Yippee-ki-yay: Russian government spends £1.6bn bailing out Bruce Willis’ favourite bank December 27, 2014 The Russian government says it will spend $2.5bn (£1.6bn) bailing out one of its largest lenders, five times what it originally expected to spend, after the plummeting rouble caused its foreign-denominated debts to shoot up. The bank said on Friday it is planning to inject $2bn in direct aid into Trust Bank, with another $550m [...]
The four most shocking things that happened in 2014 December 23, 2014 1. THE RUSSIA SAGA (Source: Getty) Russia flexed its muscles at the beginning of the year, taking the opportunity during the uprising in Ukraine to plant pro-Putin flags in the Crimea region, triggering a string of catastrophic events to unfold. And it’s likely we’re far from seeing the final act of this epic Russian novel play [...]
Saudi Arabia oil minister Ali al-Naimi: We won’t cut production to prop up prices December 22, 2014 Saudi Arabia’s oil minister has insisted the country will not cut oil production to prop up prices, despite the key commodity collapsing by a further 25 per cent in value over the past month. “Whether it goes down to $20, $40, $50, $60, it is irrelevant,” Ali al-Naimi said yesterday. “We are [...]
Morgan Stanley sale to Rosneft fails to win regulatory approval December 22, 2014 RUSSIAN oil firm Rosneft’s deal to buy Morgan Stanley’s oil merchant business has collapsed after United States regulators refused to clear it. Although the sale of the business was inked before the US and the EU imposed sanctions on Russia over its interference in Ukraine, its collapse had been expected as the political winds changed. [...]
Which were the best and worst investments of 2014? December 22, 2014 This year low interest rates have seen investors who bet on traditional investments receive returns tantamount to chickenfeed. Perhaps we should have given up before we'd all even started? Perhaps not. Investors who plumped for chocolate, property, the US dollar and Aim-listed company Fitbug would have watched as their money practically grew on trees. Conversely, [...]
Xiaomi could be worth more than Uber, Twitter, LinkedIn and Netflix after $1bn investment round December 22, 2014 A Beijing-based company which has become the world’s third-largest smartphone maker in the space of four years is now said to be worth more than the likes of Uber, Twitter, LinkedIn and Netflix after its latest funding round. Xiaomi has raised $1bn (£640m) from a host of investors, valuing the firm at more than $45bn, [...]
Eight charts that sum up 2014 December 22, 2014 This year will be remembered for the fragmentation of mainstream politics, Scotland's near exit from the 307-year old union and an economy which the Bank's chief economist Andy Haldane described as "writhing in both agony and ecstasy." What does all that look like? Here are eight charts that sum up the year. (Source: Getty) 1. [...]
Tough year for Rosneft could impact on BP December 21, 2014 OIL FIRM BP could feel the impact of problems with the Russian economy as a result of its 19.75 per cent stake in Rosneft, bought in March 2013. The $25bn (£16bn) deal, which saw BP sell its 50 per cent stake in TNK-BP to state-controlled Rosneft for $12.3bn in cash plus stock, was seen as [...]
Man once known as “Putin’s banker” loses £1.3bn battle in UK high court December 19, 2014 Vladimir Putin's former "banker" has lost a $2bn (£1.3bn) legal battle in the UK courts. The man in question is Sergei Pugachev, a former Russian senator. Pugachev had sought to overturn a UK court order issued in July this year that froze his global assets due to a $2bn claim made against a collapsed bank he [...]
Putin and the rouble: EU leaders stick to their guns over sanctions December 19, 2014 Even as the rouble continues its inexorable decline, hand in hand with global oil prices, EU leaders are refusing to budge over sanctions on Russia. At a summit meeting in Brussels all the talk was of “stay[ing] the course” and taking “further steps if necessary,” not relaxing the sanctions swaddling the Russian economy. Chief among [...]