Mick Davis’ X2 Resources bid for Anglo assets not yet tabled November 3, 2014 A source close to private mining company X2 Resources yesterday cast doubts on reports that the firm, led by Mick Davis, had tabled a bid for some key Anglo American assets. Davis, who sold Xstrata to Glencore for $27bn (£17bn) in 2013, set up X2 earlier this year with the aim of building a new [...]
Manufacturing figures point to slower growth – London Report November 2, 2014 MANUFACTURING figures due out today are likely to show a loss of momentum in the UK economy’s growth. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ survey for October is forecast to sit at 51.5, the same as for September and weaker than the rates of 52.2 in August and 54.7 in July. A reading of 50 shows no [...]
Business is on the side of open minds – Editor’s Letter October 30, 2014 IT IS great news that Tim Cook has chosen to declare that he is proud to be gay. Unfair discrimination is abhorrent, and such high-profile statements can only help to end any lingering sense that public homosexuality is incompatible with a senior position in business life. At the same time, we should not be surprised [...]
Miner Rio Tinto transfers CEO Sam Walsh and CFO Chris Lynch to open-ended contracts October 23, 2014 Mining company Rio Tinto has extended the tenure of its chief executive Sam Walsh and chief financial officer Chris Lynch, the firm announced yesterday. Walsh, whose contract was due to end on 31 December 2015, with a break clause from 31 October 2014, and Lynch, whose contract was due to end on 28 February 2017, [...]
Eurozone fears pull down FTSE to one-year low – London Report October 9, 2014 THE FTSE 100 yesterday hit its lowest level for a year after early gains fell away in a broad-based sell-off as investors became anxious about signs of serious weakening in the Eurozone economy. The blue-chip index, which hit 6,544 points in morning trading, due mainly to a rise in mining shares, ended the day down [...]
Vince Cable puts pressure on companies over all-male boards October 8, 2014 Vince Cable is taking aim at some at a host of British companies that have no women on their boards. Cable is planning to write to the chairman of close to 30 FTSE 350 firms that have all male boards voicing his concern that they have failed to embrace diversity, Sky News reports. Companies that [...]
Glencore knocked back but not giving up October 7, 2014 Multinational mining company Glencore has said that it is no longer actively considering a £100bn merger with larger rival Rio Tinto, despite talks between its bosses. In a statement yesterday afternoon, however, Glencore kept the door open for a future offer – even hinting that this could come within the six-month waiting period imposed by [...]
Fears over Ebola contagion puts airlines in a spin – London Report October 7, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index fell back yesterday, with travel and leisure companies hit by concerns that the spread of Ebola outside Africa could hurt air travel and the tourism business. Sentiment was also hit by a set of poor data, including an unexpected four per cent month-on-month drop in German industrial production in August. Analysts had [...]
Glencore rules itself out of Rio Tinto bid for six months October 7, 2014 Glencore has distanced itself from a merger with rival miner Rio Tinto – forgoing the opportunity to make a formal bid for the next six months as a result. Last night Rio Tinto revealed it had firmly rejected an approach from the smaller firm, which would have created a £100bn giant, leapfrogging BHP Billiton [...]
Rio Tinto share price rockets following Glencore rejection October 7, 2014 Rio Tinto's share price peaked at £31.46 today, up by more than six per cent from yesterday. The rise followed news that Glencore was discussing a possible merger between the two mining companies with Rio Tinto's largest shareholder, the Chinese state-backed Aluminium Corp. Earlier, Rio Tinto had released a statement confirming that “no [...]