Business journalism began as early as the
Middle Ages, to help well-known trading families communicate with each other. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, one of the first business papers was Neus Zeitungen of the House of
Fugger, which was well read by merchants. Around 1700,
Daniel Defoe, best known for his novels, especially
Robinson Crusoe, began publishing business and economic news. By 1740-1760, business press could be found in most economies, particularly in Europe, but also in places such as China, South Africa and Argentina. By 1845, Britain had 24 business newspapers. In January 1888, the London Financial Guide was launched and renamed the
Financial Times a month later. The globalization of commerce since the late 20th century has made financial and business journalism more important, whilst defined benefit retirement accounts and mass market investment opportunities, have increased the number of people that are impacted by changes in the financial markets, increasing business journalisms readership and importance. Business coverage gained further prominence in the 1990s, with wider investment in the
stock market.
The Wall Street Journal is a prominent example of business journalism and is among the
United States of America's top newspapers in terms of both
circulation and respect for the
journalists who write for the publication. In 2022, an IPSOS survey named the Financial Times as the leading business publication in Europe. == Personnel ==