Emerging Markets News and Headlines
Emerging Markets News and Headlines
Emerging Markets Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
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EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
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 a barrel, rippling through fuel, fertilizer and broader supply chains. European ministers are voicing growing concern over the economic fallout, while the conflict’s link to the Gaza war further complicates diplomatic options. The piece argues that only unconditional negotiations can halt the escalating attrition.
The recent Strait of Hormuz disruption highlighted India’s vulnerability to energy chokepoints and underscored the need for a resilient critical‑minerals supply chain. A forthcoming CSEP paper proposes a value‑driven diplomacy with Africa, focusing on Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania to secure...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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,...
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%...
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...
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...
Bitcoin has held steady above $30,000 in recent weeks, defying the market turbulence caused by the Iran war. The resilience has sparked optimism among investors that the cryptocurrency could serve as a hedge against traditional asset volatility. In Southeast Asia,...
Brent crude rose above $115 a barrel, up $3 over the weekend, as the Middle East war entered its fifth week. The conflict, which began on February 28 with Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in Iran, has tightened global oil supplies....
Mainland Chinese technology firms are increasingly listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with IPOs jumping 153% to 76 companies last year. The surge reflects a strategic shift toward Hong Kong as a gateway for capital, international customers, and regulatory credibility amid...
Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff predicts China’s yuan will join the ranks of global reserve currencies within five years. He argues that the U.S. dollar faces a legitimacy crisis due to mounting debt, political fragmentation, and waning confidence among central banks....
China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan elevates commercial aerospace to a core strategic pillar, linking satellites, AI, quantum and 6G technologies. The plan signals a national push for a low‑altitude economy and expects private firms like ADA Space to expand AI‑enabled satellite...
China’s housing market has entered a six‑year correction that mirrors Japan’s 1990s Lost Decade, with prices falling, construction slowing, and developers facing defaults. The sector once drove roughly one‑third of China’s GDP and now holds about 70% of household wealth,...
Russia banked on a windfall after oil prices spiked when the Strait of Hormuz closed and the United States briefly eased sanctions on its crude. The surge lifted Urals prices near Brent, temporarily rescuing a revenue stream that had collapsed...
India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Canada in May 2026 to head a high‑level business delegation. The visit follows the launch of comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) negotiations on March 2, 2026, and aims to accelerate the...
India emerged as the lone dissenter among 166 WTO members, successfully blocking the China‑led Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) agreement at the MC14 in Yaoundé. The move underscored New Delhi’s commitment to preserving the WTO’s consensus rule and protecting core...
The European Union’s next enlargement round faces a crossroads as member states clash over speed and criteria. A German Council policy paper highlights Germany’s shift toward geopolitically‑driven, merit‑based accession, while the EU rejected a fast‑track proposal for Ukraine, insisting on...
The article argues that the economics of war reach far beyond energy prices and stock market swings, encompassing democratic war initiation, the military‑industrial complex, and Big Oil’s profit motives. It highlights recent research showing that populist nationalism in advanced democracies...
Emerging‑market assets have entered their steepest monthly decline since 2022, with stocks down about 10% and local‑currency bond yields at two‑year highs. Asset managers TT International and AllianceBernstein are buying beaten‑down EM bonds, betting that central banks will cut rates...
India’s external sector is under strain as merchandise exports slipped 0.8% year‑on‑year while imports surged 24.1%, driven largely by gold and silver purchases. The trade deficit more than doubled to roughly $27.1 billion in February 2026, widening the current‑account gap to...
DBS Group has entered India’s equity capital market by winning its first IPO mandate from Manipal Health Enterprises, a $1 billion offering. The Singapore‑based lender is establishing a full‑service investment‑banking platform under its merchant‑banking licence, with an on‑shore ECM team led...
The Finance Ministry’s latest Monthly Economic Review warns that sustained crude‑oil price hikes could dampen India’s remittance inflows, which rose to $36.9 billion in Q3 FY26. Gulf Cooperation Council nations, accounting for about 38% of total remittances, face fiscal strain from...
Deputy Executive Secretary Mama Keita opened the 2026 Committee of Experts, emphasizing the theme “Growth through innovation: harnessing data and frontier technologies for economic transformation in Africa.” She highlighted that while Africa’s GDP has averaged 3.5% growth since 2000, productivity gains...
South India is positioned to drive India’s march toward a $5‑10 trillion economy, according to CII Southern Region chairman P Ravichandran at the Kochi convention. The six southern states generate roughly 38‑40% of the nation’s merchandise exports, about $124 billion, and have been...
One month after the U.S.-Israeli strike campaign against Iran, President Donald Trump is wrestling with two stark choices: negotiate a rapid exit or intensify military action that could drag the United States into a prolonged conflict. Iran’s missile and drone...
Iran‑backed Houthi rebels fired a barrage of cruise missiles and drones at Israeli military sites, marking their first direct strike in the month‑long Middle East conflict. The attacks heightened concerns about the war spilling into the Red Sea, where Houthi‑targeted...
The NSE Nifty slipped 2.09% to 22,819.60, trading below its 21‑hour EMA as bearish momentum builds. A month‑long Iran‑Israel conflict has driven WTI crude to $101 per barrel and Brent to $115, stoking global inflation worries. Indian equities faced heavy...
India’s government warned that the ongoing war in Iran could dampen economic growth and widen the fiscal deficit as energy and shipping disruptions ripple through multiple sectors. The March economic review highlighted higher input costs and supply constraints as near‑term...
In 2024, formal remittances to Sub‑Saharan Africa reached about $100 billion, with Nigeria alone receiving roughly $21 billion—around 10 % of its GDP. Policymakers see the challenge of turning these consumption‑driven inflows into savings and investment, a task that hinges on scaling Africa’s...
The Gulf states rely on desalination for the vast majority of their drinking water, producing roughly 40% of the world’s desalinated supply. Amid the US‑Israel conflict with Iran, Tehran has warned it will strike regional water‑treatment facilities if the United...
The European Commission has finalized trade agreements with Mercosur, India and Australia, keeping a defensive stance on beef while pushing an offensive agenda for wine, cars and other high‑value products. In the Australia deal, the EU granted a 30,600‑tonne beef...
The International Monetary Fund and Pakistan have reached a staff‑level agreement that will make roughly $1.2 billion available to Islamabad, comprising $1 billion under the Extended Fund Facility and $210 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility. The deal awaits IMF Executive Board...
Despite ongoing Middle East tensions that have heightened market volatility, global growth signals remain intact. U.S. business investment intentions are improving, with a notable tilt toward AI‑related capital expenditures. Meanwhile, the U.S. consumer continues to spend robustly even as energy...
India is deliberately staying out of the Iran‑Israel war, opting for quiet diplomacy rather than acting as a broker. New Delhi cites its strategic‑autonomy doctrine, preferring flexible, low‑visibility engagement over high‑risk mediation. The decision is driven by massive economic stakes...
China’s semiconductor industry has set an ambitious goal to achieve 80% domestic self‑sufficiency by 2030. The target was announced by a coalition of 13 leading Chinese chip firms, signaling a coordinated effort to close the technology gap with the United...
The African Export‑Import Bank will make industrialisation the centerpiece of its 33rd Annual Meetings in El Alamein, Egypt, from June 21‑24. The gathering will convene heads of state, policymakers, financiers and private‑sector leaders to design projects that shift Africa’s trade model from...
India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met on the sidelines of the WTO’s 14th ministerial in Yaounde to review progress on a bilateral trade agreement announced in February. The parties reaffirmed a March signing target...
Operation Epic Fury, the US‑Israeli offensive against Iran, has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, choking roughly 20% of global crude oil flow and a host of other critical commodities. The closure also traps 22% of urea and ammonia, 24%...
Thailand’s Association of Investment Management Companies (AIMC) is pushing a private‑trust framework and new asset‑management legislation to turn the country into a regional hub for wealth capital, especially from the Middle East. The plan includes Singapore‑style tax incentives, a 10‑year...
