Putin stirs the pot

As oil markets are digesting the countervailing influences of the calling off of a Nigerian general strike that would have disrupted supplies and peak US demand coinciding with refinery use problems. Read

BP plans green fuel plant

BP, the FTSE 100 oil and gas giant, says it is to build a £200 million green fuel plant on the outskirts of Hull as it seeks alternative forms of energy generation. Read

Base metals boom again

Tin, copper and nickel have been star performers in a revival of base metals, which were feared to have run their course several months ago. Tin hit a record $1,000 (£500) a tonne on concerns of oversupply from Indonesia, a major producing country. Read

Budget’s North Sea let down

However ‘business-friendly’ Gordon Brown tried to make his last Budget appear, it won few cheers from oil and gas companies operating in the North Sea. Read

Iran takes centre stage

Crude oil futures have come under pressure recently on weather forecasts predicting a warm spell in the north-eastern USA. Read

In a Persian market

Short-term nervousness in oil and continued weakness in copper and some other base metals provide a lacklustre backdrop to developments in the markets. Read

Tata to Corus

Old timers are still rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the appointment of Cynthia Carroll to become chief executive officer of South African mining colossus Anglo American. Read

Is the bull slain?

Recent weakness in the prices of oil, gold and some other commodities prompted market players to ask whether the great bull run really was over. Read

‘Invest more’ power firms told

UK regulator Ofgem has told gas and electricity firms to spend an extra £260 million on infrastructure between 2007 and 2012. Read

Threat to pipelines lifts gold

Mounting tension in the Middle East, with bombings and reprisals in the Lebanon and Israel spilling over into sabotage attacks on a northern Iraqi pipeline, is providing strength for oil prices Read

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