One of the pleasures of an earlier phase of my life was to take tea periodically at the Bank of Japan (BoJ). There I would enjoy wide-ranging conversations about Japan’s political economy with senior Japanese central bankers for whom having tea with foreigners was about as radical as it got.
Tony Hayward, former CEO of the English company, today heads Genel Energy, the largest holder of oil reserves in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Recent events highlight the risks of extracting natural resources in politically and socially unstable countries.
Prompted by fears of a banking bust, China’s policymakers are reportedly reining in the country’s huge but unregulated shadow banking system.
In order to avoid a higher inflation Alexandre Tombini, the governor of Brazil’s central bank, is likely to announce higher interest rates.
Brazil will also be seeking to export its development model.
Anti-austerity campaigners are protesting a recent anti-tax evasion law by using Pedro Passos Coelho personal number.
A dispute over solar panels could lead to a potential $28 billion trade war over accusations that China’s government is subsiding the panels.
As Italians go to the polls on February 24-25 to elect a successor to the government Mario Monti has led since late 2011, they will also deliver a verdict on whether technocracy is good for their country.
China’s state oil companies have spent $92 billion on acquiring oil and gas assets around the world since 2009. What have they got for this buying spree, and have they got value for their money?
