and claims that Russia's terms were unacceptable. With the news comes an announcement from the IMF, which reported it would replace [...]
Reckitt Benckiser to slash costs ahead of a difficult year February 11, 2015 Reckitt Benckiser has embarked on a major cost saving drive after the maker of Durex condoms and Dettol cleaning products beat market expectations with a four per cent jump in full-year sales. Chief executive Rakesh Kapoor said the efficiency plan, dubbed Project Supercharge, aims to deliver up to £150m in savings a year by 2017 [...]
Wall St quietly awaits plans from Europe – New York Report February 11, 2015 THE S&P 500 index finished unchanged yesterday as investors were reluctant to make big bets while they waited for the outcomes of major talks involving Greece and Ukraine, but Apple helped boost the Nasdaq after an activist investor’s bullish comments. Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis began tense talks with Eurozone finance ministers yesterday after his [...]
Bank stocks sink as European finance ministers prepare for Greece showdown February 11, 2015 Shares in Greek banks led a 3.5 per cent fall in the Athens Stock Exchange this morning, as European finance ministers from 19 countries prepared to meet in Brussels, with Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis expected to push to cancel Greece's bailout deal. A bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund expires [...]
Obama phones Putin, warns him to negotiate ahead of Minsk summit February 11, 2015 US President Barack Obama has upped the rhetoric over Ukraine, using a phone call to tell Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peaceful settlement this week. The phone call came after Obama confirmed he had asked officials to look into supplying the Ukrainian government with weapons to fight the Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine. Putin is meeting [...]