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 resourcerich countries no matter how corrupt or wartorn 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 coauthor of “The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources.”