Emerging Markets News and Headlines
Emerging Markets News and Headlines
Emerging Markets Pulse
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Every morning
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Indonesia’s newly created sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, has struggled to meet its ambitious goals in its first year. The fund sought private‑sector support through "Patriot bonds" to finance socially‑oriented projects aligned with President Prabowo Subianto’s agenda, but fundraising fell short of expectations. Investment decisions have been dominated by politically linked infrastructure deals, raising questions about governance and independence. Combined market volatility and policy uncertainty have further eroded the fund’s early performance, casting doubt on its long‑term viability.
Since the third Gulf war erupted three weeks ago, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has immobilized roughly 10‑15 % of global oil supply, pushing Brent crude above $106 a barrel. President Donald Trump has ordered the largest-ever strategic reserve...
Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi warned that a sustained oil‑price spike—driven by the Iran conflict and a closed Strait of Hormuz—could push the U.S. into a recession. Moody’s machine‑learning recession model, which previously indicated a 49% chance, is expected to...
In a March 2026 Atlantic Council podcast, EXIM Bank chairman John Jovanovic outlined how the Trump administration’s economic strategy hinges on resilient, "free, fair, and functioning" supply chains. He highlighted the bank’s role in financing U.S. exporters amid heightened geopolitical...
The Gulf’s expatriate‑driven economies face a sharp shock after the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict, with water desalination plants and key tourism infrastructure hit by Iranian attacks. The immediate fallout will hit tourism and aviation hardest, while financial services and data‑center projects risk...
Artificial intelligence captured roughly $270 billion in venture capital in 2025, more than half of all global VC funding. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is emerging as a new AI hub thanks to abundant low‑cost energy, sovereign‑backed investment vehicles, and less...
The Iran‑Israel conflict has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil above $100 per barrel and unsettling regional markets. In Egypt, the turmoil has sparked capital outflows, weakening the pound to a historic low of about 53 EGP per dollar....
Matthew Kroenig, senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, was interviewed on CNN on March 13 to defend President Trump’s approach toward Iran. He claimed that recent U.S. actions, including expanded sanctions and calibrated military signaling, are deliberately weakening...
The article argues that the United States should stop treating all Chinese capital as a security threat and instead allow limited, well‑structured Chinese investment in non‑sensitive sectors. It cites Trump’s “Made in America” agenda, which welcomes foreign money, and contrasts...
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe warned that soaring global crude prices—now above $100 a barrel—expose South Africa’s reliance on imported fuel and urged a rapid acceleration of domestic oil and gas development. He highlighted significant offshore prospects in...
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, together with Abu Dhabi’s ADQ and New York‑based Orion Resources, signed a non‑binding MOU to acquire a 40% stake in Glencore’s Kamoto and Mutanda cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The move...
Romania has closed much of the gap to OECD income levels over the past twenty years, driven by market integration, capital inflows, and broad reforms. Labor productivity now sits close to the OECD average, though wages have begun outpacing productivity...
The escalating Iran‑Israel‑US crisis threatens to choke the Strait of Hormuz, pushing crude prices above $100 a barrel and adding up to 1.2% to global inflation. At the same time, worldwide electricity demand is surging, driven by AI‑intensive data centers...
The paper analyzes how foreign direct investment (FDI) influences export performance in African economies from 1996 to 2023, separating landlocked from coastal nations. Using Kao‑Pedroni cointegration and Granger causality with a Pooled Mean Group estimator, it finds a long‑run equilibrium...
India’s Wholesale Price Index rose to 2.13 % in February, the highest level in 11 months, up from 1.81 % in January. The increase was driven primarily by higher prices for manufactured goods, basic metals, food articles and textiles. Primary articles saw...
EU foreign and energy ministers convened in Brussels to address mounting risks to energy security as Iranian tensions disrupt shipping routes and threaten supply chains. Norway positioned itself as a dependable gas supplier, offering a potential lifeline for the bloc....
Nigerian regulators are reassessing free‑float rules for listed firms to increase market liquidity and attract capital. The current framework requires at least 20% public shareholding or 40 billion naira of tradable shares, but many large companies remain tightly held by controlling...
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi leveraged her landslide snap‑election win to double down on a U.S.-centric security strategy, positioning Japan as the linchpin of a broader Indo‑Pacific coalition against China. Her approach directly counters Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call...
China’s 30‑year government bond yields climbed to 2.4%, the highest closing level since September 2024, as oil prices surged amid the Iran‑Israel conflict. The 10‑year benchmark also edged higher to 1.83%, reflecting broader inflation concerns. Futures on the 30‑year bond fell...
In a recent Project Syndicate interview, economist Desmond Lachman warns that President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy could revive bond‑market vigilantes and destabilize the U.S. Treasury market. He argues that such stress may puncture the soaring AI‑related equity rally and...
GCC dollar‑denominated bond and sukuk issuances have plunged since the Iran war erupted, despite the region’s strong credit fundamentals earlier in 2026. The GCC still represents roughly 40% of all emerging‑market dollar issuance this year, with outstanding DCM at $1.2 trillion....
China Railway Construction Engineering Group signed an agreement with a joint venture of Uzbekistan Railways and Kazakhstan’s PTC Holding to build Silkway Central Asia, an $84 million, 159‑hectare logistics hub near Tashkent. The first phase should be operational by 2027, with...
Europe faces a series of wake‑up calls—from COVID‑driven border closures to supply‑chain shocks, Russia’s war in Ukraine, China’s market leverage, and strained US ties—that have exposed deep structural weaknesses in the Single Market, energy security and strategic autonomy. A new...
The Philippines is poised to finalize a free‑trade agreement with Chile by April 2026, after a series of negotiations that left only a few items unresolved. Bilateral trade last year totaled $334 million, with exports of $43.3 million and imports of $290.8 million,...
Oil prices surged to $100 a barrel as the Iran‑Hormuz crisis intensified, prompting a wave of individual buying in the United States Oil Fund (USO). USO attracted nearly $1 billion of inflows and has risen about 46% since the conflict began,...
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Turkey’s inflation remains above 30% as the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) paused its tightening cycle on March 12, sparking criticism from analysts who argue a rate hike was warranted. The country’s $50 bn annual energy import bill and...
KCB Group aims to enter Ethiopia by the end of 2026, planning to acquire control of a local bank that fits its cultural and strategic objectives. The deal must navigate Ethiopia’s 49% foreign‑shareholding ceiling, though the regulator can grant exceptions...
New research from ETH Zürich and PSI finds that electric vehicles paired with off‑grid solar can already be cheaper than petrol cars in many African markets, especially where financing conditions are favorable. Falling battery prices and expanding global EV production...
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said India’s economy remains resilient despite the Iran‑US‑Israel war, though a short‑term dip in activity is expected. He cited strong fundamentals and a projected 7%‑plus growth rate for the next fiscal year. State Bank of...
Peruvian equities have outperformed global peers in 2026, with the S&P Peru Total Index climbing 23% year‑to‑date and 75% over the past twelve months. The rally is driven by soaring copper, gold and silver prices as AI‑powered data centers boost commodity...
China is intensifying a diplomatic campaign in Paraguay, offering all‑expenses‑paid tours of Chinese cities to lawmakers and journalists to showcase its economic might. The outreach aims to persuade Paraguay’s political class to abandon its long‑standing recognition of Taiwan, its last...
The US‑Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, cutting roughly a fifth of global oil flows and pushing Brent crude above $100 a barrel. The surge in oil and LNG prices is spilling into gasoline,...
Heineken announced it will intensify its focus on India, calling the country the world’s biggest untapped beer market. The brewer, which controls United Breweries and the Kingfisher brand, already commands close to 50% of Indian beer sales. It cites structural...
Chinese tech magnates, including the founders of TCL and Xpeng, announced plans to double their outbound investment, targeting the Middle East and Latin America. The pledge comes as the US‑Israel conflict with Iran escalates and Washington intensifies pressure on Venezuela....
Hong Kong’s upcoming five‑year plan proposes making the Sino‑Indian partnership a strategic pillar. The proposal calls for extending visa‑free entry for Indian nationals, leveraging the Indian diaspora for scholarships and AI talent, and offering tax incentives to attract Indian firms...
The Center for Economic and Business Forecasting at UTCC outlined three Middle‑East war scenarios, estimating that a prolonged, wide‑scale conflict could shave 2.31 percentage points off Thailand’s GDP. In the worst case, energy‑cost burdens would rise above 200 billion baht, exports could...
The U.S. Trade Representative announced Section 301 investigations into 16 countries, including China, and separate probes into 60 economies over forced‑labor concerns. In response, Chinese officials warned they could reinstate rare‑earth export restrictions and halt soybean purchases if Washington proceeds with...
The Inter‑American Development Bank is backing the Bi‑Oceanic Corridor—a 2,300‑mile road and rail link from Brazil to Chile—with a $200 million loan for the critical Paraguay segment. The corridor, slated for completion in late 2026, promises to shave roughly two‑and‑a‑half weeks off...
FTSE Russell plans to reclassify Vietnam from a frontier market to the secondary‑emerging category, a move that will trigger substantial index‑fund inflows. Analysts estimate up to $5 billion could be redirected into Vietnamese equities once the change is implemented in September. Retail...
Cyprus, currently holding the EU presidency, has moved from a neutral position to actively opposing the removal of sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, citing historic disputes with Turkey. The shift follows a letter from Turkish President Recep Erdoğan to Slovak...
India and the United Kingdom are set to bring their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into force by mid‑April, just a month after the announcement. The deal grants duty‑free access for 99% of Indian exports to the UK market...
India’s imports from China have decelerated sharply, rising only 87.8% in FY2015‑25 versus a 618% surge in FY2005‑14, while exports to China accelerated to a 38.3% year‑on‑year gain in April‑January FY2024‑25 compared with a 13.8% import rise. The slowdown is...
Four years after the Ukraine invasion, Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom has turned civil nuclear exports into a robust geopolitical tool. The company now leads global reactor sales, offering VVER‑1200 and VVER‑1000 plants financed up to 90% by Russian state...
Microsoft announced a multi‑year push to accelerate AI adoption across Africa, pledging to train three million people through partnerships with schools and universities in key hubs such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco. The company also struck a deal...
Africa faces a $2.8 trillion financing gap for climate action by 2030, yet ample capital exists within the continent’s savings pools and sovereign wealth funds, plus global yield‑seeking investors. The article argues that fragmented markets prevent this capital from reaching needed...
Atlantic Council senior fellow Lichfield was quoted in a Bloomberg piece highlighting how governments are insulating their economies from the fallout of the Iran‑Israel conflict. He noted that nations are bolstering strategic petroleum reserves, diversifying supply chains, and employing financial...
Four years after Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has withstood Moscow’s destabilisation campaign and moved forward on its EU accession path. The country secured candidate status in 2022 and opened accession negotiations in 2024, while President Maia Sandu won...
Vietnam has tightened restrictions on raw rare‑earth exports to force domestic refining, positioning itself as a niche superpower in critical minerals. Meanwhile, the United States is building a broad coalition of more than 50 partners through initiatives like the Critical...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to elevate India to a fully developed economy by August 15, 2047, marking the nation’s centennial of independence. Over the past twenty years, India has posted strong GDP growth, while recent years have seen an unprecedented surge...
Chief Investment Officer Sadiq Adatia of BMO Global Asset Management says India’s growth momentum remains strong despite short‑term energy shocks and medium‑term trade challenges. He cites a growing middle class, expanding infrastructure, and a new EU‑India trade agreement that could...
