Oil fell by more than $4 a barrel on Wednesday, posting the steepest percentage loss in the first two trading days of any year for over 3 decades, as investors worried about fuel demand as the global economy slows and Covid-19 cases grow in China. Brent futures settled at $77.84 a barrel, falling $4.26, or 5.2%. U.S. crude settled at $72.84 a barrel, shedding $4.09, or 5.3%. Brent has fallen by about 9.4% this week, its steepest two-day loss at the start of the year since January 1991, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. "Crude oil is trading lower on concerns…

What does a man born in 384 BCE have to teach the modern writer? A lot. When I teach persuasive writing, participants are often amazed to learn that Aristotle, the Greek philosopher who taught the world about everything from chemistry to metaphysics, also contributed mightily to the study of rhetoric. Rhetoric is using language effectively and persuasively. And in this, Aristotle's philosophy is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. Aristotle taught his students the art of persuasion. Today's business people use persuasion daily. Managers must persuade employees to follow through on projects, entrepreneurs convince investors to fund…

Elon Musk’s Starlink, a satellite internet service, has announced the prices for its starter kits as preorder sales begin in Nigeria. Starlink made the announcement in statement on Tuesday. The development follows the company’s plans to roll out and expand its services to Nigeria this year. According to the statement, interested customers can preorder the starter kits at the price of $600 (N438,000 at the current parallel market exchange rate) for the hardware. Starlink also said customers will pay $43 (N31,390) per month for subscription to its services. “Order now to reserve your Starlink. Starlink expects to expand service in…

You have committed to first avoiding, at all costs, passing on price increases to your most important retail partners and customers. You've shored up your current customers. You've created new revenue streams. You've innovated marketing. You've reduced overhead. You've synergized to share expenses. You've restructured compensation. You've implemented automation. You've deferred your own pay. And it's still not working. You're still losing money. Now what? This entire series has been dedicated to avoiding, at all costs, passing on price increases to your most important retail partners and customers. But nothing else has worked. How can you pass along increases without…