Metal prices soar on fears of supply shortage: Zinc, iron ore, copper all climb higher February 22, 2016 Fears over a supply shortage have pushed up the price of base metals, with zinc hitting four month highs. On the London Metal Exchange (LME) the price of three-month zinc hit an intraday peak of $1,790 a tonne, up over two per cent, the highest price since late October. It closed at $1,781 a tonne, after [...]
WTI and Brent crude oil price floating on calm seas after a rough week February 22, 2016 The oil price has remained stable this morning, coming off the back of a week of wild swings. International benchmark Brent crude this morning is up by around two per cent at $33.08, however US West Texas Intermediate jumped by over over four per cent to $32.84, up from under $30 at the close of [...]
Winner of City Airport auction set to be named February 21, 2016 The sale of City Airport to one of four groups of bidders could be announced as soon as this week. Four groups of bidders are currently in the race to secure the east London airport, which has an expected price tag of over £2bn. A pension fund consortium that includes PSP Investments, money manager for [...]
Mining giant BHP Billiton’s dividend is expected to be the latest commodity rout casualty February 21, 2016 BHP Billiton is set to become the latest mining company to chop down its dividend later today, as it seeks to hold onto its A-grade credit rating. The dividend could drop by up to 75 per cent as the commodity rout continues to lay waste to profits in the sector. The company is expected to post [...]
Investors line up to bid for National Grid’s massive £11bn gas pipeline February 21, 2016 Investors are teaming up to bid for a controlling stake in National Grid’s £11bn gas pipeline arm that was put on sale last year. The consortium includes Canada’s Borealis Infrastructure; the Universities Superannuation Scheme, and Wren House, an arm of Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund. Bankers at Rothschild and Citi have been recruited as advisors, the [...]
Telecommunications giant BT expected to avoid being broken up from Openreach, in verdict due this Thursday February 21, 2016 BT is expected to avoid having its infrastructure arm Openreach carved out this week, following months of campaigning for a split by the company’s rivals. City A.M. understands the decision will be announced on Thursday in Ofcom’s Digital Communications Review, though will reportedly include requirements for minimum-service standards between Openreach and BT’s rivals Vodafone, Sky, and [...]
Oil producers hope for a deal on production limits by early March February 21, 2016 A deal to cap oil production at January levels should be completed by 1 March, according to the Russian energy minister Alexander Novak. The deal, brokered by de facto Opec leader Saudi Arabia, has the backing of Russia, Qatar and Venezuela. Opec rebel Iran has welcomed the deal but has said it will continue to [...]
Open outcry lives on at the London Metal Exchange February 19, 2016 The message the London Metal Exchange (LME) is sending with its new office, including a tech heavy open call trading ring, is clear: “we’re embracing the future, while retaining the tradition.” The 139-year-old London Metal Exchange closed the doors on its previous two-decade home in January, and has since moved to a purpose built space on [...]
Oil production freeze: Saudi will not cut output as US stockpiles soar February 18, 2016 The oil price has has fallen off a cliff on a double whammy of bad news: De facto Opec leader Saudi Arabia has said it will not cut production according to reports, while the US Energy Information Administration has announced inventories of crude swelled in the week to 12 February. The price per barrel of US [...]
At the close: FTSE storms over 6,000 in shock four day nine per cent rally as share prices stay volatile February 17, 2016 The FTSE 100 has smashed through the 6,000 barrier, less than a week after falling to lows of just over 5,500. The top share index closed at 6,030.32, up 2.9 per cent on the day, adding over nine per cent in the last four trading sessions. The rebound comes amid recent extreme market volatility across Europe's stock markets, [...]