Meet the traders who supply the world with oil, metal and food – no matter how corrupt, war-torn or famine-stricken the source.
\nThe modern world is built on commodities – from the oil that fuels our cars to the metals that power our smartphones.<\/p>\n
We rarely stop to consider where they come from. But we should.<\/p>\n
In The World for Sale, two leading journalists lift the lid on one of the least scrutinised corners of the economy: the workings of the billionaire commodity traders who buy, hoard and sell the earth’s resources.<\/p>\n
It is the story of how a handful of swashbuckling businessmen became indispensable cogs in global markets: enabling an enormous expansion in international trade, and connecting resource-rich countries – no matter how corrupt or war-torn – with the world’s financial centres.<\/p>\n
And it is the story of how some traders acquired untold political power, right under the noses of Western regulators and politicians – helping Saddam Hussein to sell his oil, fuelling the Libyan rebel army during the Arab Spring, and funnelling cash to Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin in spite of strict sanctions.<\/p>\n
The result is an eye-opening tour through the wildest frontiers of the global economy, as well as a revelatory guide to how capitalism really works.
\n__________________________<\/p>\n
‘This jaw-dropping study shows how much money and global influence is concentrated in the hands of a tiny group . . . A remarkable book . . . As the authors roam from oilfield to wheatfield, they reveal information so staggering you almost gasp.’ SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n
‘Rollicking yarns from the biggest ever commodity boom . . . The high level narrative is gripping enough. But it is the details of what these freewheeling companies actually got up to that give the book a thriller-like quality . . . Educational and entertaining.’ FINANCIAL TIMES<\/p>\n
‘A fascinating and revealing story . . . There are tales in the book of breathtaking trades, such as shipments of rebel oil from war-torn Libya or deals bartered amid the brutal “aluminium wars” in the Russia of the 1990s.’ ECONOMIST<\/p>\n
‘A globe-spanning corporate thriller, full of intrigue and double dealing . . . Changes how we see the world, often in horrifying ways . . . New insights and reporting mean that even seasoned observers will be amazed.’ SPECTATOR<\/p>\n
‘Javier Blas and Jack Farchy should be awaiting the call from Hollywood. The World for Sale contains at least half a dozen narrative threads that would form the basis of a good thriller. But the authors’ main achievement is to subject the biggest commodity players, and their impact on the real world, to proper critical scrutiny.’ REUTERS<\/p>\n
‘Blas and Farchy shine light on what’s long been the financial markets’ darkest corner – the crucial, yet underappreciated, role commodity traders play in global finance and geopolitics . . . The World For Sale is a fascinating, eye-opening read.’ GREGORY ZUCKERMAN, author of The Man Who Solved the Market<\/p>\n
‘The definitive, eye-opening story of the most powerful and secretive traders in the world.’ BRADLEY HOPE, co-author of Billion Dollar Whale<\/p>\n
‘If you have the slightest interest in how the modern world was made, by whom, at what price, and at what profit, this is the book for you . . . Superbly researched.’ FOREIGN POLICY<\/p>\n
‘Javier Blas and Jack Farchy deftly peel back the curtain on the amoral swashbucklers of capitalism who trade in commodities . . . The World for Sale is a gripping account of how they achieved their stranglehold over the world economy, and their troubling influence on global politics.’ BRAD STONE, author of The Everything Store<\/p>\n
‘Some of the stories could be straight out of John Le Carr\u00e9. The difference is they’re true . . . Fascinating.’ ANDREW NEIL<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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