London Report: FTSE reverses losses as crisis in Crimea eases March 4, 2014 THE UK’S top share index rebounded from two-week lows yesterday, recouping its losses in the previous session, with the perception that tensions between Russia and Ukraine were easing and robust earnings boosting investors’ risk appetite. However, investors remained cautious in placing strong bets on the sustainability of the share rally, given that Russia and the [...]
New York Report: S&P climbs to another fresh all-time high March 4, 2014 US STOCKS rallied yesterday, with the S&P 500 closing at a record as concerns about a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine eased, and the market recovered more than all of the previous session’s hefty losses. President Vladimir Putin delivered a robust defence of Russia’s actions in Crimea, saying he would use force in Ukraine only [...]
Letters to the Editor – 05/03 – End of the BBC, Ukraine crisis risks, Best of Twitter March 4, 2014 End of the BBC [Re: How technology has doomed the BBC licence fee, yesterday] If we make the BBC a pay-per-view service, there will be greater scope for selling programmes outside the UK than is currently the case. There must be thousands of hours of BBC programming (both current and historic) that non UK residents [...]
How the West should best the crumbling Kremlin March 4, 2014 AN UNLIKELY source holds the key to how the West should respond to Russia’s takeover of the Crimea. While researching for my book Ethical Realism (which I co-wrote with the rightly celebrated Anatol Lieven), I came across a startling fact. Reinhold Niebuhr, one of the US’s best-known twentieth-century political thinkers, was also the author of [...]
The poll that shows not one majority in any Ukrainian region favours joining Russia March 4, 2014 Russia’s incursion into Crimea has so far been justified on the grounds of protecting those citizens of Russian descent and Russian speakers. On Monday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, at UN meetings in Geneva, said “this is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right to life.” However, these [...]
3 things Putin probably hadn’t bargained for March 4, 2014 It seems Vladimir Putin, upon whom everyone’s been keeping more than half an eye, is backing off. Following the beating the Russian stock market and currency took yesterday, the Russian leader's been speaking at a news conference. He told reporters this morning that there’s no – current – need for military force in Ukraine, that [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 4, 2014 US stock futures have rallied, following open markets that are responding to the cooling situation between Russia and Ukraine. The US has said it’ll provide $1bn in loan guarantees to Ukraine, to help restore financial stability. The Treasury will also send “technical advisers” to help the country in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. [...]
How Ukraine’s unrest will affect prime London property prices March 4, 2014 World shares, particularly in banks, insurers, miners and energy stocks, have been hit as a result of the political tension and unrest in Ukraine. But what would be the cost of an economic fallout or any potential sanctions by the West against Russia have on the London property market? Joshua Raymond, chief market strategist of [...]
UK exposure to Ukraine crisis extremely limited March 4, 2014 The UK is facing only limited exposure to the crisis in Ukraine, according to a note from London-based consultancy Capital Economics. The UK's direct trade with Ukraine is close to insignificant, with UK exports to Ukraine amounting to just 0.2 per cent of the total in 2012. UK banks' are also relatively safe from exposure [...]
Putin: Armed troops in Ukraine are last resort March 4, 2014 President Putin, who’s currently speaking at a news conference, has said there’s no need to send troops into Ukraine now, but that Russia still "has that option". Deploying armed forces is, he said, would only be done in an extreme case. "So the tense situation in Crimea related to the possibility of use of force [...]