Predicting and diagnosing the trajectory of oil prices has become something of a cottage industry in the past year. But along with all of the excess crude flowing from the oil patch, there is also an abundance of market indicators that while important, tend to produce a lot of noise that makes any accurate estimate nearly impossible.
There is a permanent reminder of the Royal Navy's HMS Dragon’s first visit to South Africa as the destroyer upheld a 90-year-old tradition. A large painting of the ship’s badge, featuring her namesake mythical beast, adorns the wall of the cavernous dry dock where the Portsmouth-based warship spent her mid-deployment break, receiving some TLC after a four-month battering from the Pacific and Atlantic.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney said it would be “extremely foolish” for the Bank of England to cut interest rates to try to combat low inflation. He reiterated comments made in February that the drop in prices was temporary and largely caused by the sharp fall in oil prices.
HSBC executives have been accused by MPs of incompetence for saying they were unaware of tax evasion activities in their Swiss private bank. However Chris Meares, the ex-head of HSBC's private banking division, said he didn't know what staff were up to.
The Greek government has threatened to seize German property as compensation for a Nazi atrocity in World War Two. Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos said he was ready to approve a Supreme Court ruling from 2000 backing payment to relatives of the 218 victims.