Know What's Happening in Emerging Markets
Know What's Happening in Emerging Markets
Taiwan secures LNG supply assurances from a major producer
Taiwan’s economy minister announced that a major LNG‑producing nation will provide additional cargoes on request to meet the island’s gas needs amid concerns the Iran war could disrupt Middle‑East supplies. The pledge complements a new agreement with the United States that will deliver 1.2 million tonnes of LNG each year.
The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, prompting a hard‑power display that many Latin American analysts view as a game changer for regional geopolitics. The move reinforces U.S. coercive dominance while exposing China’s limited military reach, even as Beijing’s economic ties remain entrenched across the hemisphere. Policymakers in Brazil and Colombia are recalibrating: Brazil leans on the new EU‑Mercosur pact to diversify trade, while Colombia seeks closer security cooperation with Washington. Overall, the episode sharpens the U.S.–China rivalry but does not dismantle China’s structural economic influence.
The first‑quarter 2026 Dallas Fed Energy Survey shows that exploration and production (E&P) companies are flagging the Iran‑Israel war as a major source of volatility. While a few firms note a temporary boost to oil prices and potential profit upside,...
Lots of hints that Turkey has done a gold swap to raise FX to fund the central bank's intervention to defend the lira. It didn't show up in the CBRT's reserve disclosure for March 19th (reporting is lagged a week). ...
Costa Rica’s colon surged to 465 per U.S. dollar, its strongest level since 2005, marking a 7% gain this year. The rally was driven by robust export growth and increased foreign investment. In response, the central bank intervened, purchasing roughly...
Tazapay announced the close of a $36 million Series B extension led by Circle Ventures, bringing total Series B funding to $36 million. The round added new investors CMT Digital and Coinbase Ventures alongside existing backers. The capital will fund licensing expansion, accelerate go‑to‑market...
India’s FY 2027 budget faces heightened pressure as the West Asia conflict drives global crude oil to $157 a barrel and natural‑gas prices to $22 per MMBtu, more than double pre‑crisis levels. Higher energy costs are expected to lift fertilizer and...
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, led by Governor Yasir Al Rumayyan, reaffirmed its commitment to global investments despite the rising economic burden of the war with Iran. Al Rumayyan described the kingdom’s macroeconomic and physical position as strong, stable and resilient. He...
On February 12, 2026 Taiwan and the United States signed the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), eliminating tariffs on roughly 99 percent of bilateral goods and expanding market access across multiple sectors. Beyond tariff cuts, the pact embeds a security architecture...
Dubai has surged to seventh place in the Global Financial Centres Index, its best ever position and the highest for any Middle East, Africa or South Asia hub. The rise reflects rapid growth at the Dubai International Financial Centre, drawing...
President Donald Trump has moved his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to May 14‑15 after postponing it to deal with the escalating war in Iran. The shift underscores a clash between U.S. Middle‑East commitments and its Asia‑Pacific strategy,...
VINCI Highways, the toll‑road arm of French construction giant VINCI, signed an agreement to purchase nine highway concessions in India from Macquarie Asset Management for roughly 150 billion rupees (about $1.8 billion). The deal, covering 700 km of key routes in Andhra Pradesh...
U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have driven Brent crude above $100 per barrel, triggering the sharpest macro‑economic shock in weeks. Energy‑importing economies from Kuwait to Japan face double‑digit GDP contractions, soaring import bills and heightened inflation, while Gulf diversifiers...
Former U.S. diplomat Stephen Biegun says President Donald Trump will pursue an economic deal with China during his mid‑May visit to Beijing. The agenda is expected to focus on securing large‑scale Chinese purchases of American agricultural and manufacturing products. Biegun...
Key pushback to a blockade is that it might spike oil prices. Iran's 2 million barrels per day could spike oil prices by 20% if they go offline, but - with Brent already up 60% from before the war -...
Land‑linked Zambia 2026 has secured participation from all six key SADC ports—Beira, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Lobito, Nacala and Walvis Bay—signaling a major push toward multimodal connectivity. Zambia’s goal of producing 3 million metric tonnes of copper by 2031 will place...
The article argues that recent calls for renewed U.S. trips to China overlook a crucial distinction: visiting China does not equal understanding it. While official delegations showcase polished factories and elite think‑tank briefings, they miss the everyday realities of ordinary...
🚨 TRUMP SETS 4–6 WEEK DEADLINE TO END IRAN CONFLICT President Trump is pushing for a quick resolution within 4 to 6 weeks and has proposed a 15-point peace plan that includes dismantling Iran’s nuclear sites. Meanwhile, the U.S. is deploying 1,000...
The war sparked by Iran’s confrontation with the United States and Israel has closed the Strait of Hormuz, driven Brent crude above $100 a barrel and halted key fertilizer shipments, while India grapples with an LPG shortage that threatens millions...
Russia announced it will begin delivering combat drones to Iran, the first clear evidence of Moscow providing direct military assistance in the regional war. The move heightens tensions in a volatile market and could reshape defense procurement across emerging economies.
Brazil has unveiled the F‑39E Gripen, its first domestically assembled supersonic fighter, marking the first time a Latin American nation has produced such an aircraft. The jet is part of a $4 billion deal for 36 fighters, with 15 built locally,...
A year after President Trump’s trade assault, Asian economies escaped tariff fallout thanks to market pressure and AI‑driven growth, but the Iran‑Israel war has reignited a severe energy shock. Goldman Sachs warns that soaring oil and LNG prices could derail...
China’s annual trade surplus now exceeds $1.2 trillion, yet official foreign‑exchange reserves remain around $3 trillion. Export firms split operations between domestic manufacturers and offshore entities in Hong Kong, Singapore or the UAE, invoicing only production costs locally while retaining full profits abroad...
At the Boao Forum for Asia, China’s top legislator Zhao Leji warned that power politics should give way to economic development amid the ongoing US‑Israeli war on Iran. He pledged that Beijing will keep promoting free trade, openness and a...
Asian equity markets slipped on Thursday as uncertainty over a de‑escalation of the Iran war weighed on investor sentiment, with the Nikkei down 0.3%, the Kospi off 1.9% and the Hang Seng falling 1.4%. Oil prices rebounded, lifting Brent crude...
The East is Red provides a translation of a very interesting essay by Wang Xiaolu, Deputy Director of the National Economic Research Institute. The problem with the Chinese economy, Wang says (and as I have argued for over a decade), is...
Kazakhstan–China Relations: Perceptions of China After the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine - Gaziza Shakhanova, 2026 https://t.co/lD5RrER3uG
China signaled that its door remains open for joint oil and gas development in the South China Sea, but it told Manila it must first demonstrate sincerity before talks can resume. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. linked the renewed interest to...
Kospi just dropped 3%+. South Korea doesn't move 3% for no reason. Yen carry trade stress. Japan buying yen. Selling Treasuries to do it. Asian contagion doesn't stay in Asia. Watch $EEM. Watch $FXI. $VIX $SPY https://t.co/M3BpoEWXWm
Middle Eastern funds have racked up outsize gains from bets on newly-listed Chinese AI companies China uninvestable? Seems like so long ago now... https://t.co/u1DyM6ixKs
Vietnam and Russia have signed a deal to build a nuclear power plant, marking a new chapter in bilateral energy cooperation. Specifics on capacity, financing and construction schedule were not disclosed, leaving analysts to gauge the partnership's impact on regional...
An investment boom in AI has kept China’s trade volumes on a path to exceed last year’s record levels, offsetting disruptions from higher oil prices in the weeks after war broke out in Iran https://t.co/L3nAViEgYs
Meanwhile, back in the madhouse, Budapest and Bratislava have accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying the resumption of oil flows, triggering a political dispute that has seen Hungary block the EU loan to Kyiv... it's a mess. https://t.co/9Rnn7Wxy82
Aliko Dangote’s refinery has lifted its ex‑depot gasoline price to N1,285 per litre – its fifth hike in March – as the U.S.–Israel war on Iran pushes crude to $120 a barrel. The move deepens Dangote’s downstream foothold while sparking...
Iran war just canceled a better economic outlook for the world https://t.co/4zqeIEwXkO via @CraigStirling @WHorobin https://t.co/hfVE77iQwZ
From Liberation Day to the Strait of Hormuz, is global trade and world order going thru an upheaval? Will the world move go from bifurcation or trifurcation to fragmentation? Who will dominant? What would supply chains look like and operate...
The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and global investor Imbono have signed a landmark MoU to channel large‑scale investment into Zambia’s priority sectors. Imbono pledged to invest roughly $2 billion annually across Southern Africa, with a substantial share earmarked for Zambia’s infrastructure,...
MOSCOW, March 26 (Reuters) - Russia is pleased about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy statement that the U.S. is making its offer of security guarantees conditional on Kyiv ceding all of the country's eastern region of Donbas to Russia, a senior...
1/6 Bloomberg: "“Singapore believes China can play a bigger role in supporting regional prosperity and stability,” Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the Boao Forum. “Its vast domestic market can be a powerful engine of growth for the region.” https://t.co/npbm7nXQEo
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The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) entered into force in 2022, creating the world’s largest free‑trade bloc with 15 Asia‑Pacific economies. Together the members represent roughly 30% of global GDP and population, and the pact cuts tariffs across a broad...
1/9 Reuters: "China said that Mexico's trade measures against it, including tariff increases, constitute trade and investment barriers and that it had the right to take countermeasures." rld/china/china-says-it-has-right-retaliate-against-mexicos-tariff-hikes-2026-03-25/
The FAT TAIL for the Persian Gulf crisis Prolonged energy disruption & economic dislocation THRU 2027, says @ProfessorKaren That assumes the conflict is resolved in April or May
Foreign issuers pushed panda bond sales in mainland China to 27.8 bn yuan ($4 bn) in March, more than tripling year‑to‑date volume. The surge comes as the Iran war pushes borrowers toward the yuan‑denominated on‑shore market, marking a record month for foreign...
Good morning, We are in Day 26 of the war and Asia is reeling from the conflict as we are most dependent on Middle oil and gas. Let's talk about how Asia is affected by this conflict, a thread. You can...
A thread on some work in progress, on China's US bond portfolio As the chart below shows, China's cumulative current account surplus has increased by $3 trillion since the end of 2019 -- and inflows into the US in the US...
Indonesia is seeing a surge in coal and crude palm oil (CPO) prices as the US‑Israeli war on Iran pushes oil to about $100 a barrel, prompting countries to seek cheaper coal and bio‑fuel alternatives. Newcastle coal futures have climbed...
Asian economies from India to South Korea are feeling a double squeeze as oil prices spike and the U.S. dollar reaches its strongest level against regional currencies in two decades. The war in the Middle East has choked the Strait...
President Donald Trump announced a two‑day visit to Beijing on May 14‑15, contingent on the Iran war ending by May 13. The trip follows his public statement linking the cease‑fire to his diplomatic agenda. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice...
It's the first time in 60 years you've heard Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar all sing from the same song sheet, saying status quo doesn't work. That's really good for everybody because that's a lot more trade into Asia. That'll...
I said last June-July: China got the message, Hormuz Strait will be closed, and started preparing for it. Read details below.
U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a public cease‑fire announcement with Iran as early as Saturday, even if no formal agreement is in place. Israeli officials, cited by outlets such as N12 and Al Qahera, view the move as...
