Glencore’s Zinc Rationale Defies History

bloomberg“You shut up!/No, YOU shut up!” is how schoolyard scuffles kick off. Miners tweak it slightly to: “You shut down!/No, YOU shut down!” Ivan Glasenberg, the chief executive of Glencore, has long bemoaned miners’ tendency to literally dig themselves into a hole with too much supply. As concern about Glencore’s swollen debt has hit the stock price, Glasenberg has recently taken himself at his word, ordering a temporary shutdown of some of the company’s zinc output. That caused the price of the metal to jump 10 percent last Friday. But history suggests Glencore’s fight to raise zinc prices sustainably could be a tough one.

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Glencore’s Biggest Risk Is Hiding in Plain Sight

bloombergWhat you don’t know can hurt you, so it’s understandable that analysts have raised questions about Glencore’s opaque commodity-trading business. Without the ability to work out how it makes money, the unit is a “black box,” according to Morningstar’s David Wang. But there’s more to fear from what’s in plain sight. Capital spending has been the biggest single drain on Glencore’s cash flow in every year since it started the takeover of Xstrata in 2012

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Oil King Marc Rich Dead At 78

forbes_logo_mainCommodities kingpin and fugitive American ex-pat Marc Rich died today from a stroke at the age of 78 in a hospital in Lucerne, Switzerland. Rich was the founder in 1974 of Marc Rich & Co. AG, a pioneering oil-trading firm. Beginning with a management buyout in 1994, the firm eventually became what is today Glencore Xstrata, the world’s largest commodities trading house. The Belgian-born Rich started out at the bottom but became a powerful and shadowy figure in financial circles.

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Человек, создавший Glencore

В мировой истории, если подумать, можно обнаружить много
противоречивых фигур, чьи поступки и намерения никак не вяжутся
с кодексом морального поведения. Петр I, Иван Грозный, Наполеон
Бонапарт – на память приходит масса имен людей, которые не были
образцом благочестия, но крупными буквами вписали свои имена
в историю. Ведь именно они и были ее творцами. К числу этих ярких,
но неоднозначных личностей относится и Марк Рич – американский
мультимиллионер, создавший в 1974 г. первую компанию-трейдера
сырьевых товаров Mark Rich & Co. В 1994 г. предприятие Марка Рича, во-
шедшее к тому времени в десятку крупнейших европейских компаний
по обороту, было переименовано в Glencore. Тринадцать лет спустя
эта компания стала одним из акционеров РУСАЛа.Read More »

O rei do petróleo

O REI DO PETROLEO – A VIDA SECRETA DE MARC RICH  – Livro de Daniel Ammann – Novo Seculo Editora – 2011 – Obra recem publicada nos EUA e no Brasil com a biografia do maior especulador de petroleo dos tempos modernos, Marc Rich, judeu belga cuja familia fugiu de Antuerpia em 1940 e depois de muitas peripécias chegou a Nova York pelo lendario vapor português Serpa Pinto, cuja historia já postei aqui no blog. Marc Rich começou sua vida  na famosa trading de metais Philip Brothers, a PHIBRO, muito conhecida no Brasil e que tinha escritorio em São Paulo. Read More »

ZDF Zoom: Die Sprit-Abzocke

Jedes Jahr das gleiche Spiel, jedes Jahr der gleiche Ärger: Pünktlich zum Ferienbeginn, wenn die Deutschen mit dem Auto in die langersehnten Sommerurlaub reisen, steigen die Benzinpreise. Mitunter ziehen sie sogar mehrfach am Tag an. Verbände wie der ADAC und der Auto Club Europa (ACE) vermuten seit langem: Die Mineralölkonzerne treffen untereinander Preisabsprachen, um beim Geschäft an der Tanksäule kräftig mitzuverdienen.

Von Rich zu Glasenberg – Eine Chronologie

Image1974 – Marc Rich gründet in Zug die Marc Rich + Company. Partner sind Pincus Green, John Trafford und Jacques Hachuel. Alexander Hackel, ein Experte für Aluminium und Osteuropa, stößt hinzu. Das Startkapital beträgt 2 Mio. Franken. Rich borgte es sich von seinem Schwiegervater Emil Eisenberg. “Wir mochten uns alle. Und meine Freunde fühlten, dass da Geld zu machen war”, erinnerte sich Rich gegenüber seinem Biografen Daniel Ammann. Zug war seit 1957 das europäische Hauptquartier für Philipp Brothers, Richs früherem Arbeitgeber. Philipp Brothers, später Phibro, gehört heute zu Occidental Petroleum. Read More »

The Man Revolutionised Commodities Trading

In the discreet commodities trading business, Marc Rich, the founder of commodities giant Glencore, cuts a controversial figure. While he was pursued for decades by US justice on accusations of tax evasion and illegal trading with Iran before finally being pardoned, Rich has also been credited with revolutionising commodities trading through a firm he founded 37 years ago, called Marc Rich + Co, later named Glencore.Read More »

Founding father backs Glencore IPO

Marc Rich, founder of the Swiss trading house that evolved into Glencore, says the group has little choice but to become a public company, despite believing that secrecy is an advantage in the commodities market. In his first interview in at least 20 years, Mr Rich backed Glencore’s steps to become a public company this year and even said he planned to buy shares in the business that he sold in 1993.Read More »

Der Ölhändler von Castro und Khomeini

Dass Bücher über ökonomische Themen nicht per se trocken oder zu theoretisch sind, beweist das Buch von Daniel Ammann über Marc Rich, das sich stellenweise wie ein Thriller liest. Dass es sich trotzdem um ein seriöses Buch handelt, zeigt die Verleihung des renommierten Georg-von-Holtzbrinck-Preises für Wirtschaftspublizistik an den Autor. Ammann schreibt über den wohl mächtigsten Rohstoffhändler aller Zeiten, Marc Rich. Er stand 17 Jahre wegen Steuerbetrugs und Geschäften mit dem Iran auf der Fahndungsliste der am meisten gesuchten Männer der USA, bis ihn Präsident Bill Clinton an seinem letzten Amtstag im Januar 2001 begnadigte.Read More »

“Marc Rich – Der König des Öls”

Die Amerikaner schickten zwei ihrer besten Agenten auf die heikle Mission: Howard Safir, den späteren Polizeichef von New York, und Chefinspektor Don Ferrarone, eine Legende, seit er mitgeholfen hatte, den größten Drogenring der Vereinigten Staaten zu zerschlagen. Getarnt als harmlose Touristen, reisten die beiden Undercover-Polizisten im Herbst 1985 in die Schweiz ein. Ihre Mission, das wussten sie genau, würde die freundschaftlichen Beziehungen zu den Eidgenossen nachhaltig stören: Sie wollten hinter dem Rücken der Behörden einen Geschäftsmann entführen, der sich vor der amerikanischen Justiz ins schweizerische Städtchen Zug abgesetzt hatte.Read More »

The Financial Times on The King of Oil

The Financial Times just published an excellent article about Glencore, its origin and its future. The King of Oil – The Secret Lives of Marc Rich was an important source and is quoted in the article:

Amid such profound changes, Glencore started to plot a new future. Such plans will move the group further from its origins under Marc Rich, an oil trader who founded the business under the name of Marc Rich + Co in 1974, and sold to management in 1993. According to Daniel Ammann’s book, The Secret Lives of Marc Rich, the founder – who made a lot of money from deals with countries shunned by others, such as apartheid South Africa and Iran – sold the company to management for about $600m, a figure Mr Rich said was not far from reality.Read More »

Why Sanctions Against Iran Will (Almost Surely) Fail

Iran is coming under even greater pressure to curb its nuclear program. The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote soon on a fresh round of sanctions against the country. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the draft resolution is even “somewhat stronger” than he expected. According to the New York Times, even the very lucrative energy sector is mentioned in the preamble, noting the “potential connection between Iran’s revenues derived from its energy sector” and possible financing for its nuclear program.Read More »

“Sanctions On Iran Will Fail”

Hillary Clinton telling Iran that the US is looking for sanctions that bite is like telling them they’re going to be grounded and cannot go outside. Sanctions don’t work as far as political threats are concerned in the Middle East – at best they are “hit or miss.” And as reported in Daniel Ammann’s new book, The King of Oil, Israel got 60-90% of its oil from Iran at a time that they weren’t officially recognized because it was in everyone’s interest to be business partners although publicly they had to “not save face” and remain bitter enemies.

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“Glencore is Marc Rich’s legacy”

It’s a well-known fact that oil made Marc Rich the world’s richest and most powerful commodities trader. Oil also made Rich – born Marcell David Reich – infamous around the world for his illegal deals with Iran during the hostage crisis almost 30 years ago. But what few people know is that metals – rather than oil – are responsible for kicking off and ultimately ending his career, Daniel Ammann, author of Rich biography “The King of Oil” reveals.Read More »

「キング・オブ・オイル」の「シークレット・ライフ」を公開

商品取引のトレーダー、マーク・リッチ氏は、自分が「悪魔」と呼ばれてきたことを認めている。しかしスイス人ジャーナリスト、ダニエル・アマン氏の新刊本は、この億万長者を聖人とも罪人とも描いてはいない。

アマン氏は『ザ・キング・オブ・オイル ( The King of Oil ) 』の執筆にあたり、リッチ氏に長時間の取材を行った。イスラエルとイランが通商関係を結ぶことなど考えられなかった時代に、両国による石油パイプラインの 合弁事業を成功させたのは、リッチ氏の偉業の一つだとアマン氏は語る。

ルツェルン湖のほとりに住む74歳のリッチ氏はこれまでずっと疑惑の人物だった。そして確かに彼は、 いつも公明正大な立場にあったわけではない。イランとの不法取引や脱税容疑でアメリカ政府から告訴されていたリッチ氏は、逮捕を恐れアメリカへ1度も戻っ ていない。互いに商関係を持つことを拒む相手同氏を結びつけたリッチ氏は、多く人々の驚きといら立ちの中、ビル・クリントン大統領から任期最後の日に恩赦 を獲得した。Read More »

“Monsieur Ndolo”

Published in the United States last month, the biography of the legendary trader Marc Rich (Daniel Ammann, The King of Oil, published by St. Martin’s Press) could be read as a Who’s Who in African oil. Names such as Jacques Hachuel and Alexander Hackel crop up as well as that of a mysterious “Monsieur Ndolo.” This was the pseudonym of a French trader who headed the Compagnie Burundaise de Commerce (Cobuco) that was owned in equal halves by the Burundi government and Marc Rich + Co. In the 1980s, Cobuco bought Iranian crude. Officially to meet Burundi’s needs, the oil was in fact sold on to international markets. As for Marc Rich +Co, it made billions by supplying oil to South Africa during the apartheid era in defiance of sanctions. Rich also set up the trading department of Sonangol in Angola.

Copyright 2009 Indigo Publications

“Monsieur Ndolo”

Parue le mois dernier aux Etats-Unis, la biographie du légendaire trader Marc Rich (Daniel Ammann,The King of Oil, St. Martin’s Press) se lit comme un Who’s Who du pétrole africain. On y retrouve Jacques Hachuel, Alexander Hackel, ainsi que le mystérieux “Monsieur Ndolo”. Derrière ce nom d’emprunt se cachait un trader français qui dirigeait la Compagnie burundaise de commerce (Cobuco) contrôlée à parts égales par le gouvernement du Burundi et Marc Rich + Co. Durant les années 80, la Cobuco achetait du brut iranien, officiellement pour satisfaire les besoins du pays. Le pétrole était en réalité revendu sur les marchés internationaux.

Copyright 2009 Indigo Publications

“Glencore, le joker pétrolier d’Israël”

Pour priver l’Iran d’essence et l’obliger à négocier sur le dossier nucléaire, les pays occidentaux multiplient les pressions sur les négociants qui l’alimentent en produits pétroliers. Si les Etats-Unis menacent de faire voter une loi, Israël préfère faire jouer ses relations privilégiées avec la principale entreprise de négoce au monde, le suisse Glencore, dont le chiffre d’affaires s’élevait à 165 milliards de francs suisses en 2008. Basé à Zoug, le groupe, qui s’est longtemps appelé Marc Rich + Co. AG, travaille en bonne intelligence avec Tel-Aviv depuis près de quarante ans.Read More »

“Besmeurde leven van oliehandelaar Marc Rich”

(Belgium)
In de biografie The King of Oil schetst de Zwitserse journalist Daniel Ammann een opvallend mild portret van de omstreden Amerikaanse oliehandelaar Marc Rich (75). In de jaren tachtig kreeg Rich, die in Antwerpen werd geboren, de publieke opinie over zich heen toen aanklager Rudolph Giuliani hem beschuldigde van grootschalige belastingontduiking én van illegale oliehandel met Iran. Toen president Bill Clinton hem in 2001 gratie verleende, luidde de kritiek dat Rich zelfs de gunsten van de machtigste man ter wereld kon kopen. Ammann somt in zijn boek de talrijke steken op die Giuliani liet vallen bij zijn (tevergeefse) pogingen om Rich voor de rechter te slepen. Ook gunt hij de lezer een soms ontstellende blik achter de schermen van de internationale grondstoffenhandel.Read More »

“An Invaluable Tip from the King of Oil”

He’s been called the “King of Oil.” He made hundreds of millions of dollars by foreseeing the surges in oil prices of the 1970s. When the oil market was dominated by a handful of large oil companies (the Seven Sisters), he took them on…and won.

He’s an entrepreneur, a billionaire, and at one point in time was one of the most controversial fugitives of the 20th century. Think what you will about Marc Rich, but no one can deny he has made a fortune by being right at the right time when it comes to geopolitics and commodity prices.

Now he’s making his view of the future available for everyone. And just like his trading ideas in the 60s and 70s, his expectations may go unnoticed by the majority, but they have a good chance at making a lot of money for those willing to listen now.Read More »

“Glencore as Israel’s Wild Card”

To deprive Iran of gasoline and force the country to come to the negotiating table regarding its nuclear program, Western nations are turning up the heat on traders who supply Tehran with oil products. While the United States is threatening to adopt a new sanctions bill, Israel is clearly preferring to use its special relations with the world’s leading trading concern, Switzerland’s Glencore, which had annual sales of SFR 165 billion in 2008, to pressure the Iranians. The group, which was long named Marc Rich + Co, has enjoyed excellent relations with Tel Aviv for nearly 40 years.Read More »

Marc Rich – The King of Oil

Ludwig von Mises Institute

To hear author Daniel Ammann tell the story, Marc Rich was run out of the United States. If his thesis is correct, President Clinton’s pardon of Rich (and Pinkus Green for that matter) should have been just the beginning of an apology the size of which could be immeasurable. At the heart of Ammann’s book, The King of Oil, is the life of Marc Rich who created what is known as the spot market for crude oil.Read More »