Finance & economics | Rock steady

Is coal the new gold?

The world’s dirtiest fuel is a disturbingly safe investment

Workers collect pieces of coal in Cartagena, Colombia, on June 13th 2024
Photograph: Getty Images

From some angles it seems as if thermal coal, the world’s dirtiest fuel, is having a tough year. Prices are down a bit. China, which gobbles up over half the world’s supply, is in economic trouble; a surge in hydropower generation there is squeezing out the fuel. In May G7 members agreed to phase out coal plants, where emissions are not captured, by 2035. Mining stocks are trading at a huge discount.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “The new gold”

From the June 29th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Dark rain clouds move over the port of Hamburg, Germany

Germany’s economy goes from bad to worse

Things may look brighter next year, but the relief will be short-lived

An economics Nobel for work on why nations succeed and fail

Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson tackled the most important question of all


Why investors should still avoid Chinese stocks

The debate about “uninvestibility” obscures something important


China’s property crisis claims more victims: companies

Unsold homes are contributing to a balance-sheet recession

Europe’s green trade restrictions are infuriating poor countries

Only the poorest can expect help to cushion the blow

How America learned to love tariffs

Protectionism hasn’t been this respectable for decades