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Javier Blas

Jack Farchy

The World for Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources Paperback – May 3 2022

by Javier Blas (Author), Jack Farchy (Author)

2,080 ratings

in Economics of Exports & Imports

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Shortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award An Economist Book of the Year The modern world is built on commodities - from the oil that fuels our cars to the metals that power our smartphones. We rarely stop to consider where they have come from. But we should. The World for Sale lifts the lid on 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 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 centers. 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.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

May 3 2022
Dimensions

23.37 x 3.3 x 15.75 cm
ISBN-10

0197651534
ISBN-13

978-0197651537
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From the Publisher

Product description

Review

"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

"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

"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." ―The Economist

"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

"A colorful and alarming expose of the shadowy world of global commodity trading... Hair-raising anecdotes... An engrossing look at an obscure yet consequential corner of the financial world." ―Publishers Weekly

"A virtuoso depiction of the globe's top oil, food and metals traders... 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... The depth of the reporting by the Bloomberg journalists, who previously worked for the Financial Times, is impressive... Fascinating." ―Reuters

"Some of the stories beggar belief... A fascinating story, it's just incredible some of the routes that the money takes." ―Lawrence Pollard, BBC Newsday

"Could there be a better moment for Javier Blas and Jack Farchy's rollicking new account of [commodity] markets' recent history to land on investors' desks? ...This 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. The World For Sale opens with the private jet of [the late chief executive of Vitol] making corkscrew turns into Benghazi airport in 2011 so he can dodge hostile missiles and strike a deal to supply the rebel forces with oil in the middle of the Libyan civil war. That turns out to be one of the more conventional deals that pepper the narrative... Educational and entertaining..." ―Felix Martin, Financial Times

"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 and tidily written... A clean, compelling chronicle of the central role that commodity traders have played in the global economy from the end of World War II to the present. What they found isn't pretty ― but it's plenty illuminating. ―Foreign Policy

"A highly readable study in world economics and a valuable primer for would-be oil barons." ―Kirkus

"Blas and Farchy shine light on what's long been the financial market's darkest corner the crucial, yet underappreciated, role commodity traders play in global finance and geopolitics. The characters are fascinating and their impact cannot be understated. The World For Sale is a fascinating, eye-opening read." ―Gregory Zuckerman, New York Times-bestselling author of The Man Who Solved the Market

"Javier Blas and Jack Farchy deftly peel back the curtain on the amoral swashbucklers of capitalism who trade in commodities natural resources like oil, coal and aluminium. 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 to this day." ―Brad Stone, New York Times-bestselling author of The Everything Store

"The World For Sale is the definitive, eye-opening story of the most powerful and secretive traders in the world. These commodity traders, including all manner of cutthroats, eccentrics and amoral corruptors, play a major role in the global economy one that few people understand. Javier Blas and Jack Farchy illuminate it perfectly, helped by their decades of experience covering the beat from the ground up." ―Bradley Hope, New York Times-bestselling author of Billion Dollar Whale

About the Author

Javier Blas and Jack Farchy are two of the world's best-known journalists covering energy, commodities, and trading houses. They both work for Bloomberg, where Blas is a columnist specializing in energy and commodities and Farchy is a senior reporter covering natural resources. The World for Sale is their first book.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (May 3 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0197651534
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0197651537
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 590 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.37 x 3.3 x 15.75 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #1,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Economics of Exports & Imports
- #1 in Exports & Imports (Books)
- #1 in Energy Commodities Investments

Customer Reviews:
2,080 ratings

About the authors

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Javier Blas
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Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities, based in London. He previously was the chief energy correspondent at Bloomberg News, and wrote for the Financial Times and the Spanish business daily Expansion.
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Jack Farchy
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Jack Farchy is a senior reporter covering natural resources at Bloomberg News. Previously, he was a Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times and the paper's commodities reporter. He regularly appears on BBC Radio 4 Today as an expert on commodities. For more, go to https://twitter.com/jfarchy to follow him on Twitter.
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

2,080 global ratings

5 star		70%
4 star		22%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Serge Lefebvre

Livrer rapidement

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 22, 2022

Verified Purchase

Excellent livre ….

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 18, 2022

Verified Purchase

Very interesting read particularly for current events in the World today….. very well researched book and authors do a wonderful job presenting the normally opaque world of commodity traders

Helpful

Sabby

Love to read interesting topics.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 31, 2021

Verified Purchase

Makes you think.

Helpful

R

Interesting content but sensationalist and repetitive at times

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

I bought this book for interest in physical commodity trading. Interesting read and I learnt a few new things. The writing style is sensationalist and repetitive at times.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

AM

A valuable insight into the history & evolution of commodity trading

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 5, 2021

Fantastic book , it was hard to put down. The history of the big trading houses , the evolution of the commodity trading industry , the geopolitics , the actors , well researched , and well presented. Highly recommended for those with an interest in the history of commodity trading.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Gazzarian

Business meets geopolitics

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

If you hesitate to read this because it looks like a recounting of obscure financial manouevres, be assured that it isn't. You don't need to know, or care, much about business or finance to follow these intriguing stories. The writing itself is a joy to read, as the authors demonstrate their mastery of the subject by their ability to clarify it. And they bring to life the personalities who built and dominated this global underworld. But it's at its most valuable in showing how the traders lay behind some major global headlines. So, along with pretty much everybody else, a delighted 5* from this reader.

25 people found this helpful

HM

Fantastic book, shines a light on the world of commodities

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is an absolutely cracking read - Blas and Farchy dissect the murky world of commodities traders surgically, slowly peeling back each layer over the decades. It’s an incredibly well-researched book, littered with insightful anecdotes, which highlights how commodity trading straddles the spheres of finance, politics and war. For anyone with a passing interest in commodities this is a must-read, but if you want to learn more about commerce and geopolitics then you need to order this ASAP. You won’t be disappointed.

18 people found this helpful

James-philip Harries

Longer spoons please

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

Hooray! Your maiden aunts have written a history of the modern commodities trade, and it is very amusing.
Two purse lipped journalists from Bloomberg chronicle the dodgy dealings of ruthless capitalists with disreputable regimes, in order to put food on our plates and fuel our lifestyles.
Are these merchants really as bad as all that? No doubt the address books of Glencore, Vitol and others include some pretty unsavoury characters. But I write this review a day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who was also obliged to sup with some blood soaked tyrants: Brezhnev, Ceaucescu, Xi Jing Ping, numerous Arab sheikhs, Toni Blair...
The difference appears to be that it's all right if it's done for politics, but not if it's done for money. Hmmm.
Bringing the story up to date, you can be sure that Putin is being robbed blind by the oil traders as they help him get round sanctions and keep the lights on in India. Sanctions busting is older than the story of Jacob and Esau. And the bible approves of the subterfuge.
So I'm going to recommend this book to any parent with a child who has a sense of adventure and the desire to get stonkingly rich.
Meanwhile, if we are going to continue to invite devils to banquets in Buckingham Palace perhaps we should invest in some longer cutlery.

6 people found this helpful

M. Gould

Duplication in the Commodity Market

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Having already read The King Of Oil ( Daniel Ammann ) The Secret Lives of Marc Rich I was disappointed with this effort. Having received a good preview in the recent Sunday Times Culture Supplement I was expecting some original information re Marc Rich which was not already in the public domain.

A lot of repeat from the Rich book published in 2009 and lacking depth as regards the current state of affairs in the Commodity World.

Something rather than nothing in this interesting subject but only just.

9 people found this helpful

Phil

A highly recommended read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

This has to be one of my favourite ever books! It gives a great insight in to the commodity trading world. Being from the industry myself I found huge chunks eminently relatable. Please note that this book is not written by accountants detailing how the finance industry works, rather the swashbuckling adventures it takes by commodity traders to get the trade done in sometimes dangerous situations.

Highly recommended

10 people found this helpful

See all reviews

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About the Author

Product details

About the authors

Javier Blas

Jack Farchy

Customer reviews

Top reviews from Canada

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