US and EU sanctions on Russia: It’s not another cold war says Obama, yet Putin won’t thaw July 29, 2014 The US and Europe have joined forces to tighten the screws on Russia’s President Putin, as the spectre of downed Malaysia airlines flight MH17 continues to tug at the consciences of western leaders. As ambassadors in Brussels yesterday finally agreed a package of new sanctions designed to bring the Russian economy to its knees, Prime [...]
Fragile expansion in Russia and Eurozone set for sanctions shock July 29, 2014 Russian markets and economic growth could be damaged further by a new round of European sanctions, which go further than forecasters had thought. “It seems like the EU has done even more than the majority of analysts have been expecting,” said Evghenia Sleptsova of Roubini Global Economics. “The sanctions are going to have more of [...]
Banker’s oath? Pah! How about threaten them with ye old bag of adders? July 29, 2014 The launch of ResPublica’s Virtuous Banking Report, from which the now famous suggestion of a banker’s oath sprung, caused quite a commotion yesterday. When Lord Phillips asked former CBI director general Sir Richard Lambert why more bankers were not in jail for their misdeeds, Lambert responded with a pertinent history lesson. “You should read the [...]
London Report: GKN and Next report upbeat earnings to lift FTSE after slump July 29, 2014 THE FTSE 100 posted its first gain in three days yesterday, with upbeat earnings reports from GKN and Next lifting the mood. However, shares in BP bucked the trend, falling amid concerns on the fallout from new, tougher sanctions on Russia. The index climbed 0.3 per cent to close at 6,807.75, recovering from a 0.1 [...]
EU hits Russia with fresh sanctions as tensions escalate July 29, 2014 EU governments have agreed to impose a host of economic sanctions against Russia, taking aim at bank financing, technology, defence equipment and the oil industry, according to EU sources. At meetings held today in Brussels, it was also agreed that Russian state-owned banks would be barred from selling shares or bonds in Europe. Today's developments [...]
BP share price drops after strong start July 29, 2014 Despite beating earnings expectations, BP has seen its share price slide this morning; possibly due to fears it is exposed to the fallout from the Yukos case. Russia has been ordered to pay $50bn (£29bn) to shareholders of the now defunct company after the Kremlin seized and broke up the company dishing out its assets. BP [...]
BP share price expected to rise as company beats earnings expectations July 29, 2014 BP has seen its underlying earnings up 34 per cent on last year, thanks in part to a payout from an oil deal with Rosneft. Underlying earnings for the second quarter came in at $3.6bn, 34 per cent higher than last year and up from the $3.4bn that an analyst poll by Bloomberg had suggested. UPDATE: BP [...]
Russia ordered to pay £29bn to Yukos investors July 28, 2014 THE HAGUE’S arbitration court yesterday ordered Russia to pay a group of Yukos shareholders $50.02bn (£29.4bn) in compensation for deliberately bankrupting the oil company, at a time when relations between Russia and the West were already on a knife edge. The arbitration panel in the Netherlands awarded shareholders in the GML Group, a former Yukos [...]
Golf Comment: Langer just gets better with age and McGinley will be taking note July 28, 2014 IT MAY not quite be up there with his two Masters wins, but Bernhard Langer’s utter dominance of the Senior Open Championship last week must rank alongside just about any of his other performances. His score of 18 under par was the lowest in Senior Open history, while his winning margin of 13 shots not [...]
Emirates stops flights over Iraq following MH17 crash July 28, 2014 Emirates Airline has said that it is stopping flights over Iraq because of Islamic militants on the ground. In an interview with the BBC, it said that was taking “precautionary measures” and "working on alternative routing plans for flights using Iraqi airspace". The decision was made following the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight [...]