Iran’s Homegrown Treasure: The Spice That Costs More Than Gold
June 29th, 2015
Via CNN, an interesting article on the economic potential of saffron: It is the most expensive and sought after spice in the world, commonly known as red gold. At $65 per gram for the highest quality crop, Saffron can actually cost even more than the precious metal. Its value has been kept permanently high by labor-intensive harvesting methods […]
Read more »Islamic State Eying Afghanistan’s Natural Resources
June 29th, 2015
Via The Diplomat, a report on how an expansion of the group’s operations in Afghanistan could threaten the fledgling mining industry: According to a recent Pentagon report, the Islamic State’s (IS) activities in Afghanistan remain exploratory, with limited recruiting efforts. Although the capabilities of the Islamic State’s recently minted Khorasan Province may be limited, the group […]
Read more »Iran: Gearing Up For Post-Sanctions Optimism
June 29th, 2015
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a look at Iran, post sanctions: The prospects for an Iranian economic revival and new opportunities for foreign investors hinge on a final agreement at the end of this month on the nuclear deal and United Nations verification – probably at the start of 2016 – of Iranian compliance, after […]
Read more »Persian Glut?
June 26th, 2015
Via Quartz, a look at Iran’s investment potential and impact on global oil markets: Businesses around the world are preparing for the largest geopolitically triggered financial bonanza since the 1991 Soviet breakup: Iran’s reopening for business. Look for large new oil and other commercial deals, and lower global oil prices. The last stage of talks […]
Read more »Turkmenistan: Potential To Alter the Russia-West Standoff
June 25th, 2015
Via STRATFOR (subscription required), interesting analysis of Turkmenistan’s potential role in altering the Russia-West standoff: On Thursday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak expressed interest in potentially increasing Russia’s natural gas imports from Turkmenistan. The same day, the Kazakh parliament ratified an agreement on the delineation of the Caspian Sea boundaries between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. While […]
Read more »North Korea: The Secrets Of Office 39
June 24th, 2015
Courtesy of The Financial Times, an interesting article on how a shadowy organization’s alliance with the Queensway Group is helping Pyongyang bring in cash in the face of isolation: In the middle of last year, the residents of Pyongyang began to notice a new fleet of taxis operating in the North Korean capital. With their maroon and gold […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.