Bips & Pieces
Tepid Macro Backdrop To Weigh on South African Banks in 2020 – UBS
Despite a relatively positive outlook for EM banking sectors loan growth in 2020, a troubling macro backdrop will continue to weigh on the sector in South Africa throughout 2020, according to a recent report from UBS.
17 Jan 2020
US Trade Deal with China: Phase One Is Signed Off, What Next?
The presidential seals on the deal are not even dry, but concerns about feasibility of some of the new agreement’s key aspects are already rising, ING Bank analysts suggest.
17 Jan 2020
Issuers Shrug Off Geopolitical Risk as Investors Pile into GCC Bonds, Sukuk
A slew of GCC borrowers have moved to sell bonds and sukuk to global investors a further sign that regional borrowers and capital holders remain unperturbed by any perceived escalation in geopolitical risk.
17 Jan 2020
Engie Energia Heats Up Chile Bond Markets with USD400mn Bond
It is the latest in a series of bond deals out of the Andean region, as investors seem unfaced by the social protests engulfing one of Latin America’s most successful economies.
16 Jan 2020
How EM Corporate Debt Came to Out-Perform US High Yield – TCW
The past decade has seen emerging market corporate debt come into its own as an asset class, on the back of diversification, growth, and relative valuations. US-based investor TCW analyses some of the reasons that EM corproate debt has diverged from US high yield, to become one of the highest yielding asset classes of 2019.
16 Jan 2020
Brazil, India, Indonesia and China to Drive EM Bank Loans in 2020
UBS analysts predict a strong rebound in credit impulse for EM lenders, with earnings forecast to rise to their highest levels since 2012.
16 Jan 2020
Masdar to Launch UAE’s First Green REIT
Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy firm Masdar said this week that it plans to launch a sustainable real estate investment trust (REIT) and list the instrument on the Abu Dhabi Global Market.
16 Jan 2020
World’s Largest Economies Enjoy Falling Unemployment as Wage Growth Stagnates
Brazil was the only country to buck the trend, after seeing a substantial rise in unemployment over the past five years.
16 Jan 2020
Nigeria’s Buhari Signs 2019 Finance Bill into Law
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ratified a 2019 finance bill that will see a rise in a rise in VAT and taxes on non-resident firms, and ease others for domestic small businesses.
15 Jan 2020
Islamic Finance to Grow at Slow Rate in 2020 – S&P Global
The Islamic finance industry is set to grow at a rate of around 5% in 2020, due to weak conditions in economic conditions in the industry’s core markets, according to S&P Global’s ‘Islamic Finance Outlook 2020’. The report also notes three drivers - the rise of FinTech, ESG sukuk, and standardisation - could fuel the industry.
15 Jan 2020