Rising Commodity Prices

Jeff Currie serves as the global head of Commodities Research in Global Investment Research (GIR) at Goldman Sachs. He is responsible for conducting research on commodity market dynamics in the context of corporate risk management programs, short and long-term commodity investment strategies, and asset allocation. Dr. Currie joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 and was named managing director in 2002 and partner in 2008. Prior to joining the firm, he taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in microeconomics and econometrics at The University of Chicago and served as the associate editor of Resource and Energy Economics. Dr. Currie also worked as a consulting economist, specializing in energy and other microeconomic issues, at Ernst and Young LLP and Economic Insight Inc. In addition, he has advised government agencies in the U.S., European Union, and Russia. Dr. Currie earned a Ph.D. in Economics from The University of Chicago in 1996.

Robert Kahn is the Director of Global Macro-Geoeconomics at Eurasia Group. His research focuses on macroeconomic policies and the transmission of shocks throughout the global economy. For much of his career, Dr. Kahn has also studied the resolution of sovereign debt crises and financial distress, including the role of debt restructuring. Prior to joining Eurasia Group, he was an economic consultant and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. Before that, Dr. Kahn was a senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, a senior strategist with Moore Capital Management, and a senior adviser in the financial policy department at the World Bank, where he focused on financial sector assessments for developing economies and was the bank’s liaison to the Secretariat of the Financial Stability Forum. Dr. Kahn has also held senior staff positions at the IMF and at Citigroup; he served as the head of the Office of Industrial Nations at the U.S. Treasury and was a senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers and the Federal Reserve Board. Dr. Kahn received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a Doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lourdes Casanova is a senior lecturer and the Gail and Roberto Cañizares Director of the Emerging Markets Institute in the SC Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. She has been named one of the 50 most influential Iberoamerican intellectuals and one of the 30 most influential Iberoamerican women intellectuals by Esglobal, a digital magazine on international relations. Dr. Casanova is a Fulbright Scholar and has a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California as well as a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona. Her commentary has been featured in Latin Trade, Agenda Publica, CNN en Español, and Voice of America.

Mihika Badjate is a senior studying Economics in the Cornell College of Arts & Sciences. At the Emerging Markets Institute, she is involved in both research and marketing. Beyond emerging markets, Ms. Badjate’s interests include reading, hiking, and traveling.

Ravin Nanda is a senior studying Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences. Mr. Nanda is interested in pursuing a career in financial services and will be joining Lazard’s TMT group as an analyst following graduation. At Cornell, he is involved in Cornell’s Investment Banking Club, the Johnson Museum Club, and the Emerging Markets Society. Mr. Nanda is originally from the greater Boston area and enjoys learning about art, playing golf and squash, and cooking.