Friday 9 December 2016

Fed expected to raise rates

Igor Sechin, Moscow’s oil man turned global dealmaker

Igor Sechin, Moscow’s oil man turned global dealmaker:
"In early 2015, Igor Sechin sat opposite Russian president Vladimir Putin and received a public dressing-down. “Where is the real Sechin?” Mr Putin asked his old ally in answer to the Rosneft chief’s request for government support for the state oil company, reminding him to consider the impact of his actions on the country’s economy.

On Wednesday evening, Mr Sechin again faced Mr Putin, this time triumphant, announcing to the president a deal to sell a 19.5 per cent government stake in Rosneft to Glencore and the Qatar Investment Authority for just over €10bn. The deal would at a stroke cut the Russian government’s budget deficit by a fifth and represents the largest foreign direct investment into the country since western sanctions were imposed in 2014.

It also marks a return to dealmaking form for Mr Sechin, 56, one of the most powerful figures in the Russian elite, a man at the centre of almost every financial and political event in the country."

'via Blog this'

Brexit so far — in 5 charts | World

Boris Johnson tours Middle East amid Saudi row - BBC News

Boris Johnson tours Middle East amid Saudi row - BBC News:
"Boris Johnson is to begin a tour of the Middle East amid a row over comments he made about Saudi Arabia.
Downing Street has publicly rebuked the foreign secretary for accusing UK ally Saudi Arabia of engaging in "proxy wars" in the Middle East.
Number 10 said his views did not represent "the government's position"."

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Expatriate employees struggle to readjust to old lives

Expatriate employees struggle to readjust to old lives:
"Early in her career with a big-four professional services company, Annaliese Allen was seconded from her home town of Melbourne to the company’s Chicago office, which needed more people urgently. The move was easy. She was well-paid, eager to explore and made to feel special. Life was good — until she boarded the plane home after more than two years away.

In Chicago, Ms Allen had impressed decision makers with her aptitude for policy work. Once home, however, she discovered that her overseas achievements counted for little. She was given tax compliance work, a business area that was growing but a poor fit for her talents.

She felt unappreciated and adrift. “In the States, I had been doing lots of strategic consulting and meeting very senior executives . . . when I moved back to Melbourne, I was sitting doing tax returns.”"

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Saudis order oil cuts to U.S., Europe ahead of non-OPEC talks | Reuters

Saudis order oil cuts to U.S., Europe ahead of non-OPEC talks | Reuters:
"Saudi Arabia has told its U.S. and European customers it will reduce oil deliveries from January as Russia signaled that a commitment from non-OPEC producers to join OPEC's output limits still faced challenges.

Saudi Arabia told the customers about lower supplies in line with the output reduction agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries last week, according to a Gulf oil industry source familiar with Saudi oil policy.

"We told our customers of the allocations and the compliance with allocations (for the cuts) for Saudi Arabia is 100 percent," the source said."

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