By John Helmer in Moscow Russian boom creates beauty contest for European steel investors. The rapid acceleration in iron-ore and coal costs can be camouflaged on the books of a vertically integrated steelmaker, who supplies his own raw materials to his own blast furnaces. But mineral cost inflation has begun to hurt, even in integrated […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow MOSCOW – The magnitude and growth rate of demand from China still drives global commodity prices. But in the fertilizer sector, where China this month has had to agree to a price for potash more than double what it paid last year, the inflexibility of Chinese demand for food has […]

by John Helmer - Monday, April 21st, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russian energy giant makes gains in Africa and Europe The days when American journalists wandered around Tripoli, acting as covert target spotters for the US Air Force to target Muammar Qaddafi for assassination, are gone. The maverick Berber has outlived, outwitted, outsourced, and outprofited five US presidents, four Russian heads […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, April 17th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow New Russian diamond mine is bigger and better. Blind Man’s Buff is a game which, in King Henry the Eighth’s time, was played by men at court to grope for ladies.These days it entertains children to hide from the blindfolded one, who plays “it”, and must catchwhoever he can, until […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, April 17th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Poor performance and uncertain prospects dog Russian steel and mining magnate Mordashov and management reshuffle not seen as improving the situation. Severstal, Russia’s third ranked steelmaker, is far from the Titanic, but seat-changing at the steel and mining group has failed to convince steel industry observers and the Moscow stock […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow LUKoil ends raid against Archangel Diamond’s Russian project, opening up new mine possibility. Grib is Russian for mushroom, and this isn’t the season for harvesting them. Grib is also the name of a diamond pipe, first discovered in northwestern Russia in 1996 — and the target of a Russian raid […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Potash prices are soaring and the major beneficiary is LSE quoted Uralkali, Russia’s largest producer. A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. That is what the Dutch used to say, while watching their tulips grow. But for the world’s potash miners, meeting this month in […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s big copper contest goes on the boil Russia’s biggest copper contest is going to be a very private affair. Even if there are just two, possibly three contenders, all Russian household names, predicting who will win over the next 90 days of the contest may prove to be more […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, April 10th, 2008
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Norilsk Nickel shareholders ask where the cash for the new deal will come from Oleg Deripaska and his United Company Rusal were trounced in their bid to elect three directors on the Norilsk Nickel board today. The vote saw Vladimir Potanin’s Interros holding, plus most of the free float of 40%, put a full-stop to […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russian miners’ union confident of gaining strike demands as Rusal postpones legal action. Striking bauxite miners at the Rusal-owned Severuralsk mine, in central Russia, have called off their occupation of one of the mine shafts, on signs that Rusal is ready to make wage, welfare, and other labour contract concessions. […]

by John Helmer - Monday, April 7th, 2008
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