Business & Financial News

According to the World Trade Organization’s data, promulgated today, the rates of world trade growth can decrease up to 6 % at the general economic growth in 3 %. In WTO experts’ opinion, in 2007 the economic can feel negative influence large trading misbalances this and also instability in the financial and real estate markets.
Growth of volume of world trade in 2006 has made 8 %, having surpassed the forecast of analysts of the Organization (7 %). Growth of foreign trade in developing countries has made 36 % in 2006.
Germany (1 place and 1,112 billion dollars), the USA, despite of the huge foreign trade deficiency (1,037 billion dollars), and China (969 billion dollars) have become the world export leaders in 2006.
Concerning world import leaders, these are the same 3 countries, however, the USA (1,92 billion dollars) are on the first place, Germany (910 billion dollars) is on the second place and China (792 billion dollars)occupies the third position.
The WTO analysts have stressed that, taking into consideration statistical calculations from 7 regions of the world, the most dynamical growth of foreign trade in 2006 has been noted on the territory of the former Soviet Union countries. In opinion of WTO experts such dynamics is caused by a world rise in prices on power resources and metals.
The WTO chief Pascal Lamy has noted that the growth of parameters of world trade in 2006 and in particular in developing and the less developed countries, inspires optimism.

There will be no “Gas OPEC” in the nearest future. But the exporters will start to discuss the price policy and, probably, to coordinate it in the nearest future. At a Doha forum leading suppliers of natural gas have decided to create of a high level group on pricing. Gas exporters have agreed on cooperation, but have avoided charges from the states-consumers in cartel arrangement and pressure upon the market.
A forum of the countries - exporters of gas is being held in Qatar now. The main item on the agenda relies in debugging of the mechanism of interaction of leading suppliers of natural gas.
The western experts are still talking about the potential threat of “Gas OPEC”. But the participants of forum disagree concerning the necessity of new gas cartel. Now the countries-exporters have made a decision on creation of group of a high level on pricing. Russia is expected to act as its major coordinator.
The group, which will be created from competent representatives of the countries - exporters of gas, should analyze the work Qatar forum and prepare themes for the future discussion, and also to represent offers concerning the creation of secretary.
Meetings of group will be held no less than 6 times a year. Its personal structure is not certain yet. It has been also decided that the group should consist of officials a rank not below the assistants to the ministers or directors of departments.
The western observers are afraid of creation of gas cartel. In opinion of fuel consumers, the exporters will receive additional levers for pressure upon the countries depending on import. Signing of cartel agreement would give additional arguments to the critics of cartel’s policy.
Iran and Venezuela act as the basic supporters of new “Gas OPEC”.
Nevertheless, neither Iran, nor Venezuela cannot be named leading exporters of gas though these countries have scale stocks, which are intended gradually to be developed. Iran now imports more fuel than, exports it, and Venezuela does not sell gas abroad at all.
Venezuela’s neighbors- Argentina and Bolivia- have supported the initiative of new cartel.
At the same time many participants of forum speak against “Gas OPEC”. Egyptian Minister of oil considers that the world is not ready for such gas organization.
Some ministers consider the creation of “Gas OPEC” inexpedient as the countries - manufacturers of gas carry out deliveries in different regions and establish the prices under long-term contracts on the basis of market quotations of oil.
 

The latest report of has shown that in the nearest future Russian enterprises of ferrous metallurgy can become the largest seller of quotas on emissions into the atmosphere of hotbed gases within the limits of Kyoto Protocol.
This message is based on the results of the last Bruxelles session of a subgroup on a mountain-metallurgical complex within the limits of dialogue on the industrial policy and business between the ministry of the industry and power of the Russian Federation and general management on business and the industry of Eurocommission, on which the questions connected with energy saving and decrease of negative influence on an environment in a mountain-metallurgical complex have been discussed.
The representatives of Russian party have declared that ferrous metallurgy possesses greater potential opportunities on decrease in power consumption of metal products and, hence, on decrease in emissions of hotbed gases and consequently can become the largest seller of decrease in emissions of hotbed gases.
As Russian representatives have noted, offers from investors of the EU countries and other industrially developed countries of the West about purchase at Russia of decrease in emissions of hotbed gases are necessary for forecasting volumes of quotas already now.
The representatives of Eurocommission have informed that in two months new specifications on influence on the environment will be developed for the enterprises of mountain-metallurgical branch of EU, and the complex of measures on support of the enterprises in realization of energy saving programs and modernizations of manufacture will be also prepared. It can lead to increase in demand at purchase of quotas according to the Kyoto Protocol.
 

The coming global warming will bring tropical heat to the Europe. Such conclusion has been made by the scientists of Institute of the climatic researches in Germany.
In researchers opinion if the emission o carbonic gas in an atmosphere wont be reduced, the temperature on the Earth can raise on 5,4 degrees by 2200. In the summer in Germany the heat will reach 48 degrees of Celsius. The greatest part of territory of the country will suffer from a strong drought. Conducting agriculture becomes practically impossible in many areas of the country.
Disappearance of tropical woods in Amazonian can become one of consequences of global warming. Greenland and Arctic regions will remain without the ice cover. The level of World Ocean can rise on fifty meters in the long-term future. It will lead to flooding of many coastal areas.
The German scientists see an output from the situation in development of the alternative energy sources which will allow reducing the use of hydro carbonic raw material and nuclear fuel.
At this time queen Elizabeth the Second wishes to transform the palaces and castles in samples of power efficiency in order to give an example of struggle against global warming. In particular, in the Buckingham palace the majority of bulbs will be replaced with the energy saving bulbs. The project of the turbine on Thames is being developed - the main purpose of this experiment is to supply Queen’s palace with alternative electricity. Two Bentleys and two Rolls-Royces, belonging to royal family, can already work not only on gasoline, but also on natural gas.

Forbes has published the list of the largest companies of the world
Magazine Forbes has published a rating of the largest public corporations of world Global 2000. Unlike other similar lists the magazine considered not only capitalization of the companies, but also their actives, a sales volume and profit. American Citigroup and Bank of America have appeared the best in the world (on the sum of the given parameters).
In ten the largest companies of the world only four companies are not from the USA: “the bronze prize-winner” HSBC Holdings from the Great Britain, Dutch Royal Dutch Shell and ING Group (8 and 10 places accordingly), and also Swiss UBS are among this list. Chinese PetroChina - the best company from developing countries - has borrowed 41 place of this list.
The first hundred of the greatest companies of the world almost completely consists of the financial organizations and oil-and-gas corporations. General ElectricGeneral Electric is the only exception of this rule. Though this company has also financial division, the basic kind of its activity relies in mechanical engineering.
If to compare research of the Forbes to the list of the largest companies on market capitalization (for example with the last FT-500 list), some essential differences will be quite evident.
According to the Forbes the first places are occupied by banks, financial groups’ insurers, and according to the FT-500’s gradation - the first positions are mainly occupied by oil-and-gas companies. This shows that the magazine considers actives of corporations. At banks the given parameter is traditionally very high (due to the huge accounts of clients, including oil-and-gas companies’ accumulations).
 

Yesterday in Italy the official solemn actions, devoted to the EU’s 50th anniversary, have been started. On March, 25th celebrating will come to the end with signing of the Berlin declaration which should become original resumes of semicentenial European history in German capital.
Angela Merkel wishes to use the Berlin declaration for the beginning debate about revival of the stopped process on acceptance of the European constitution; however some countries insist, that this question was not mentioned in the document. Let’s remind, that the project of the European constitution has been signed by 25 states - members of EU in October, 2004, however its ratification by all countries of the European Union is necessary for the introduction of the document by virtue. For today the constitution has been approved only by 16 of 27 states.
European Pessimism
The western press has rather originally congratulated EU with its anniversary, having noted, that the Europe now is in a stage of decline. The Financial Times newspaper together with Harris center have carried out the research, the results of which testify to pessimistic moods among Europeans. 44 % of respondents in the Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain consider that the level of their life has gone down after entering the EU. The opposite point of view is supported only with 25 %. However, thus about 40 % of the interrogated have not spoken against a possible secession from the European family.
The idea of reanimation of the European constitution project is approved with 35 % of respondents, 27 % of respondents are against this idea.
 

The Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh has declared that in case of falling of the world prices for oil the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will lead an emergency meeting and will take new measures.
Thus he has added that if the prices for oil will be kept at an operating level, OPEC will not undertake any additional measures on their change. The minister has made such application on results of session of the OPEC countries oil ministers in Vienna on March, 15th.
At this session oil ministers have made a decision to keep an existing level of extraction of cartel and they are measured to recommend it at the OPEC’s conferences.
It is worth of mentioning that since February, 1st 2007, the official quota of oil recovery for 10 countries of the cartel (excepting Iraq and Angola) is fixed at 25, 8 million barr./day.
N.B.: nowadays 12 countries have their membership right in the OPEC, these are Algeria, Angola, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. About 67 % of the world reconnoitered stocks of oil is concentrated in these countries.
It is also worth of mentioning that, that the price of OPEC’s oil “basket” as of March, 15th, for the first within the last five trading days has risen on 6 cents and has made US 57, 20 dolls./barr. At the same time the price of “basket” has not essentially changed.

The European Union should become the world leader in the field of the newest power technologies. Such announcement has been made today by German Chancellor Merkel, presiding on the summit of the European Union, which is being held in Bruxelles.
Work of the summit has renewed on Friday from persevering attempts of Germany to achieve compromise on key question of the agenda - acceptance by the EU countries of obligations to finish by 2020 a share of renewed energy sources in national power balance to 20 %.In Merkel’s opinion the European Union, having taken such measures, can not only reduce the dependence on import of oil and natural gas, but will also become the world leader in the newest power technologies. The
German Chancellor has declared that it is a question of that the European Union has headed the third technological revolution and became the leading exporter of high technologies in renewed energy sources. Last night the work the work, under Merkel’s direction above creation of the compromise plan, from which discussion today in the morning and work of the summit has renewed, has come to the end.
As it became known, a number of the countries are not ready yet to incur obligations which can to lead to actual change of all structure of national power manufacture. As it became known from a lobby meeting, it is, first of all, a question of Poland which today makes 90 percents of own energy from coal. Now the words of Polish President that “this plan is impracticable” are being widely quoted at the summit. The summit’s mass-media sources specify, that Poland, having adhered to exclusively radical position, has once again opposed to other EU Member States.

Slaveholder and slave trading are intensively prospering in the modern civilized world. According to the United Nations Organization’s data, every year about one million people, mainly women and children, become the victims of slave dealers.
These data have been promulgated at the international conference, the devoted to prevention in women trade. The conference is spent under the initiative of Belarus and Philippines within the limits of thematic informal debate of General Assembly on a problematic of gender equality and expansion of the rights of women.
As it has become known from the conference participants’ report the overwhelming majority of slaveholder victims are the women and the girls getting in sexual slavery. According to the UN experts, about 700 in the world thousand people are being exploited in this of transnational criminal business sphere.
The UN General Secretary First Assistant has declared that trade in people mentions concerns of us, whether we live in a country of origin, transit or final destination of victims. Such crimes prevention and struggle against them demand universal international efforts.
In 2000 the UN General Assembly has accepted the Report on prevention and suppression of trade by people, especially women and children, and punishment for it. By the current moment the Report is signed by 117 and ratified by 111 countries. The document contains definition of “trade in people” concept as crimes and legal tools of struggle against it.

Global warming can’t be stopped any more, therefore every year the heat will kill more and more people. Glaciers will thaw, coastal areas with millions inhabitants will be flooded. Third of kinds of alive essences will die out. Such forecast is given by authors of the new report of the United Nations Organization. Such forecast reminds war to the UNO General Secretary.
Change of a climate in global scales represents not smaller danger to mankind, than destructive wars do. Such information was declared by the UNO General Secretary of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
The Secretary General has complained that unfortunately the present generation did not give due attention to our unique planet.
In the second part of the new UN report the experts come to conclusion, that change of a climate cannot be already prevented, though it is possible to keep it in the certain frameworks. Financial Times Deutschland gives the details of the report even before its official representation.
On these data, by the end of present century the average temperature on the Earth will raise, at least, on 0,6 degrees. If the mankind will not change the attitude to the nature, it is necessary to expect sharper warming with catastrophic consequences.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts growth of number of fatal cases, traumas and diseases owing to heat, flooding, hurricanes, forest fires and droughts. The quantity of death from overheat will increase, first of all, in the Europe and in Asia.
Millions of coastal areas inhabitants should be ready for possible flooding as a result of rise of a sea level. More then one sixth part of the terrestrial population, according to IPCC, lives in areas where glaciers and snow provide necessary stocks of water - however volumes of these natural tanks are very highly probable to be decreased.
Besides, change of a climate will cause biological impoverishment of the planet. From 20 up to 30 percent of kinds of alive organisms are subjected to the risk of irreversible disappearance if the average temperature will rise on 1, 5-2, 5 degrees in comparison with 1990. It can already occur in second half of present century if it will not be possible to limit sharply emissions of hotbed gases in an atmosphere.