-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow After more than forty years, the last great Soviet state secret is out. And in its wake, a sensitive Chinese state secret, too. Russian geologists reported over the weekend that the Popigai crater on the border between the Krasnoyarsk and Sakha regions of north eastern Siberia, formed by the 100-kilometre wide […]
by John Helmer - Thursday, September 20th, 2012
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow The fight by China Inc. to keep control over the flow and price of manganese into Chinese refineries, and out of the hands of pesky international shareholders, has moved into Round-3 after Rounds 1 and 2 turned into bruising knockdowns. OM Holdings (OMH) — a Singapore-based manganese miner and metals refiner […]
by John Helmer - Monday, July 25th, 2011
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow When the gravy train to China starts running, it can be educational for investors in the greater Sino-Russian iron-ore market to slow down, and patiently study how Australians, rivals of the Russians and other iron-ore suppliers, behave when the brakes are off – and the regulators appear to be going in […]
by John Helmer - Friday, June 24th, 2011
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow A decade ago, when Oleg Deripaska trusted Gulzhan Moldazhova, his principal money-changer, to negotiate with China, the authorities in Beijing were reluctant to agree to permitting what was then called Russian Aluminium (Rusal) to open a representative office in Beijing. Until then Rusal had exported aluminium to China through international traders […]
by John Helmer - Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow Just four months since the first Russian crude oil started pumping into Daqing, the northeastern Chinese oil town, the Russian pipeline company Transneft has charged the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) with violating their supply contract, and is threatening to open court proceedings in London.
by John Helmer - Thursday, April 21st, 2011
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow It’s nearly time for the peonies to bloom in China. But not for Oleg Deripaska’s plantings, at least not this season. According to sources at Deripaska’s electricity company, Eurosibenergo, the Chinese government has so far refused to approve the investment of state-controlled funds by China Yangtze Power Company (CYPC) in Eurosibenergo, […]
by John Helmer - Thursday, April 7th, 2011
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow One man’s poison is another man’s meat – so long as he chews carefully and doesn’t swallow. What’s been bad for Japan’s steel industry has accordingly been not so bad — you might say good — for the China market, and those who supply it with what it must have — […]
by John Helmer - Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer, Moscow Oleg Deripaska’s electricity company, Eurosibenergo, is facing the loss of between 7% and 33% of its potential value in the Hong Kong market, as the banks running the attempt at a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange can find few sharebuyers who value the company above the range of $4 […]
by John Helmer - Tuesday, November 16th, 2010
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer in Moscow China has joined an English peer, a Bush Administration retiree, and a special Kremlin envoy in the attempt to persuade or pressure the Guinean Government into halting its court proceedings and fraud and tax audits of international mining companies, and restore concession rights, corruptly acquired, to Guinea’s resource treasure. At […]
by John Helmer - Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
No Comments »
-
Print This Post
By John Helmer in Moscow One of the reasons for pornography is that it provides a low-cost alternative to the real thing. Not to mention the chance to fantasize immediately about a future pleasure that isn’t likely to materialize — or to be affordable if it does. The announcement on Tuesday of Russia’s agreement in […]
by John Helmer - Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
No Comments »