Latest published articles

Bank of Montreal's Natural Gas Disaster: $850 Million Gone

You would think that after Amaranth blew up and lost $6 billion on natural gas, every bank and fund on the planet would have gotten the message. Natural gas is dangerous. Do not bet the house on it. But no. Just six months later, one of Canada’s oldest and biggest banks walked straight into the same wall. Chapter 28 of Torsten Dennin’s “From Tulips to Bitcoins” tells how the Bank of Montreal lost $850 million on natural gas trades and tried to cover it up.

Australia's Millennium Drought and the Wheat Price Explosion

Wheat is boring. It just sits there in a field, grows, gets harvested, becomes bread. Nobody thinks about wheat until the price of bread doubles and suddenly everyone is an agricultural expert. Chapter 27 of Torsten Dennin’s “From Tulips to Bitcoins” tells what happened when Australia, one of the biggest wheat exporters on the planet, stopped producing wheat. Not by choice. Because the rain stopped coming.

Australia's Millennium Drought and the Wheat Price Explosion

Wheat is boring. It just sits there in a field, grows, gets harvested, becomes bread. Nobody thinks about wheat until the price of bread doubles and suddenly everyone is an agricultural expert. Chapter 27 of Torsten Dennin’s “From Tulips to Bitcoins” tells what happened when Australia, one of the biggest wheat exporters on the planet, stopped producing wheat. Not by choice. Because the rain stopped coming.

The Seven Sisters: Who Really Controls the World's Oil

For most of the twentieth century, seven Western companies ran the global oil business like it was their private club. They decided how much oil was pumped, where it went, and what it cost. Then, country by country, the club got kicked out. Chapter 26 of Torsten Dennin’s “From Tulips to Bitcoins” tells how the old Seven Sisters lost their grip and a new set of state-owned giants took over.

The Seven Sisters: Who Really Controls the World's Oil

For most of the twentieth century, seven Western companies ran the global oil business like it was their private club. They decided how much oil was pumped, where it went, and what it cost. Then, country by country, the club got kicked out. Chapter 26 of Torsten Dennin’s “From Tulips to Bitcoins” tells how the old Seven Sisters lost their grip and a new set of state-owned giants took over.

Lakshmi Mittal: From Small Steel Plant to World's Biggest Steel Empire

Some people trade commodities. Some people build entire industries. Chapter 25 of Torsten Dennin’s “From Tulips to Bitcoins” tells the story of Lakshmi Mittal, a man who spent three decades buying steel plants that nobody wanted and turned them into the largest steel company the world has ever seen.