Published On Apr 28, 2024
Presenting the third William R. Rhodes ’57 Ethics of Capitalism annual lecture
Javier Blas discusses one of the least scrutinized corners of the world economy: the billionaire commodity traders who buy, hoard, and sell the Earth’s resources. It is the story of how a handful of powerful 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 centers.
Join us for a tour through the wildest frontiers of the global economy, as well as a revelatory guide to how capitalism really works.
Q & A will be moderated by Jeff Colgan, Interim Director of the Rhodes Center for International Economics & Finance.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities. He is co-author of “The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources.”