The riches of the sea have long shaped Norway as a nation of traders. Centuries before Norway’s first stock exchange, the ‘Christiania Exchange’, opened an office at Madam Jørgen Pløens Gaard in April 1819, Norwegians were plying Europe’s markets with dried cod produced by the millions from the Lofoten Islands – and making a profit. Today’s wealth comes from the sea in a slightly different form – as oil and gas – but the message is the same: Norwegians have a long history of successfully trading in international markets.