The spate of trade tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump’s administration against China in 2018 were a natural manifestation of his anti-globalist agenda and represented one of the first steps towards his long-standing pledge to “Make America Great Again”. But the retrenchment of the US has forced its long-standing allies to rethink their bilateral relationships and search for new…
4 Jan 2019
With geopolitics becoming increasingly defined by nationalism – both economic and political – sanctions have become a common means of exerting soft power in the international arena. Yet the extent to which the threat of punitive economic measures may impact investors remains unclear.
2 Jan 2019
This year was not particularly forgiving for emerging market assets. Rising US interest rates and a strengthening US dollar coupled with a wider shift from quantitative easing to tightening led to broad-based repricing across the investment landscape. It was also a year that saw political and policy uncertainty, trade wars, and commodity and asset price volatility weigh heavily on market…
28 Dec 2018
A closer look at the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats influencing the investment and debt capital markets climate in Brazil.
28 Dec 2018
With its substantial renewable energy ambitions telegraphed for years, industry practitioners often cite India as a potential major driver for the development of the sustainable finance and green bond segments among its emerging market peers. We speak with Vinod Kothari, a Kolkata-based structured finance advisor about why green bond volumes in India are down year-on-year, and the segments…
27 Dec 2018
Zeina Latif, Chief Economist for XPI, calls for the incumbent Bolsonaro administration to revise its economic priorities.
26 Dec 2018
While Mexican markets remain on edge with regards to continuity of projects under the new regime, international players, like Blackrock, are encouraged by solid fundamentals and a busy infrastructure pipeline in Mexico and across the region. Bonds & Loans speaks to Juan Alberto Leautaud, the Managing Director, Real Assets and Infrastructure, at BlackRock Mexico.
25 Dec 2018
Global growth concerns are likely to keep EM on its back foot. China and the eurozone reported weak economic data Friday, and even a much stronger than expected US retail sales report was not enough to turn market sentiment.
17 Dec 2018
The legendary EM investor spoke to Bonds & Loans about his new brainchild, Mobius Capital Partners - an ESG-focussed EM asset management company, and explained why when it comes to investing in sustainable finance market corporates, bigger isn't always better.
5 Dec 2018
Despite its reputation as a heavy emitter of greenhouse gasses, Indonesia’s green sukuk was hailed as a game changer for both Islamic and ESG investing. Luky Alfirman, Director General of Budget Financing and Risk Management, Ministry of Finance in Indonesia believes its inaugural transaction in February is the first of many to come as the government looks to double down on its commitment to…
29 Nov 2018