West eyes more curbs on Russia April 14, 2014 FOREIGN secretary William Hague has accused Russia’s President Putin of a “gross, deliberate and premeditated violation of the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine,” after pro-Russian forces ignored warnings to leave areas of eastern Ukraine. Arriving for talks in Luxembourg with EU foreign ministers yesterday, Hague said Russia’s claims that it is not behind the recent [...]
Ukraine fatally weakened by failure to embrace real capitalism April 14, 2014 IN the dreadful communist days, Ukraine and Poland used to be equally poor. The former was part of the Soviet Union, and Poland was one of the USSR’s satellite nations, belonging to the Warsaw pact. In 1990, both countries had roughly the same GDP per capita – their economies were eerily similar. A quarter of [...]
Letters to the Editor – 15/04 – Jobs miracle, Airport debate, Best of Twitter April 14, 2014 Jobs miracle [Re: The recovery is being driven by a revolution in the jobs market, yesterday] Have you considered that the reason for the rise in self-employed consultants is the tax system? With a good accountant, moving from PAYE to self-employment, for effectively the same job, can reduce your liability. I find it increasingly difficult [...]
How the West’s utopians damned Ukraine to Russian dominance April 14, 2014 THERE is little doubt that Ukraine stands perilously on the edge of disaster, if not full invasion, as Russian troops assemble on its borders and pro-Russian activists violently demonstrate in key eastern cities. So why, in response, has the West floundered? There is a critical division between the major western foreign policy schools of thought [...]
Here’s what you need to know about today’s gold price surge April 14, 2014 Demand for the lustrous metal has seen gold prices hit a three week high, with geopolitical risks seeing investors move towards the safe-haven asset. Seen as a hedge against inflation, other metals have also spiked as tensions over Ukraine heat up. Palladium today sees an August 2011 high, as traders worry that US sanctions on [...]
What you need to know before the US open April 14, 2014 US stock futures edged higher today, following an optimistic set of results from Citigroup, which offset fears over the Ukraine situation – at least for the time being. European markets dropped to a three-week low earlier on the Ukraine worries and the continued sell-off in the US of tech shares. The Nasdaq closed below 4,000 [...]
Here’s what you need to know about today’s gold price surge April 14, 2014 Demand for the lustrous metal has seen gold prices hit a three week high, with geopolitical risks seeing investors move towards the safe-haven asset. Seen as a hedge against inflation, other metals have also spiked as tensions over Ukraine heat up. Palladium today sees an August 2011 high, as traders worry that US sanctions on [...]
What you need to know before the open April 14, 2014 Rising tensions in Ukraine are expected to hit European equities this morning. The Ukrainian government has begun a full-scale anti-terrorist operation, following the arrival of pro-Russian forces in several towns in eastern Ukraine. Russia has asked for a dialogue to be initiated, calling for Kiev not to use force. The rouble's currently down almost one [...]
Kiev strikes back in East Ukraine April 14, 2014 THE UKRAINIAN government has launched a full-scale anti-terrorist operation in the country, after pro-Russian forces moved into half a dozen towns in eastern Ukraine. The town of Slaviansk saw a reported gun battle yesterday, with at least one Ukrainian soldier and one pro-Russian fighter killed in the violent clashes. Others were said to have been [...]
Asian markets slide as Ukraine crisis escalates April 14, 2014 Asian markets are experiencing partial retreats after Friday saw sliding shares on Wall Street and tensions escalate in Ukraine over the weekend. On 11 April, JP Morgan posted results significantly below estimates, with net income dropping to $5.3bn (£3.2bn), compared with $6.5bn a year earlier. The biotech sector also struggled, leading the Nasdaq substantially lower. [...]