Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate crude prices slide as production in Russia and Opec member states booms December 6, 2016 A rise in crude output in most major oil-producing regions ahead of a landmark curb to production has driven down the price of the black stuff today. Production among the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries rose to another record high in November, according to a Reuters survey, reaching 34.19m barrels per day (bpd), up [...]
Nigel Farage is on the shortlist for Time magazine’s person of the year. No, seriously December 6, 2016 It's not often Beyonce, gymnast Simone Biles, Vladimir Putin and Nigel Farage are all mentioned in the same breath – but last night it was revealed they are among the 11-strong shortlist for Time magazine's person of the year. Yes, in the past it's been won by the likes of Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and, [...]
Brent crude oil just broke $55 for the first time since July 2015 December 5, 2016 Brent crude oil shot above $55 per barrel today as oil traders continued to celebrate Opec's agreement, after months of in-fighting, to put a cap on production. Global benchmark Brent crude rose as high as $55.33 per barrel in late morning trading, up more than 1.4 per cent, though it dipped 0.3 per cent to $54.30 by the [...]
Saudi Arabia has surrendered control of the global oil market to US shale December 5, 2016 “Ending wars is very simple if you surrender.” – PJ O’Rourke The new Opec deal to cut oil output – the cartel’s first since 2008 – amounts to nothing less than Saudi Arabia’s surrender to the power of American shale. It has come about due to Riyadh’s belated, horrified understanding that it has utterly lost control over [...]
MPs’ Magnitsky amendment to criminal finances bill would see abusers’ assets frozen in the UK December 5, 2016 New powers to freeze the UK assets of those suspected of abusing human rights have received the backing of a cross-party group of influential MPs ahead of a parliamentary vote on the latest anti-corruption legislation. The MPs, led by Dominic Raab, conservative MP for Esher & Walton, have tabled an amendment for the asset freezing [...]
Team Sky star-signing urges public to look at the facts in Wiggins saga November 30, 2016 An Olympic gold medalist team-mate and new Team Sky signing has hit back at criticism of Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins. Owain Doull said the outrage surrounding Wiggins’s controversial use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) on the run-up to his 2012 Tour de France victory had been “blown out of all proportion”. Wiggins’s [...]
FTSE reshuffles confirmed: Convatec and Smurfit Kappa replace Travis Perkins and Polymetal International in blue-chip index November 30, 2016 Medical products company Convatec has successfully made its way into the FTSE 100 after floating on the London Stock Exchange’s main market at the end of October. Convatec will be joined by Irish packaging firm Smurfit Kappa on the blue-chip index tomorrow morning. Making way are building materials company Travis Perkins, which was forced to [...]
FTSE reshuffle: Three blue-chip relegations are on the cards this week November 28, 2016 A Russian gold producer, a builders’ merchant and a shopping centre owner could face relegation from the FTSE 100 this week. Building materials company Travis Perkins, which issued a profits warning in October, Polymetal International, which has suffered due to a gold price drop since the US election, and shopping centre owner Intu, whose shares have [...]
Shares in Aim-listed nickel sulphide explorer Amur Minerals skyrocket 200 per cent in a month November 23, 2016 An Aim-listed nickel sulphide explorer's share price has risen 200 per cent in the last month and 60 per cent in the last five days after a slew of new agreements. Amur Minerals, which is developing the Kun-Manie nickel, copper and sulphide project in the far east of Russia, got a 21 per cent share [...]
Record highs on US stock exchanges driven by rising oil prices ahead of possible Opec production cut November 21, 2016 US equities moved upwards as the Nasdaq stock exchange hit a fresh all-time record high on intraday trading while the Russell 2000 also broke records on the back of expectations of an oil price rise. The Nasdaq Composite index gained over 0.5 per cent to break the previous all-time high of 5,359.90 points at 5,362.48. The [...]