Investors should look East if they want strong yields August 17, 2010 FIXED income is at a cross roads. While yields on G3 government bonds continue to fall to record lows, investors are left in a quandary: put up with low yields because these are the “safest” bonds in the world, or sell their stakes and move into the higher-yielding debt of emerging markets. Since the onset [...]
Russian drought set to hit grain output August 16, 2010 RUSSIA’S severe drought may cut its grain output by 40 per cent this year, a leading research group said yesterday, as Russia’s weather service forecast short-lived rains in some areas which could help planting for next year. Leading Russian agricultural analyst’s body SovEcon said it cut its 2010 grain crop forecast to 59.5-63.5m tonnes from [...]
Russian grain ban fuels fears of food price inflation August 15, 2010 CONCERNS over sharply rising food prices were stoked yesterday as Russia, the world’s third largest wheat seller, brought in an emergency ban on grain exports. Experts said the price of bread could shoot up by ten per cent after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the government had banned grain exports until 31 December. Putin said [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 12, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BARCLAYS REFUSES TO USE TARGETS The head of Barclays’ small business division has firmly refused to sign up to UK lending targets in a move that could fuel government criticism of the industry’s willingness to ease credit constraints in the economy. Speaking to the FT after Barclays broadened the remit of its business [...]
Deripaska eyes new IPO August 11, 2010 Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska is understood to be valuing his electricity producer EuroSibEnergo at around $8bn (£5.1bn) ahead of a planned Hong Kong IPO this autumn. The billionaire, who successfully listed aluminium giant Rusal on the same bourse in January, is currently marketing his power unit – formerly called En+ Power – to potential cornerstone [...]
Russians lead army of oil rich shoppers in UK August 9, 2010 The UK has seen a rise in international shoppers from oil rich countries, according to new data. In July there was an 81 per cent increase in shoppers from the Russian Federation, 60 per cent more from the Middle East and 38 per from Nigeria, compared to the same period last year. According to the [...]
Panic over a new global food crisis is over-egged August 9, 2010 TRADERS have been watching wheat markets breathlessly over the past few days as the grain bounced up and then down. Having gained 8.08 per cent last Thursday – up 80 per cent on prices in the middle of June – the grain plummeted on Friday, wiping out much of Thursday’s gain to end the day [...]
It’s time to stop gloomy talk of a double dip August 8, 2010 TURNS out, Naomi Campbell is a genius. Before you start thinking that I have either the IQ of an iguana or I’m on prescribed hallucinogens for suggesting such a thing, hear me out. The supermodel claimed her summons to give evidence at Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial was an inconvenience to her life. Naomi ensured [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS August 5, 2010 FTSE Group The global index provider has appointed Sudir Raju as managing director for its custom index business. Raju has worked for Dow Jones and Stoxx Indexes since 2004, latterly as leader of the Stoxx custom index business. He has a strong technical background with experience extending across index design, production, reviews and operations, as [...]
Ex-BP traders in court fight August 2, 2010 SIX former BP traders sued by the oil major for breach of contract in Singapore have applied to the court to set aside a search order that had allowed BP’s lawyers to seize their personal computers and mobile phones, according to court documents yesterday. BP has accused the six of engineering the mass departures of [...]