U.S. shale exuberance may need to be tempered 3 Jan 2012 France’s Total and China’s Sinopec kicked off 2012 with $4.5 bln of deals to drill for U.S. oil and gas. Vast resources and technology should keep attracting foreign buyers. But the reaction by Ohio officials after several earthquakes suggests political risks will intensify.
Uncle Sam’s gas exports could sink global prices 3 Jan 2012 If energy firms win official approval, the U.S. may one day export up to a fifth of its gas – enough to shift the balance of energy power elsewhere in the world. But exporters risk undercutting the buoyant global prices that justify the huge capital cost of LNG projects.
Ron Paul won’t win but his ideas could 3 Jan 2012 Though the Texas Republican isn’t going to the White House, a strong showing in Iowa may help his party get there. Paul’s hard-money and economic ideas may stick, his isolationism revives an old GOP tradition and his libertarian social views attract young and minority voters.
2012: the year citizens will pronounce on the euro 3 Jan 2012 Markets and governments have spoken. It’s the turn of populations to declare, in elections and referendums, whether they want to do what it takes to keep the euro together. Governments will have to build a strong case to convince voters that breakup would be the worst outcome.
China’s growth may dip below 8 percent in 2012 3 Jan 2012 Three things could push the country’s GDP growth to a ten-year low: falling house prices, a slump in property investment, and slowing exports. All will take their toll on consumer confidence. Last time, Beijing stimulated the economy; it can ill afford a second round.
It’s back to the future for RBS’s investment bank 3 Jan 2012 The UK government has set out a vision for the state-owned lender’s wholesale arm - a small operation focused on domestic corporates. This might resemble the original County NatWest business in the firm’s ancestry; but could hardly be called a proper investment bank.