Host countries limited to five ‘foreign’ matches a season Bar raised for clearance and Fifa would have right of veto Domestic leagues would be limited to staging one game a season in foreign countries under Fifa proposals that significantly raise the bar for controversial “international matches” to be approved. A new protocol, developed by a Fifa working group set up almost two years ago, would br...
Host countries limited to five ‘foreign’ matches a season Bar raised for clearance and Fifa would have right of veto Domestic leagues would be limited to staging one game a season in foreign countries under Fifa proposals that significantly raise the bar for controversial “international matches” to be approved. A new protocol, developed by a Fifa working group set up almost two years ago, would bring in clearer regulations to police the divisive issue and introduce strict limits. Continue reading...
sefa ozel/iStock via Getty Images Yangarra Resources ( YGRAF ) announced the passing of Gordon Bowerman, Chairman of the Board. This is someone who had a key influence on the starting strategy of this company and even more continuing influences on all that this company faced. The last article noted not only a new key interval but also an improvement in the results of that interval. Many times, peo...
sefa ozel/iStock via Getty Images Yangarra Resources ( YGRAF ) announced the passing of Gordon Bowerman, Chairman of the Board. This is someone who had a key influence on the starting strategy of this company and even more continuing influences on all that this company faced. The last article noted not only a new key interval but also an improvement in the results of that interval. Many times, people like this (and the CEO) have "been around" and really know the industry. They are often the key drivers behind the new company and the results obtained. New companies themselves often lack the resources that larger companies have to "keep up" in so many ways. Instead, they depend upon personnel that have "been around" and know how to keep up when the company itself does not have the resources to keep up. Their knowledge of the industry is darn hard to replace when the loss of services happens in a situation like this. Therefore, the nomination of James Evaskevich, the CEO, as the new Executive Chairman is almost a foregone conclusion. This is another long-time Yangarra employee that has "been around". But it also means that the pool of "been around" talent is at least temporarily decreasing throughout the company. How this gets dealt with in the future is going to be very important to the company. If the company can grow enough to afford some "bigger name" talent, then the loss may prove to be not a big deal. But if management ages and there is no replacement in sight, then I would not be surprised to see either a sale or merger of the company into another entity that management feels comfortable with. First Quarter Earnings Ironically, the stock price has responded a whole lot more to the Iranian situation than it did to the natural gas price strength of the first quarter. This can happen because this company is small enough to not attract the institutional backing that often brings about familiar stock price patterns seen with larger companies. However, the oil price ...
artJazz European Union leaders at a summit in Cyprus agreed that the first negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc could start in the coming weeks and months, Bloomberg News reported, citing an EU official. The progress follows Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's defeat in the parliamentary election this month. Hungary previously blocked Ukraine's path to joining the EU. But there was no com...
artJazz European Union leaders at a summit in Cyprus agreed that the first negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc could start in the coming weeks and months, Bloomberg News reported, citing an EU official. The progress follows Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's defeat in the parliamentary election this month. Hungary previously blocked Ukraine's path to joining the EU. But there was no commitment on a date for Ukraine's accession. The membership process for Croatia, the last country to join the EU, took about a decade. Ahead of the Cyprus summit, France and Germany reportedly pitched the idea of an "associate membership" option for Ukraine. Under this plan, Ukraine would integrate into EU programs gradually and attend the bloc's meetings, but wouldn't have voting rights. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the idea. "Ukraine does not need symbolic membership in the EU," he said. "Ukraine is defending itself and is definitely defending Europe. It is not defending Europe symbolically." Estonia backs Ukraine's full membership in the EU, Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Bloomberg in an interview , "because, to be honest, there's no other way." The renewed push for Ukraine's EU membership comes as the bloc finalized a €90B ($105.18B) loan to the country after Hungary lifted its veto. The loan, which will help cover Ukraine's budgetary and defense industrial capacity needs in 2026 and 2027, is to be repaid by Russia's reparations to Ukraine. More on Europe Potential Iran De-Escalation Offers Upside For European Equities NATO: Defense Boom Priced In, Limited Upside Ahead Germany's industrial slump fuels defense boom as carmakers pivot to arms Zelenskyy calls for European missile shield as Ukraine seeks faster air defense options
Intel Corp. signage at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. Weakness in tech stocks weighed down broader US indexes on Friday, as investors started 2026 on cautious footing. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Intel Corp. signage at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. Weakness in tech stocks weighed down broader US indexes on Friday, as investors started 2026 on cautious footing. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Colombia’s government is pressing ahead with a plan to transfer about $7 billion from private pension savings into the public retirement system, a move that risks destabilizing local markets as funds may be forced to rapidly liquidate assets to comply. President Gustavo Petro issued a decree on Thursday ordering pension fund managers to complete the transfers within 15 to 30 days, accelerating the...
Colombia’s government is pressing ahead with a plan to transfer about $7 billion from private pension savings into the public retirement system, a move that risks destabilizing local markets as funds may be forced to rapidly liquidate assets to comply. President Gustavo Petro issued a decree on Thursday ordering pension fund managers to complete the transfers within 15 to 30 days, accelerating the shift just as his administration ramps up social spending ahead of the May 31 presidential election. The measure fast-tracks a process that, under the 2024 pension reform approved by Congress, was meant to unfold over several years after workers migrate to the public system through incentives. The accelerated timeline has drawn criticism from the central bank, pension fund managers and opposition presidential candidates, who warn it could strain financial markets and undermine legal certainty. “Forcing a transfer of around 25 trillion pesos in a matter of days raises serious concerns about the impact on portfolios and on savers,” said Andres Velasco, head of Asofondos, during a pension conference in Cartagena. “These resources are not sitting in cash. They are invested. Liquidating them quickly could affect the entire market.” Private funds will be required to transfer 100% of balances — including returns — held in assets such as cash, local TES government bonds and corporate debt for workers who switched regimes during a temporary window created by the reform. Asofondos estimates the transfers could reach 25 trillion pesos ($7 billion). Read more: Colombia Forces Pension Funds to Cut Assets Held Overseas to 30% The central bank has warned that such large and rapid transfers could trigger volatility in domestic markets, particularly in government bonds, where pension funds are among the largest holders. Officials are concerned that forced selling of TES could push yields sharply higher, reduce liquidity and generate spillovers across other asset classes. “We are concerned ...
June Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQM26) are trending up +1.33% this morning as strong quarterly results and guidance from chipmaker Intel, along with optimism over potential U.S.-Iran talks, boosted sentiment.
June Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQM26) are trending up +1.33% this morning as strong quarterly results and guidance from chipmaker Intel, along with optimism over potential U.S.-Iran talks, boosted sentiment.
From the Australian outback to Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the global mining industry is beginning to feel the effects of disruption caused by the war in Iran. War-driven snarl-ups are starting to ripple through supply chains, squeezing access to key mining inputs while driving up costs to produce some of the world’s most sought-after metals. The biggest impacts are from diesel,...
From the Australian outback to Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the global mining industry is beginning to feel the effects of disruption caused by the war in Iran. War-driven snarl-ups are starting to ripple through supply chains, squeezing access to key mining inputs while driving up costs to produce some of the world’s most sought-after metals. The biggest impacts are from diesel, the main fuel powering heavy equipment at mine sites, as well as sulfur, used in processing about a sixth of the world’s copper. “The supply chain is breaking down,” Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. founder and co-chairman Robert Friedland told a conference in Switzerland Tuesday, warning that war’s impact on mining has barely started. So far, there hasn’t been a significant impact on global metals output because big mining companies have been able to secure supplies and absorb higher costs. But smaller producers from Africa to Australia are starting to feel the pain as the conflict drags on. The longer the war continues, the greater the risks to an industry already strained by mining outages and project delays at a time of accelerating demand for critical minerals. The Middle East accounts for about half the world’s seaborne sulfur and at least 10% of shipped diesel, according to data compiled by Goldman Sachs Group and Bank of America. Sulfur — and by extension, sulfuric acid — are vital inputs for a type of processing known as SX-EW, which accounts for 17% of copper supply, according to Goldman. If war-related upheavals intensify, it could start eroding the 23 million tons of copper mined per year in a more meaningful way and drive up already elevated metal prices even more. Futures on the London Metal Exchange are more than 40% higher than a year ago, and in January touched a record high above $14,500 a ton. Congo — the world’s No. 2 copper producer and biggest supplier of cobalt, a battery metal — is particularly exposed because most of its sulfur comes from the Middle East and its...