By John Helmer in Moscow Polyus shareholders give Potanin big win over rival plan to transfer assets. In Harold Pinter’s play, The Birthday Party, a group of seedy characters in a rundown boarding house, at a miserable English seaside town, arrange a birthday celebration for one of their number. But he denies it’s his birthday, […]

by John Helmer - Monday, April 7th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Nesis considers chrome sell-out in the most lucrative, short mining career on record A press leak in Moscow on Monday, followed by a confirming announcement from Mechel, the Russian stainless steel producer, have indicated that Igor Zyuzin, Mechel’s controlling shareholder, is trying to buy out chrome producer Oriel Resources, owned […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Two steel oligarchs are trying riding the Russian wave of boom and bust. There’s nothing like a little oil (and gas) to grease the wheels of demand. But announcements this week from two of Russia’s largest steelmakers — 3rd ranked Severstal, owned by Alexei Mordashov, and 5th ranked Mechel, owned […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, February 28th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow MOSCOW – Eric Ambler told the tale of a clapped-out reporter whose near-bankrupt newsletter suddenly starts to make a fortune on its classified advertisements. The journalist couldn’t understand why, but didn’t want to look his gift horse too closely in the mouth. It turned out that someone was publishing coded […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Never mind Walt Disney or Johnny Depp — the last certified Caribbean pirate was Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard. He died on November 21, 1718. His professional practice came to an end with five bullet holes, and 21 stab-wounds. His head was then cut off, and stuck on the bowsprit of […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Ukrainian steel company rejects Usmanov merger proposal on respective value grounds. Alisher Usmanov’s Russian iron-ore group Gazmetall has failed to strike a deal to take over the Industrial Union of Donbass (IUD), a Ukrainian steelmaker, after the Ukrainians agreed to take Usmanov’s iron-ore for their furnaces, but refused to accept […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Claims for the 5th largest gold reserve in the world. Sturm und drang was the title of a German play, ostensibly about the American revolution, which captivated German audiences in 1776. The play and its author have been forgotten; but the title has lived on as the name for a […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
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By John Helmer in Moscow Contest for Tajik gold licenses warms up President Rahmon, as Chinese miners fuel the bidding. A group of Tajik men were recently taken by surprise, in the woods outside Moscow, when they spotted an animal they had never seen before. “Small bear!” “Small bear!” they shouted in excitement to a […]

by John Helmer - Friday, September 21st, 2007
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russian steelmaker makes billion-dollar bid for Fortescue without explanation to the Russian market. When Victor Rashnikov, owner of Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Combine (MMK), was in London in April, trying to persuade shareholders to buy up to 14% of his shares, he claimed that the steel mill, Russia’s largest, had secured its […]

by John Helmer - Monday, September 10th, 2007
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