Topic Of The Week
CRUDE OIL: WILD DIRECTIONS
Today, amid a more unconditional affirmation of the principles of a unipolar world, the United States’ map of political priorities has expanded to boundaries that one could not imagine even a decade ago. With this globalization of U.S. interests, two new directions – Iran and Africa – have showed up on the map. This is the place where the interests of power-enhancing China are focused. And with Washington remaining the last card in a sophisticated game of global solitaire, it is playing the game.
Officially
KYIV AND MOSCOW: WILL THEY MANAGE TO SIGN GAS ACCORDS BY 2012?
Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boiko and Russian Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller plan to end the formalization of agreements on broader cooperation between the countries in the gas sector by the end of the year.
Anti-counterfeit Campaign
MADE IN ODESA
As Terminal has learned, the State Tax Administration in Odesa region has launched an investigation in the involvement of a trader from the town of Izmail, LLC Soyuz-Nefteprodukt, in a bogus business. Whether tax officers are able to confirm their suspicions or not, their examination could trigger checks on Soyuz- Nefteprodukt’s involvement in the illegal production of diesel fuel and petrol.
Companies
EXPO MERGER
On December 1, 2011, there came an announcement of the merger of two large trade fair organizing companies – Ukrainian-based AutoExpo and Premier Expo, a wholly owned subsidiary of British ITE Group Plc.
Scandals
SCANDAL OF THE WEEK: Ukrgasprom’s Debt Will Not Be Shouldered Onto Naftogaz Ukrainy
THE COURT ENDS THE DISPUTE
Kyiv’s Economic Court has rejected a claim filed by U.S.-based Merchant International Company Ltd., which was trying to recover a $24.71 million debt from NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy. This amount is the debt run up by the Ukrainian state company to Russia’s Gazprom back in the 1990s.
Forecast
HAIL MARY FOR EUROPE
The Rubicon has been crossed… The French-German alliance took advantage of the last chance and squeezed something new, full of accounting science, out of a free alliance of European states. Now a step right or left, or a jump on the same place will automatically activate sanctions against European states, but if they behave, they will be able to take additional loans and increase their budget deficit.
DEAD SEASON IS PENDING
Under economic forecasts given by the Psyche Center on the basis of a regressive analytical model, prices of major fuel brands will not change much this week. In particular, the average retail price of A-92 and A-95 petrol to DSTU 4063:2001 standards will be UAH 10.03 and UAH 10.27 per liter respectively. Propane-butane will go down in price to UAH 6.00 per liter. The A-92 and A-95 petrol will cost by UAH 0.48 and UAH 0.27 more, and the costs of diesel fuel and propane-butane will approximately correspond to the expected one.
Trade
APPETITE COMES WITH EATING
The persistence with which the Infrastructure Ministry is trying to enhance tax pressure on Ukrainian drivers and to lobby for giving up the differentiation of excise taxes on diesel fuel depending on its quality is striking.
Raw Materials
NO ILLUSIONS ATTACHED
The Ukrnafta oil producer, which has been a subject of criticism in some past years due to falling production, has decided to do a U-turn. A change in the company’s management, which took place early in 2011, demonstrated that private and state shareholders can still find a common language.
You can read full articles in journal «Terminal: Oil Review» №50(584) 12 Dec 2011
