Murray admits meeting match after Ferrer forces early exit June 6, 2012 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray yesterday exited the French Open at the quarter-final stage after a 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Spain’s David Ferrer inspired largely by the Scot’s erratic performance. Murray carelessly hit 59 unforced errors and though his demeanour suggested a genuine desire to advance to the tournament’s final four against Ferrer’s [...]
BP hit by fresh court fight over TNK-BP stake June 5, 2012 OIL major BP is facing renewed investor pressure in Russia after a court reopened a $13bn (£8.5bn) lawsuit linked to its TNK-BP venture. The Russian court said minority shareholders in TNK-BP can restart their fight over last year’s failed tie-in with oil explorer Rosneft. The shareholders complained that BP’s £10bn plan to join forces with [...]
Even Germany feels the pain as output falls June 5, 2012 ALL FOUR of the largest Eurozone economies contracted last month, survey data showed yesterday, as official figures revealed retail sales are plummeting across much of the area. Markit’s composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) came in at a near three-year low of 46, down from 46.7 in April, indicating an accelerating decline in private sector activity. [...]
MegaFon float put on hold as Russia’s richest man sits tight June 5, 2012 THE global uncertainty around public listings was underlined yesterday when the chief executive of Russian mobile phone group MegaFon indicated its highly anticipated float might not occur for some time. Russia’s second biggest mobile operator – controlled by Arsenal shareholder and Russia’s richest man Alisher Usmanov – plans to list up to 20 per cent [...]
Blankfein takes stand at insider trial of Gupta June 5, 2012 LLOYD Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs Group, told jurors at the insider trading trial of one of the investment bank’s former directors that “all parts” of a 2008 board meeting the two attended were confidential. “If something is discussed in a board meeting, it is confidential,” Blankfein said, when asked about a June [...]
Dig into the miners to take gains from growth June 5, 2012 A BIG problem when it comes to day trading most retail equities is that sifting through balance sheets, analysing company performance and then taking a position based on your analysis isn’t the easiest thing in the world. But when trading mining equities, you often have the advantage of trading the macroeconomic news affecting the stock, [...]
BP eyes sale of TNK-BP stake June 1, 2012 BP said it was considering a sale of its half-share of Russia’s third-largest oil producer TNK-BP after receiving bid approaches, possibly heralding the end of one of the UK oil major’s most lucrative, audacious and troublesome ventures. The oil company said in a statement on Friday that it had received “unsolicited approaches” and had notified [...]
As BP faces difficulty at its Russian venture, is the country a safe place for UK investors? May 29, 2012 YES John McRoberts There has always been concern around election time in Russia but, now that Vladimir Putin is again President, I expect another period of stability. He has transformed the country, putting in place a new environment for business, built primarily on transforming the tax system. Personal income tax is now a flat 13 [...]
Oligarchs’ favourite Maxim Barsky to return to TNK-BP May 29, 2012 TNK-BP has beefed up its team ahead of a looming dispute with its co-owner BP, with the Russian oil firm’s former deputy chief executive Maxim Barsky rejoining as an adviser. Barsky, who left the firm last year when BP failed to support his appointment as chief executive, is a favourite of AAR, the group of [...]
French courts suit my game, admits Watson May 29, 2012 BRITAIN’S Heather Watson confessed her love for the French Open after again reaching the competition’s second round with an accomplished victory over Russia’s Elena Vesnina. Watson last summer became the first British female in 28 years to qualify for the Grand Slam at Roland Garros and yesterday continued her impressive form with a 6-2 6-4 [...]