Data overload: commodity hedge funds close as computers dominate
"Chocfinger" made his name and his money by taking bold bets on cocoa markets. But after nearly four decades of trading, sometimes winning, sometimes losing, Anthony Ward threw in the…
Foreign drugs rare commodity in sanctions-hit Iran
"Talk of sanctions on Iran reemerged, and my essential medicine was no longer available," said Masoud Mir who suffers from thalassaemia, a genetic blood disease common in Iran. Mir, 36,…
Citizenship as a commodity
In Britain’s multitiered visa system, there are now many routes to citizenship. For those prepared to invest $1.24m in companies registered in Britain, there is Tier 1: a fast-tracked visa…
Long-term investors shy away as hot money fuels commodity rallies
Hot money has helped commodity markets to outpace shares for the first time in five years, but long-term investors burnt in the previous boom are unlikely to add their considerable…
Falling prices, rising taxes squeeze African miners
Against a background of crashing commodity prices, mining in Africa is facing increasing pressure as governments and investors struggle over distribution of the mineral wealth buried under much of the…
Ups and downs of oil prices
OIL remains the world’s most critical commodity. It has fuelled the industrial age. For over a century, oil politics has been almost synonymous with geopolitics; the cause of numerous wars…
As US debates oil exports, long-term prices slump below $80
Long-term US oil prices have slumped to record discounts versus Europe's benchmark Brent, with some contracts dropping below $80 in a dramatic downturn that may intensify producers' calls to ease…
Cotton growers concern on falling prices
IN line with the declining global commodity markets, cotton prices in Pakistan are also falling. The local cotton slumped to under Rs3, 000 per maund (37.32kg) on Nov 13 from…
Promise and peril of low policy rates
In an unprecedented policy action that has taken international markets and other domestic players by surprise, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has carried one of the most aggressive interest…
Discount rate as a policy tool
Economic stability has been achieved, and the country will not be deterred from implementing the reform agenda agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – a claim that has repeatedly…
