By John Helmer in Moscow Russian specialty steelmaker spins off coal-mining and ferroalloy units to add value, deter asset attack. A series of new executive appointments, announced this week by Mechel, suggests that the group’s controlling shareholder, Igor Zyuzin, is preparing for the possible, much rumoured sale of the Mechel steel division to the state-owned […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russian largest silver and third largest gold miner, Polymetal, goes back to Nesis family. Suleiman Kerimov finally did what he was always expected to do with Polymetal, Russia’s principal silver miner — he has sold out. The move was confirmed in a Monday morning press release from one of the […]

by John Helmer - Monday, June 16th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow China is a power behind global commodity flows as well as prices. But Beijing has been slow to understand that it is the horse that pulls the cart; the whip hand belongs to the coachman. Chinese negotiators have already made one colossal mistake in pricing their supply of liquefied natural […]

by John Helmer - Friday, June 13th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Co-owner of Polyus Gold Mikhail Prokhorov and chief executive Evgeny Ivanov are planning a roadshow this week to answer questions from minority shareholders. The presentations have been scheduled two weeks before the annual general shareholders meeting of the company, Russia’s largest and most valuable goldminer, due on June 26. Prokhorov […]

by John Helmer - Monday, June 9th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow After rejecting a share-buy by a Potanin ally, Prokhorov makes a counter-bid to start new share price spiral. The end of Sherlock Holmes came when he and his greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty, wrestle at the cliff’s edge above the Reichenbach Falls, in the Swiss Alps. Locked in combat, they take […]

by John Helmer - Monday, June 2nd, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Profit defeats politics in Ukraine’s bid to make crude oil run uphill. In the annals of topographic desperation, it is unclear which foolish Duke of York did this to his army, but not even the nursery rhyme leaves any doubt about what he did: Oh, the grand old Duke of […]

by John Helmer - Monday, June 2nd, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Terms of new nickel-iron-ore combination put pressure on Rusal and Deripaska “Though poverty and want are an irresistible temptation to the poor, vanity and great things are as irresistible to others”. As she got up from a night of bedding with a high-paying prince in France, this was how Roxana, […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, May 29th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow The FSA investigation of Polyus Gold’s affairs hears duck quacking. Last February, Interros, the Moscow asset holding of Vladimir Potanin, was getting ready to go to the High Court in London to enforce Potanin’s rights in KM-Invest, a special purpose vehicle Potanin controlled with disgruntled partner, Mikhail Prokhorov. At stake […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Brokers put fingers in the dyke, as Kremlin takes fresh bite out of profit According to the tale of Hans Brinker, the brave little Dutch boy stuck his finger in the Haarlem dyke to save the Netherlands from being flooded. In truth, the tale was a 19th century American invention. […]

by John Helmer - Monday, May 26th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said there has been a breakthrough in negotiations with the Russian government over terms for the Russian space agency to launch a South African communications satellite. She said she hopes to “see the launch of the satellite by the end of this year.” Dlamini-Zuma […]

by John Helmer - Friday, May 23rd, 2008
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