| Commodities are sirens: alluring, yet dangerous. When prices are high, politicians in commodity-exporting countries rejoice. Proceeds from the export of oil, gas and metals fill state coffers. Foreign cash floods in and well-paid jobs are created. Such countries’ governments often neglect other parts of the economy, believing that the good times will never end. But they always do.
As commodity prices tumble, many countries are learning what happens when an economy is too reliant on natural resources. Venezuela, with the world’s largest oil reserves, is on the verge of defaulting. Brazil and Norway, two other big oil exporters, have seen their growth forecasts cut. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will watch his economy shrink by 5% in 2015, according to central-bank estimates. His government’s debt is likely to be downgraded to “junk” status...............................................Full Article: Source
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