Know What's Happening in Emerging Markets
Know What's Happening in Emerging Markets
Taiwan Secures New LNG Supply Commitments Amid Middle‑East Tensions
Taiwan’s economy minister said a major LNG‑producing country has pledged to meet the island’s natural‑gas needs and will provide extra cargoes on request. The agreement with the United States adds a delivery of 1.2 million tonnes of LNG each year, diversifying Taiwan’s import mix as the Iran war threatens Middle‑East supplies.
A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has removed roughly 28 million tonnes of Middle‑Eastern LNG from the market, forcing major Asian economies to react by re‑activating coal‑fired power. The shift threatens industrial output, fuels price spikes and could stall regional decarbonisation efforts.
Nigeria’s central bank unveiled a Payments System Vision at the Africa Capital Forum, prompting fintechs to rush for banking and payment licences. The move coincides with $706.84 million of foreign capital entering the country’s banking recapitalisation, underscoring the high stakes for...
The Guardian editorial warns that Donald Trump’s fifth week of war against Iran lacks a coherent strategy, with U.S. strikes and Iranian missile attacks creating a stalemate. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven oil prices above $80...
Abu Dhabi has merged its state‑owned fund ADQ into the newly created sovereign wealth fund L Imad, boosting the latter’s assets to roughly $300 billion. The consolidation places the fund under the direct supervision of Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin...
Private‑equity firms, anchored by Quadria Capital’s $4.2 billion under management, are pouring capital into Asia’s $5 trillion healthcare market to offset a chronic public‑spending shortfall. The surge creates fresh opportunities for consulting firms to advise on strategy, operations and market entry across...
The Dominican Republic has leveraged three decades of political stability and institutional continuity to transition from an agrarian economy to a diversified, open market that now grows at roughly 5% annually—well above the Latin American average. This steady growth has...
The United States has moved thousands of soldiers and Marines into the Middle East, signaling a shift toward a more forward‑deployed posture. Former President Donald Trump has reignited talk of a direct strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure, even suggesting seizure...
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong‑young referred to the North by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, signalling a shift toward a "peaceful two‑state framework." President Lee Jae‑myung’s END Initiative separates denuclearisation from engagement, emphasizing exchange and...
IDB Invest and French development finance firm Proparco are jointly investing $100 million in a Colombian‑peso‑denominated bond issued by Millicom International Cellular. Each institution will anchor $50 million, financing network upgrades across Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Paraguay. The proceeds...
In March 2026 a series of high‑level U.S. visits to New Delhi – including Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur, Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau and Under Secretary Elbridge Colby – kept diplomatic momentum alive. The visits produced a $43 million Boeing contract for P‑8...
The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs released a 35,000‑word report titled “Containment without Commitment: China and the Limits of the CRINK Alignment,” part of its Fault Lines series that dissects trust and mistrust among China, Russia, Iran and North...
The Iran‑Russia war has shut the Strait of Hormuz, forcing Central Asian exporters to abandon the Southern Corridor. Kazakhstan’s Trans‑Caspian “Middle Corridor” has surged from 0.8 million to 4.5 million tons between 2020 and 2024, growing over 60 % in 2024 alone. The...
Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, faces sharp criticism from The Economist for failing to deliver the structural reforms she pledged, opting instead for incremental tweaks. The publication highlights that despite external pressures such as the lingering US‑Mexico trade war, USMCA...
Hedge funds have intensified short‑selling on U.S. equities, posting the fastest net sell‑off since April 2025, while simultaneously boosting long positions in defensive European stocks. The move reflects heightened geopolitical risk from the Iran conflict and a broader risk‑off tilt...
Asian equity markets tumbled on Monday as Brent crude surged to $115 a barrel, the highest monthly level on record. The Nikkei 225 fell 4.5%, South Korea’s Kospi slipped 3.2% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.7%, reflecting heightened risk...
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute warns that China and Russia have moved beyond a loose alignment into a deep, no‑limits partnership that coordinates military exercises, defense technology transfers, and economic coercion. This trans‑Eurasian axis seeks to fragment global finance, build...
President Donald Trump warned he would destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells and the Kharg Island export hub unless a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is reached, sparking a sharp rally in crude markets. Front‑month Brent May futures...
The article revives the fringe CANZUK concept, proposing a deeper political, economic and security partnership among Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It builds on the existing Australia‑New Zealand free‑movement and regulatory integration, extending those mechanisms to include the UK...
DGA Group will host a virtual executive briefing on April 1 to dissect the Gulf war’s trajectory and its ripple effects on multinational operations. The session features CEO Prem Kumar alongside senior policymakers and regional experts. Meanwhile, AI‑native marketing platform Kana...
Hedge Fund Selling Shows Signs of Capitulation From GS via BBG: - “Some signs of capitulation are starting to emerge” - Funds cut global equities for a 6th straight week - Europe macro product shorts are at a 10-year high - CHART: US selling hit...
TotalEnergies earned over $1 bn (€868 m) profit by snapping up roughly 70 Middle East crude cargoes in March as war‑related disruptions choked the Strait of Hormuz. The profit stemmed from a sudden narrowing of the Dubai crude benchmark after S&P Global Platts suspended...
U.S. lawmakers have introduced the Critical Minerals Investment Tax Modernization Act, which would lift the depletion allowance for domestically mined rare earth elements and scandium from 14% to 22%. The move is a direct response to Beijing’s April 2025 export...
The Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) selected speaker Uchral Nyam‑Osor as its new prime‑minister candidate after Zandanshatar Gombojav quit after nine months. The move follows a corruption scandal involving a senior minister and a boycott by the opposition Democratic Party, heightening...
S&P Global Ratings flagged Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the most exposed South Asian economies to soaring oil prices that have surged toward $200 a barrel. The warning comes as the region grapples with fuel‑rationing measures, soaring inflation and...
No verifiable sources were provided to confirm Vietnam's plan to require real‑name registration for all bank accounts starting April 2026, so a factual report cannot be produced.
Global firms are increasingly targeting the UAE as a financial and technology hub, but many stumble because they treat entry options—buy, license, or build—as interchangeable. The article argues that aligning the chosen route with the UAE's fragmented regulatory landscape (DIFC,...
Geopolitical Cushion: The West Asia crisis, now entering its fifth week, is providing a floor for prices. Investors are holding onto gold and silver as "safe-haven" assets to protect against uncertainty.
The EU-India trade deal cuts tariffs, but CBAM stays unchanged and keeps carbon compliance in focus. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/eu-india-fta-and-cbam-remain-on.html
Triumph, the German lingerie maker, shut its China operations in December after 31 years, joining a wave of Western brands exiting the market. While trade wars and geopolitics are often cited, company insiders point to falling sales, shrinking market share,...
Ryan Hass On Taiwan: Is America dividing on Taiwan — And implications for Taiwan Is the "elite consensus" accurate? https://t.co/DyOQZXZLmE
All the middle east, geopolitics and energy experts keep talking about reopening the Strait of Hormuz as if that solves the problem. It doesn’t. The Strait is just the front door. The entire Persian Gulf is now a kill zone. 1/2 https://t.co/ZHp06lZzYS
The United States is pivoting from tariff‑based pressure to Section 301, using the trade act to label partner institutions as “unfair” and demand reforms. A recent Supreme Court ruling invalidated IEEPA tariffs, prompting the Trump administration to adopt a temporary 15%...
Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the Iranian rial has APPRECIATED by 9% against the USD. AN IMPORTANT FACT THAT THE WESTERN MEDIA HAS FAILED TO REPORT ON. https://t.co/Dlt04mOOmJ
As we approach the 1-year anniversary of "Liberation Day" this week, @sdonnan reports that new foreign investment in the US was actually down significantly last year: https://t.co/s1wGG4RQiu
Investigations reveal Bangladesh lost roughly $68 bn through trade misinvoicing over the past ten years, with additional illicit outflows estimated at $23‑$27 bn from major industrial groups. The scheme involved import over‑invoicing and export under‑invoicing, facilitated by weak customs, banking oversight, and...
The danger for Turkey is always the same. The current government pushes growth way above the speed limit, which leads to a large current account deficit. Then a shock like high oil prices hits and things run out of control....
Turkey's reserve losses rival March 2025 after the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu. They're up in the most recent data point only because the central bank used its gold to get access to more foreign exchange. In March 2025 this ended...
BlackRock’s senior strategist says Latin America’s abundant metal reserves give the region a buffer against a potential global slowdown triggered by the Iran‑Israel conflict. The area’s copper, lithium and nickel supplies are essential for the AI‑driven hardware boom, providing a...
So the main objective of the war is now to open the Strait of Hormuz, which was fully open before the war started. Got it https://t.co/4zzh9wHvya
I suppose that today wasn't an oil jawboning day. Instead, US President Trump just threatened Tehran with blowing up not just all its power stations, but also its oil wells, Kharg Island, and "possibly" all desalination water plants (Note: the...
India’s brewers warn of glass bottle and aluminium can shortages as gas‑driven packaging costs surge, while farmers describe fertilizer as “as precious as gold” after Urea prices jumped to $600/ton. A parallel cash‑flow squeeze at fuel depots, caused by oil...
JUST IN: Trump's Strait of Hormuz warning and Iran's counter-threats are making oil prices jumpy.
JUST IN: Victor Gao states no nation, including the US, can dominate China in AI or military AI.
State‑owned Oman Holding has finalized a 100% purchase of low‑cost carrier SalamAir, creating a wholly‑owned national airline. The deal, announced without disclosed financial terms, underscores Oman's push to consolidate its aviation assets amid regional market volatility.
#IndiaWatch🇮🇳: Net foreign direct investment (FDI) into India was a NEGATIVE $1.4B in January. That marks 5 STRAIGHT MONTHS of negative flows. INDIA’S MOUNTAIN OF GOVERNMENT RED TAPE = REPELS FDI = BIG PROBLEM.
Lots of talk about oil exporters in the Gulf selling fx reserves. That may happen. But for now the visible fall in fx reserves is coming from the oil importers (CBRT = Turkey, RBI= India) https://t.co/8prQkznGG6
Meta Platforms has renewed a 5‑year lease for more than 70,000 sq ft in a Grade‑A tower at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex, committing to a monthly rent exceeding ₹3 crore (about $360,000). The deal underscores a broader surge of technology‑driven capital into the city’s premium...
Former CENTCOM commander says the US can & will open Hormuz I think he's taking the narrowest military view He ignores the force of politics, markets & insurers to limit Trump's options on time & risk. 👇 https://t.co/Fw6ibZ5qLW https://t.co/shLc2VcgAj
Also, Iran has an office of the supreme leader that ensures all civil servants are ideologically pure. Similar to the CCP's Organization Department that keeps file of every party member. Any dissent is quickly crushed. So the probability of a...
