Stargate changes alter the face of trading - Yulai in decay

2005-09-15 00:00

By Svarthol

Yulai, once a vibrant trade hub, now slowly decaying. What used to be one of the largest open markets in our space has lost a significant portion of trade to other systems, a direct result of the stargate re-routing which took place almost two months ago, when the Gallente Federation and Minmatar Republic took action against rampant smuggling of illegal goods. The dwindling of trade in Yulai has not surprised trade moguls.

Visiting Yulai, I had the opportunity to speak to KIAEddz, CEO of mercenary corporation KIA Corp (KillerZ in Action). Asking him why he thought most trade was leaving Yulai, he responded:

"Two words. It's dead. It's simply too many jumps, too far away."

And he has a point. It seems Oursulaert and Jita have replaced Yulai, probably because of their location. Another factor, according to KIAEddz, is the presence of high-profile employers, who are eager to employ privateer pod-pilots. Oursulaert alone boasts the highest number of registered pod-pilots, whereas Yulai numbers have dropped staggeringly. To compare - at the time this article was printed, Oursulaert had 232 active pilots, Yulai had only 48. Jita numbered 208 pilots in space.

Although the Yulai torch seems to have passed to Caldari space, each region seems to have its own hotspot. Condensed information gathered by influential traders shows that Rens, Pator, Amarr and Alenia have all benefitted from the proactive anti-smuggling stances of the Minmatar Republic and Gallente Federation.