Rusal off to a slippery start January 27, 2010 RUSAL, the Russian aluminium producer owned by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, suffered a rough debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange yesterday after its $2.2bn (£1.4bn) float. The company’s shares tumbled 11 per cent to HK$9.66 from their listing price of HK$10.80. Analysts attributed the poor performance to market worries over Rusal’s $14.9bn debt pile and [...]
Russia to buy Lebedev out of carrier Aeroflot January 27, 2010 RUSSIA is planning to tighten its grip on flagship airline Aeroflot by taking control of a 25.8 per cent stake owned by tycoon Alexander Lebedev for $400m (£247m) – owner of London’s Evening Standard newspaper – ridding the carrier of a major independent shareholder. Aeroflot yesterday said it may strike a deal with Lebedev to [...]
Serena hits back from the brink January 27, 2010 WORLD No1 Serena Williams admitted she was contemplating her long flight home before staging a remarkable comeback to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne. The defending champion was in serious trouble at a set and 4-0 down to Russia’s Victoria Azarenka, only to storm back to win 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. “I was actually thinking: ‘If [...]
Comeback queen Henin in last four January 26, 2010 JUSTINE HENIN’S fairytale comeback continued as she moved one step closer to a dream Australian Open title with a quarter-final victory over Nadia Petrova. The former world No1, playing in her first Grand Slam since coming out of retirement, showed her battling qualities to come through a tough match 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 and book a [...]
Venus and Serena set for a showdown January 25, 2010 SISTER act Serena and Venus Williams are heading for a semi-final showdown after reaching the last eight of the Australian Open in contrasting style. Defending champion Serena looked in irresistible form in powering to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Sam Stosur to set up a last eight clash with Victoria Azarenka. Home favourite Stosur beat [...]
How studying Goldman Sachs can help you become a better trader January 24, 2010 LAST week, Goldman Sachs announced profits of more than $13.3bn, even as some of its competitors continue to struggle. So what is the bank doing so right? We look at five ways you can adapt your hedging, research and risk styles to a Goldman style and hopefully boost your revenues. 1. Do your research Goldman’s [...]
From Russia with love – and money January 24, 2010 THE OLIGARCH’S WIFE By ANNA BLUNDY Preface, £12.99 Anna Blundy, an impossibly glamorous-looking journalist and daughter of the late foreign correspondent Peter Blundy, knows her subject well. A graduate of a Russian at Oxford, she lived in Russia first as a translator, then a blues singer and then as foreign correspondent for a national newspaper. [...]
OUT OF OFFICE January 24, 2010 Van gogh comes to the r.a. Incredibly, this is the first major Van Gogh exhibition in London for over 40 years, and it will shed extra light on the impulses and inspirations of the troubled Dutch painter with the inclusion of 35 of his letters, as well as 65 paintings and 30 drawings. Whether your [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 21, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES MUSIC INDUSTRY CLAIMS 95 PER CENT OF DOWNLOADS ILLEGAL AS CD SALES FALL A quarter of all recorded music industry revenues come from digital channels but online file-sharing continues to undermine the global music industry, with sales of physical and digital music falling last year, according to trade body the International Federation of [...]
SSL Russian venture lifts expectation January 21, 2010 THE owner of the Durex and Scholl Footwear brands SSL yesterday said the recent acquisition of Russia’s most popular condom brand has continued to perform ahead of expectations, boosted by strong sales of core consumer brands and continued investment in advertising and promotion. Despite a difficult trading environment in some countries, the company has seen [...]