By Ben Martin, and Ben Marlow: 20 Dec 2015
One of the biggest investors in BG Group has sold almost £100m of shares in the oil and gas business in the past week, raising questions about its view of the company’s £55bn takeover by Royal Dutch Shell.
Investment giant Capital Group offloaded stock worth approximately £76.4m on Thursday and about £21.1m the day before, as well as smaller disposals earlier in the week. The sales by Capital, which is also a major investor in Shell, came during a week in which another big shareholder in both energy companies voiced concerns about the BG takeover.
David Cumming, head of equities at Standard Life Investments, last Monday warned that the deal did not make “financial sense” with the price of oil at current levels.
Shell pounced on BG in April after Brent crude plunged to around $55 a barrel, but the commodity has since fallen to less than $37.
The continued weakness of the oil price has led to scepticism about whether the deal is still a sound acquisition by Shell and whether investors will approve the tie-up at shareholder meetings that will take place early next year. Shares in BG would tumble if its acquisition by Shell fell apart.
Capital did not return requests for comment on the reason for its BG share sales, and it is difficult to determine its stance on the takeover from the disposal alone.
The fund management giant also bought Shell shares last week, which further complicates the picture. However, given that Shell’s B shares are down 33.5pc since the BG deal was revealed, reflecting investor worries about the takeover, some in the market believe the oil giant’s stock would rise if its BG acquisition failed.
Spokesmen for BG and Shell declined to comment.
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
