Record prices fuel surge in Sudan conflict gold smuggling

Record-high gold prices are fuelling a surge in mining in Sudan, unlocking a crucial source of revenue for the country’s warring parties and allowing them to finance the conflict. The country’s gold mining industry last year reached its highest output in six years, with swelling numbers of artisanal miners and readily available imported mining chemicals … Read more

Hedge funds cast an envious eye at their highly valued buyout brethren

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Hedge fund moguls keen to cement their fortunes should try to emulate their counterparts in the private equity industry. Millennium Asset Management, the giant hedge fund seeking to sell a minority stake in itself at … Read more

France pushes for joint debt to bolster international role of euro

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. France has lobbied fellow EU countries to pledge additional measures aimed at raising the euro’s profile as a global reserve currency, as part of Paris’ long-standing campaign for more joint borrowing. A draft EU statement … Read more