The Economist was until recently owned by Pearson, the mammoth education&#x2F;publishing house, which is why they were able to maintain quality without worrying so much about revenue. However, they aren&#x27;t a loss-leader and they&#x27;ve been making a profit. Recently, Pearson sold its 50% stake to another private entity:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;08&#x2F;pearson-sale-economist&#x2F;401120&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;08&#x2F;pearson-...</a><p>Apparently, the Economist publishes its financials even though it is not a public company:<p>&gt; <i>According to its most recent results [1], the company had an operating profit of about $93.8 million, up 2 percent for the year. The weekly magazine’s circulation was 1.6 million, and the company saw a 13 percent increase in gross profit from circulation.</i><p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economistgroup.com&#x2F;results_and_governance&#x2F;results_at_a_glance.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economistgroup.com&#x2F;results_and_governance&#x2F;results...</a>