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  • The World for Sale

  • Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources
  • Written by: Javier Blas, Jack Farchy
  • Narrated by: John Sackville
  • Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (79 ratings)

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The World for Sale

Written by: Javier Blas, Jack Farchy
Narrated by: John Sackville
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Meet the traders who supply the world with oil, metal and food - no matter how corrupt, war-torn or famine-stricken the source.

'This jaw-dropping study shows how much money and global influence is concentrated in the hands of a tiny group . . . As the authors roam from oilfield to wheatfield, they reveal information so staggering you almost gasp.' SUNDAY TIMES

'Fascinating and revealing . . . A gripping book.' ECONOMIST

'The definitive, eye-opening story of the most powerful and secretive traders in the world.' BRADLEY HOPE, co-author of Billion Dollar Whale
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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 come from. But we should.

In The World for Sale, two leading journalists lift the lid on one of the least scrutinised corners of the economy: the workings of 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 centres.

And it is the story of how some traders acquired untold political power, right under the noses of Western regulators and politicians - helping Saddam Hussein to sell his oil, fuelling the Libyan rebel army during the Arab Spring, and funnelling cash to Vladimir Putin's Kremlin in spite of strict sanctions.

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.
__________________________
A Financial Times Best Read of 2021.

'Blas and Farchy shine light on what's long been the financial markets' darkest corner - the crucial, yet underappreciated, role commodity traders play in global finance and geopolitics . . . The World For Sale is a fascinating, eye-opening read.' GREGORY ZUCKERMAN, author of The Man Who Solved the Market

'The World for Sale draws back the covers on a sector where civil wars, dubious regimes and the collapse of states have often been just another business opportunity . . . Intriguing and, at times, alarming.' HELEN THOMAS, Business Editor, BBC Newsnight

'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.' REUTERS

'A remarkable book . . . The colour is fantastic . . . Tracking down some of the biggest names in the business to their German castles and stud farms and persuading them to talk is a rare scoop.' SUNDAY TIMES

'Javier Blas and Jack Farchy deftly peel back the curtain on the amoral swashbucklers of capitalism who trade in commodities . . . 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.' BRAD STONE, author of The Everything Store

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Javier Blas and Jack Farchy (P)2021 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The World for Sale

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Fascinating story of the world's commodity traders

Once in a while comes a book that educates you and entertains you alike. This book is one of them. Breathless account of the World's commodity traders. Facts more amazing than fiction!!!

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Mind-blowing insights. Fantastically performed.

This is as good as Hollywood movie! The book details the murky dealings of commodity traders in extreme detail. i have heard many audio books before but the narrator here is by far the best performer. Must read if you are remotely interested in business.

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Engaging and Eye-opening

The book has documented the evolution of the commodities trading segment extremely well. It's very rare to find a non fiction work thrilling, but this book managed to do that! The narrator has a deep and lovely voice which makes the listen enjoyable

A must read!

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Very interesting,

This book has provided glimpse into world of commodity trading, but it could have provided more insight into life of few successful trader and their trading style.


Nevertheless it is informative as it covers several era of commodity trading industry.

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Excellent in a word.

I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent book. This has vast amounts of history about commodities business and it had been said in a lucid manner. If you're interested to know about history of commodities business and trading you'd simply try this book.

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Book that details most, but misses the obvious

This is a must listen book. I expected it to cover more portion containing Glencore and its role in electric car battery market.

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Fascinating Read

The book provides great insight into the dark underbelly of the commodities traders and their development over the years. Must read for anyone seeking to better understand the hidden corridors of power, money and politics.

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Exceptionally well researched and written!

Must read for anyone linked to the commodity world. Beautifully wades throught the history of commodity Trade and it's impact on the world.

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Traders and economy

Not too many books are written on this subject because of opaqueness of business and lack information available publicly. But the authors put up a well researched info to tell us how critical the commodity traders became to the world economy and how they made money when worst crises hit the world.

Not difficult to understand who ultimately benefits when there’s a war, famine, pandemic etc

Great job by authors

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Got to know a new World in an engaging fashion

You may I am nothing to do with commodity trading but as you start to listen you realise how crucial it is. The book paints a picture of the industry and its history in a very engaging fashion..... almost movie like

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