Author: Steven Sahiounie

Changes in ‘fundamentals’ no longer explain commodity price volatility. Meanwhile, more commodity speculation has resulted in greater price volatility and higher prices for food, oil, metals and other raw materials.These prices have been driven by much more speculation, often involving indexed funds trading in real assets. The resulting price volatility especially affects everyone, as food consumers, and developing countries’ agricultural producers.Sharp increases in commodity prices since mid-2007 were largely driven by speculation, mainly involving indexed funds. With the Great Recession following the GFC, most commodity producers in developing countries faced difficulties.Since then, nearly all commodity prices fell from the mid-2010s…

The end of the year is a good time to think about what lies ahead of us. I believe there are some business, technical, and social developments that will affect organizations across industries.If you have a moment, grab a cup of coffee and read about eight industry trends I expect to be here to stay.Everything-as-a-ServiceMaking and selling products has been the predominant business model in multiple industries for many decades. In contrast, delivering services used to only be associated with a few sectors, such as telecommunications. Those days are gone. From sports equipment and streaming services in B2C to machines…

Young Global Leader.Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Hott said: “I am honored to champion this great initiative under President Adesina’s visionary and impactful leadership. The Alliance will support Africa’s transition to Net Zero emissions. We need to frontload investments in infrastructure for Africa to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and to develop the continent. I look forward to working with all regional and global stakeholders and partners to succeed in this new challenge.”Dr. Adesina said: “I am delighted to have former Minister Amadou Hott as my Special Envoy to globally champion the Alliance and help mobilize significant resources and…

Asia-Pacific shares opened in positive territory as investors look ahead to a highly anticipated Federal Reserve meeting and U.S. CPI data reading.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 0.67% after Chief Executive John Lee announced further easing of Covid restrictions.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed up 0.31% at 7,203.3. The Nikkei 225 in Japan added 0.40% to close at 27,954.85, while the Topix inched up 0.43% to 1,965.68.Korean benchmarks Kospi and Kosdaq dropped fractionally to close at 2,372.4 and 715.16 respectively. The MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.29%.In mainland China, the Shenzhen Component shed 0.174%, while the Shanghai Composite climbed 0.07%Hong Kong will release its industrial production data for…

The level of redundancies in Northern Ireland remains very lowImage source, Getty ImagesBy John CampbellBBC News NI Economics & Business EditorNorthern Ireland’s job market has remained relatively strong despite growing economic worries, the latest official data suggests.The quarterly employment rate, which measures the proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in work, increased by 1.7 percentage points to 71.3%.The main concern in the latest figures is a gradual increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits.The claimant count increased for the third month in a row in November and now stands at 36,200.However, as a proportion of the workforce…

November’s inflation data confirmed what many economists had been expecting: Price increases probably have peaked, providing relief in sight from the highest cost of living surge in more than 40 years. That’s the upside of the latest consumer price index reading Tuesday. The broad-based basket of goods and services showed prices up just 0.1% last month, translating into a 7.1% increase from a year ago. While the inflation rate is still extraordinarily high, there’s widespread agreement that the peak has passed. “Inflation was terrible in 2022, but the outlook for 2023 is much better,” said Bill Adams, Comerica’s chief economist.…

Crypto.com CEO has history of red flags including bankruptcy and quick exitsKEY POINTSBefore founding Crypto.com, Kris Marszalek was involved in multiple ventures that ended in collapse, including one where suppliers claimed they were unable to access their earnings.Over a decade ago, Marszalek and his business partner were paid millions of dollars by their manufacturing company, months before it entered bankruptcy.In a tweet thread published ahead of this story, Marszalek wrote “startups are hard,” and “you will fail over and over again.” Kris Marszalek wants everyone to know that his company, Crypto.com, is safe and in good hands. His TV appearances and…

Nearly half of the bloc’s members reportedly want a lower ceiling, while others are skeptical about the measureEU nations have failed once again to finalize a bloc-wide gas price cap at a Council of Energy Ministers meeting, Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday. Some states want to lower the ceiling, while others say the measure could wreak havoc on the energy markets.“There was a lengthy debate at the Energy Council meeting. No agreement was reached at the plenary, so discussions will continue on a bilateral basis,” Szijjarto wrote on Facebook.Opinions regarding the measure proposed weeks ago differ greatly among…

The agency says shortages may be avoided if the bloc takes more decisive action to improve energy efficiencyEU member states face a potential gas shortfall of 27 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned in a report on Monday.The report outlines a number of solutions to avoid an energy crisis in the region and urges Brussels to step up efforts to ensure next year’s energy supply.“2023 may well prove to be an even sterner test for Europe because Russian supplies could fall further, global supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be tight – especially…

December 13, 2022The nation’s property market has plummeted amid slowing consumptionA severe slump in Sweden’s real estate sector threatens to deepen a looming economic crisis in the Nordic region’s largest economy, Bloomberg reported on Monday.   The outlet warned that after nearly twenty years of stable growth, the country’s property market is undergoing “a dramatic change.” Housing prices have plunged by 15% from their peak in nominal terms this year, driven by surging inflation and rising borrowing costs, it said.  Swedish consumers have cut spending drastically amid an unfolding cost-of-living crisis. This has brought more pain to the property sector, where…