by John Helmer - Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Hong Kong Exchange executives and the Hong Kong stock market regulator appear to be cracking and splitting under the strain of a phantom share listing and sale for United Company Rusal, Russia’s aluminium monopoly and one of the world’s leading producers of bauxite, alumina and primary aluminium. Although anonymous sources […]

by Editor - Monday, December 21st, 2009
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Relayed by John Helmer in Moscow Question for Toby: has the Hong Kong Stock Exchange rejected the share listing application by United Company Rusal? Toby’s answer: Affirmative grunt. For at least two months the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and its listing division, and in parallel the state regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) have […]

by John Helmer - Monday, December 7th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow In signals issued just ahead of today’s scheduled meeting of the Hong Kong Exchange Listing Committee, the committee announced a further postponement of its ruling on the Rusal application until December 7. The exchange has issued no public explanation. Media reports claim the reason is that the 28-member committee lacked […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow A public statement by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin, which he then corrected a few hours later, confirms what Russia’s rival oligarch groups, including those seeking Rusal’s bankruptcy, have believed for many weeks. Oleg Deripaska, controlling shareholder of United Company Rusal, has given up control of his shares to Russian […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow   Confucius say – why buy a treasure from a man, if you can wait for him to lose it. The turmoil now affecting Oleg Deripaska’s United Company Rusal has become a critical test of the difference between the Russian and Chinese approach to resource concessions and national company value. […]

by John Helmer - Friday, November 20th, 2009
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Put a little Hong Kong whitewash on your Rusal brush, and look at the difference it makes to your teeth…   Before After By John Helmer in Moscow A left turn and quick walk out of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx) building on the waterfront in Central Hong Kong will take you to the […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, November 15th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow A hitherto unknown Russian, believed to have intelligence connexions in Africa, has made contact with the Guinean government in a bid to save the Russian bauxite and alumina concessions in the country. The move, orchestrated in Paris this month, is the first indication to date of French moves afoot to […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow In Russia it is traditional for the tsar to invite the culpable to assist him in finding and punishing the culprits; or to bargain for scapegoats. On Thursday last, October 15, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told the regular weekly session of government ministers that he has ordered the Prosecutor General […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow The Guinean government in Conakry has decided not to despatch a Foreign Ministry delegation to Moscow for the time being, while it gives negotiators from Russia’s aluminium monopoly, United Company Rusal, the chance to discuss privatisation, tax and accountingclaims next week. Guinean sources have told Business Day that a planned […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
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