Iraq’s Kurds independence, its impact for oil markets

Businessam StaffSeptember 21, 2017

Iraq’s Kurdish provinces plan to vote in a referendum on independence on Sept. 25, a poll that regional and Western powers, not to mention the central government in Baghdad, have decried as a catalyst for greater instability in a region gutted by war. At stake are the petrodollars that have helped sustain the Kurdish Regional Government’s semi-autonomous […]

China is not the only reason to question free trade

Businessam StaffSeptember 14, 2017

By Noah Smith Economists have lately been rethinking free trade. They’re right to do so — and not just because China’s emergence came as such a big shock to U.S. workers. There used to be a near-universal consensus among academic economists that the best trade policy for any country was to unilaterally remove all barriers […]

How Taiwanese whisky toppled Scotch to become the world’s hottest tipple

Businessam StaffSeptember 8, 2017

By  Simon Thomson   Speeding through the Taiwanese countryside, the narrow roads drop sharply into paddy fields on either side. Jutting up from pools of gently swaying rice are rows of faux chateaux; romantic holiday accommodation, decorated with finials and love hearts, the kitschy simulacra of Disney palaces. This surreal landscape is the last place you […]

How Standard Chartered lost $400mn on risky diamond debt

Businessam StaffSeptember 7, 2017

By Franz Wild, Thomas Biesheuvel, and Stephen Morris Standard Chartered Plc’s plunge into the risky business of diamond lending began eight years ago with a cocktail party at its London headquarters. Maurice Tempelsman, longtime escort of Jackie Kennedy and head of one of the biggest U.S. diamond companies, was there. So was diamantaire Dilip Mehta, […]

For Unilever, Estee Lauder’s not just a pretty face

Businessam StaffAugust 25, 2017

By Tara Lachapelle     Could it be? Finally some enticing takeover speculation to get us through this end-of-summer M&A lull.  Estee Lauder Cos., the $39 billion New York cosmetics giant, is the latest to enter the rumor mill — and the chatter makes a whole lot of sense. Some may think of bygone department stores and […]

Reasons true free trade is key to making Brexit a success

Businessam StaffAugust 24, 2017

By Graeme Leach   Economists for Free Trade was re-launched this week by 16 of Britain’s leading economists to promote the case for true free trade, with zero tariff and non-tariff barriers (note this doesn’t mean zero standards) on imports, in the wake of Brexit. In the wake of the General Election result, we feel there is […]

People start hating their jobs at age 35

Businessam StaffAugust 22, 2017

Jean Prince was 50 when she started working for a U.K. tech company near Cambridge as a technical author, writing software documentation. “I felt extremely lucky,” she said. But she wasn’t happy. “The workplace has become more impersonal and tougher,” she said. “Everyone is performance-managed to death.” She felt underappreciated and unloved. Older workers tend […]

OPEC: The cartel’s last stand?

Businessam StaffAugust 17, 2017

By Grant Smith Since its creation more than half a century ago, OPEC has become the textbook case of a successful cartel. The 14-member club of crude exporters, which pumps 40 percent of the oil used every day, has held immense sway over the price of a critical commodity — and the global economy. OPEC’s obituary has been written many […]

Why is the US dollar falling?

Businessam StaffAugust 14, 2017

The US dollar, long a symbol of American economic might, has fallen steadily this year. The value of the dollar index, which tracks the dollar against six major global currencies, has fallen about 10% since January. It pushed lower on Friday, even as demand for other safe-haven assets – typically a category that includes the […]