SHORT HISTORIES, TALL TALES, AND THE RUMPELKSTILTSKIN EFFECT — HONG KONG...
By John Helmer in Moscow Rumpelstiltskin is one of the nastier dwarves in the canon of scary children’s stories. But for investors in goldmining, it is worth remembering that his investment in gold...
View ArticleVEKSELBERG OFF THE HOOK, SWISS COURT ISSUES ACQUITTAL ON THE OERLIKON CHARGES
By John Helmer in Moscow Victor Vekselberg was acquitted today by a Swiss court in Bellinzone of charges of illegal stock market manipulation in his 2006 takeover of Oerlikon, a major Swiss enterprise....
View ArticleSACRE-COEUR IS A MAGIC MULTIPLIER – WHY MORDASHOV PAID AN 88% PREMIUM FOR A...
By John Helmer in Moscow Sacre-Coeur Minerals (SCM) is a small Toronto-listed goldminer prospecting the malarial swamps of Guyana (South America), so far without striking El Dorado. The company is so...
View ArticleSERGEI FRANK’S COMMISSIONS TAKE A HIGH JUMP – SOVCOMFLOT FINANCIAL REPORT...
By John Helmer in Moscow Sovcomflot, the Russian state-owned tanker group, reports that, despite rising revenues of $678.6 million in the first six months of this year — up 11% over the same period of...
View ArticleALADDIN’S CAVE WILL SHORTLY BE OPEN — YAKUTS AGREE TO ALROSA SHARE...
By John Helmer in Moscow The Sakha government has agreed to a reorganization of the Alrosa shareholding, legalizing open-market trading of Alrosa shares for the first time, and promising a...
View ArticleLONDON REGULATOR BANS THE TWO BLOOMBERG PEOPLE FROM GETTING TOO FAMILIAR WITH...
By John Helmer in Moscow One of the lucrative carry trades is about to be chopped. A new report by the UK market regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has warned that it intends to crack...
View ArticleΟχι — THE POWER OF SAYING NO (AND DEPENDING ON WHO YOUR ENEMY IS, THE HONOUR...
By John Helmer in Moscow For weeks now, Yury Luzhkov has been receiving ultimatums to resign, along with black valentines for his wife. Yesterday, he did a Metaxas. Ioannis Metaxas, a career army...
View ArticleEVRAZ KEEPS ITS TAR BABY — CANCELS SALE OF US VANADIUM UNIT STRATCOR
By John Helmer in Moscow The Russian steelmaking group Evraz announced today that it has cancelled the sale of its Connecticut-based vanadium producer, Strategic Minerals Corporation (Stratcor)....
View ArticleTHE LONG ARM OF US LAW GETS SHORTER – ANOTHER DOLLY SAFE IN VICTOR’S ARM
By John Helmer in Moscow The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (New York) decided yesterday that the US racketeering statute can reach Russian wrongdoers only if their deeds are done on...
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