Goodbye, globalization

The global economy, which has been propelled over the 20th century by cheap oil, is about to get a nasty slap in the face

Is there life after serving as one of Canada’s most well-known and controversial bank economists? Jeff Rubin is going to find out.

The former CIBC World Markets guru made quite a name for himself over the years with his wild predictions and out-on-a-limb forecasts; some of them actually proved accurate. And now he’s spinning that notoriety into a new career in the book-and-speaker-tour industry. Already highly in demand as a conference speaker, Rubin is about to get a whole lot busier (and burning a lot more jet fuel in the process).

His new book, Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalization , presents a compelling argument that our entire global economy has been propped up by seemingly endless supplies of cheap oil. But take heed: The day of reckoning is nigh Rubin sets up the book with some blushing accolades for his forecasting prowess, mentions of his appearances on CNN and in The Wall Street Journal, and stories of how he told an audience of skeptical Calgary oilmen in 2000 that oil was going to burst through $100 a barrel.

Globe and Mail