The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/25/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 7:50PM GMT 25 Oct 2009There are two main drivers of commodity prices – supply and demand. This is just as true with soft commodities such as wheat, rice, sugar and cocoa as it is with copper and tin. The big problem for your weekly shopping budget in the future is that there are problems on both sides of the equation that are likely to squeeze prices higher, permanently....
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/25/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 6:30PM GMT 25 Oct 2009The debt burden means that companies cannot invest in bringing new capacity on stream and this is having a severe impact on future supply growth, the report says. Long-term fundamentals for metals and minerals demand remain robust, but supply is being curtailed and there is a real danger of a supply gap emerging in several metals and minerals....
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/25/2009
By Garry White Published: 5:57PM GMT 25 Oct 2009"Investors are looking for investments that are not dependent on growth in GDP," said Rupert Newall, head of oil and gas at corporate finance advisory firm Hawkpoint. "An investment in an oil company that is going through the development stage can offer this and investors are keen to invest." There has not been an IPO in the oil and gas...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/24/2009
Edited by Garry WhitePublished: 5:35PM BST 24 Oct 2009DechraPharmaceuticals 427.9p -4.3 Related ArticlesQuestor says BUY FLORENCE Nightingale was one of the first people to advocate the benefits of companion animals for the chronically sick. Since the 19th century, Britons' love for their pets has become legendary. In the UK there are now 8m dogs, 8.4m cats and 1m horses. In the US there...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/22/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 7:32PM BST 22 Oct 2009In the largest reorganisation since Cynthia Carroll became chief executive, Anglo American is to cut 2,700 jobs and sell non-core assets, just one week after Xstrata walked away from making a formal merger offer. The shake-up will also see the mining company remove a layer of management and redeploy other executives nearer to the group's...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/22/2009
Garry WhitePublished: 5:59PM BST 22 Oct 2009Petrofac £10.30 -33 Related ArticlesQuestor says HOLD Full-year earnings at oil services group Petrofac will be up by "at least" 20pc as the company continues to win new orders, the company said yesterday. Questor would not be surprised if the actual figure is nearer to 25pc. The company's backlog at September 30 was for work valued at about...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 5:34PM BST 20 Oct 2009Greggs 448p -17.3p Related ArticlesQuestor says BUY Questor has said many times over the past six months that companies that continue to invest throughout the downturn will be the winners on the other side. This remains the case – and Greggs falls into this category. On Tuesday, the sausage roll and pasty group unveiled a very ambitious –...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/19/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 6:58PM BST 19 Oct 2009Petra Diamonds 68¾p -3½ Related ArticlesQuestor says BUY Light travels 2.4 times faster through air than through a diamond. This physical property is what gives a well-cut diamond most of its sparkle. It's what has made them desirable since Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the 90-carat Briolette of India to England in the early 12th century....
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/17/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 9:33PM BST 17 Oct 2009Amec 828½p Questor says BUY The 12.5km Incheon Bridge in South Korea really is an impressive feat of engineering. Its construction was led by Amec, representing the first South Korean public-private partnership (PPP) to be led by a non-Korean company. On Friday, Samir Brikho, Amec’s chief executive, was there for the opening. While this very...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/15/2009
'Load shedding' or a planned electricity blackout is an annoyance to households in South Africa Pakistan Nigeria Bangladesh and many other countries worldwide. But for businesses in these nations it is more than just an annoyance - it's a disaster.
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 5:51PM BST 14 Oct 2009Dana Petroleum £14.50 +20 Related ArticlesQuestor says BUY It's been a mixed year in Dana Petroleum's drilling programme. In September, the company plugged and abandoned its Trolla well off Norway after it was found to be dry. Yesterday, Dana also said that an exploration programme in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, showed that its Nubia target...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/13/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 5:31PM BST 13 Oct 2009Inmarsat 533½p -5 Questor says BUYMost long-haul flights are test of human endurance. There isn't enough legroom for a normal-sized person; your shoulders are touching the person with questionable hygiene who has been given the seat next to you; and there's a child crying in the seat right behind. It really is not pleasant. However, it's...
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
By Garry WhitePublished: 6:13PM BST 11 Oct 2009However, unlike other commodities it has relatively few uses other than as an ornament. Copper is used in wiring, iron is used to manufacture steel but gold's main uses are – and always have been – as a store of value and as a way to demonstrate personal wealth. Even if solid gold bathroom taps are not to your taste, they certainly make a...
