ICYMI - January 30 - SmartBrief

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ICYMI – January 30

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Modern Money

A collection of stories from SmartBrief publications and around the web…

The editor of The Economist says farewell: John Micklethwait departs The Economist bound for Bloomberg. I won’t even try to summarize his farewell message. It is too good. Read the whole thing.

How the next editor got the job: Gideon Litchfield writes for Quartz about the process The Economist employed to select Zanny Minton Beddoes as the new editor. Litchfield, who was also a candidate for the job, offers unique insight on the refreshingly straightforward way The Economist handled the search.

Food for thought from Davos: With the glitz and glam always stealing the headlines in Davos, many people overlook some of the research the World Economic Forum actually disseminates – during the conference or throughout the year. Kirill Shakhnov from the European University Institute shares some interesting research with this paper: How wealth inequality entices talent into finance. In an era where income inequality is a hot topic and Occupy Wall Street isn’t too far in the rear view mirror, Shakhnov reveals more than a few economic and cultural insights. “Many studies analyse the causes of the expansion of the financial sector, but none of them connect the expansion of the financial sector and the increase in wealth inequality,” Shakhnov writes. “I show that the growth of wealth inequality alone is enough to fully explain the growth of finance.”

Worst. Call. Ever.: Institutional Investor asks research analysts to share the stories of the worst calls they ever made. And they answer … on camera.

Cost Curves explained: The Financial Times continues it ‘Commodities Explained’ series. This one covers the ins and outs of cost curves.