05 Dec 2011
Analysts warn of dim outlook for asset class as risk appetite falters
04 Nov 2011
Hopes remain high for meaningful progress towards a new financial regulatory system at this year’s G20 summit, but divisions between banks and regulators continue to cloud the picture
04 Nov 2011
The euro crisis will dominate the G20’s Cannes summit. But stark divisions between nations over policy also risk undermining the effectiveness of the group in tackling the deeper challenges facing the global economy
03 Nov 2011
Last week’s deal to save the eurozone left many questions unanswered – and failed to put an end to the crisis. As markets convulse following a shock move by Greece, time is running out for the single currency
03 Nov 2011
While the eurozone crisis continues to cast its shadow, the more profound challenge facing policymakers is how to kick-start global growth
24 Sep 2011
With a landslide showing in August’s primary elections, the re-election of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner seems assured. So too does an economic platform that includes more of the same
24 Sep 2011
After years of deep and bitter reforms, the Baltic states say they’re ready for anything – even another global financial crisis
24 Sep 2011
China’s approach to migrant labour is changing in a way that could transform the lives of hundreds of millions of workers. It could also help fundamentally rebalance the world’s second-largest economy
24 Sep 2011
Public anger at credit rating agencies has reawakened calls for a drastic reduction of their powers and for greater accountability. But a lack of credible alternatives suggests the solution to poor financial regulation may lie elsewhere
24 Sep 2011
Microfinance has followed a remarkable year with 12 of its worst months to date. But as the industry comes under attack, its significance is unlikely to wane.
24 Sep 2011
High oil prices are no longer a luxury for Saudi Arabia – they’re a necessity
24 Sep 2011
A free trade area for Africa is still many years away – if at all. In the meanwhile, efforts to promote regional trade are finally bearing fruit.
24 Sep 2011
Soaring inflation and currency devaluation have led many to question whether Vietnam’s leaders have the will to make the reforms necessary for the nation to fulfil its economic potential
23 Sep 2011
Brazil’s surprise interest rate cut indicates that the government mix between monetary policy and fiscal policy is changing – as well as greater cooperation at the top
23 Sep 2011
European leaders have to take decisive action to show they can handle the crisis – or resign themselves to the inevitable break-up of the euro
23 Sep 2011
Mario Draghi is poised to take over an institution facing an unenviable set of challenges
23 Sep 2011
What regional turmoil means for the Gulf’s financial hubs
23 Sep 2011
The GCC states have demonstrated greater unity in response to the Arab Spring, but potential trouble may lie ahead
23 Sep 2011
Recent months have seen an outsized level of excitement in global financial markets over the sale in Hong Kong of so-called ‘dim sum’ bonds. But there is reason to question the true scale of the offshore renminbi market and its potential growth
23 Sep 2011
Pakistan’s economic stewards insist its vulnerabilities are limited. But a growing number of experts fear that without urgent action Pakistan’s large and persistent fiscal deficit could spell the economy’s undoing
23 Sep 2011
The failure of two Russian banks over the past year and the departure of the banking regulator have raised awkward questions about the sector – and its management
23 Sep 2011
A fight over foreign investment in South Africa has laid bare tensions at the highest levels of policymaking. It has also shown up deeper fears about how long a country can sustain wide income and opportunity gaps
23 Sep 2011
Cast as the saviours of capitalism during the dark days of the financial crisis three years ago, sovereign wealth funds have so far avoided the limelight during recent market turmoil. But whether they stay in the shadows will depend more on politics than sound investment strategy
23 Sep 2011
After six months of popular uprising, the Syrian state is no longer the impregnable fort it once was. Something irreversible may be under way as citizens – as well as the broader region – begin to contemplate life after Assad
23 Sep 2011
Unless Zimbabwe can find a way to cure its political paralysis and to increase savings and investment, its dollarization-driven recovery could prove short-lived
22 Sep 2011
Dual economic and political crises in Belarus have forced the question of when, not if, the country’s economic model will break down – and what will follow
22 Sep 2011
The devastating famine in the Horn of Africa has raised profound questions over how disaster on such a monumental scale has been allowed to happen again
22 Sep 2011
Egypt is awaiting transition from military to civilian rule.
While the financial burden of the January uprisings is taking its toll, much now depends on politics
22 Sep 2011
Experts fear plans for financial regulatory overhaul are being watered down, while others warn they are being introduced at the wrong time. But delaying meaningful reform of the global financial architecture will do little to prevent another Lehman
22 Sep 2011
Doubts are growing over whether watchdogs can attract the best minds to fulfil an increasingly fraught mandate
22 Sep 2011
Sovereign debt woes in the West have turned the global investment landscape on its head, as investors adjust to a world without a risk-free rate. As financial markets brace for another convulsion, asset managers are facing their toughest test yet
22 Sep 2011
Christine Lagarde faces the challenge of restoring the IMF’s credibility while ensuring it remains at the frontline of global crisis response. Doing so may require substantially more resources – but also buy-in from the very shareholders who were left embittered by her selection process
22 Sep 2011
India is actively seeking to outpace China in the years ahead. But its ambitious growth plans will be hard to achieve without radical expansion of its chronically underdeveloped manufacturing sector
22 Sep 2011
After Gaddafi’s ousting, the main challenge facing Libya is to prevent the current jockeying for power descending into a destructive clash of competing ideologies. But at this stage, the only certainties seem to lie in the streets
22 Sep 2011
Peaceful elections and keynote appointments have
raised hopes that much-needed reforms may finally enable Nigeria to fulfil its potential
22 Sep 2011
Ex-radical leftist Ollanta Humala is confounding opponents with his new-found pragmatism as Peru’s new leader. But his sweeping social agenda still has some observers unnerved
22 Sep 2011
The incoming government of Yingluck Shinawatra has to turn political pledges into achievable policy
22 Sep 2011
Turkey’s ruling party returned to power in June amid unprecedented public support. But a renewed global downturn has caught the Turkish economy heavily off balance
21 Sep 2011
The stock-take of the Arab Spring post-Gaddafi remains complex. Revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia have yet to show transformative change, while uprisings in Yemen and elsewhere have faltered. The reckoning, it seems, will turn on Bahrain and Syria
21 Sep 2011
With the global economy on the brink, all eyes are on China’s policymakers. But this time, they may be less willing to ride to the rescue
21 Sep 2011
With the global economy on the brink once again, emerging market policymakers face the challenge of preserving growth while managing against the long-term effects of policy imbalances.
21 Sep 2011
Coordinated central bank action last week provided only a temporary reprieve to Europe’s banking sector. Bankers on the front line now fear that the absence so far of a political solution to the eurozone crisis now threatens a deeper banking crisis than the last one in 2008
21 Sep 2011
It was among the hardest hit regions anywhere by the global financial crisis. Three years later, grave doubts remain about the region’s preparedness for another shock
21 Sep 2011
A sharp downturn in advanced economies threatens to drag the global economy down with it. The stakes for policymakers could not be higher
21 Sep 2011
A government rescue package for Swiss franc mortgage holders could prompt a liquidity drain by foreign banks in Hungary, further hampering growth.
21 Sep 2011
After its precipitous decline, some say the only way is up for Japan’s economy. Even still, the outlook remains bleak
21 Sep 2011
A Japanese public debt crisis could be closer than many market players imagine, informed observers suggest.
21 Sep 2011
Whoever wins next year’s elections will need to break the deadlock on stalled structural reforms that continue to hamper Mexico’s competitiveness
21 Sep 2011
As the euphoria of independence dies down, South Sudan is facing up to the reality of building a nation from scratch. But a series of ongoing conflicts could undermine the fledgling state before its institutions have even taken shape
21 Sep 2011
The divergent experiences of Argentina and Uruguay over the past decade show that managing sovereign crises and weighing up whether to default is rarely clear cut – even today
09 Jun 2011
Africa looks poised to gain the upper hand in its negotiations over the investment and trade deals with China that are so central to the continent’s growth model
08 Jun 2011
While the people must make up the democratic deficit, governments must fill the financing gap as Arab Spring nations face up to the economic fallout of revolution
07 Jun 2011
Sub-Saharan Africa has rebounded vigorously following the global crisis, reinforcing a belief that the region’s economic gains will endure. But a darkening global picture once again threatens to expose the chinks in its armour
21 May 2011
Firms across central and eastern Europe are shunning western markets in favour of listing on the region’s big bourses. But the growth of equity capital markets will depend on nascent markets’ ability to weather a turbulent global environment
21 May 2011
A dramatic commodity market fall in May has intensified the debate over its medium term outlook. But the growing uncertainty makes tough policy choices that much harder
20 May 2011
In the wake of the financial crisis, bond issuance from central and eastern Europe’s
corporate sector remains woefully thin – despite its promise
20 May 2011
Emerging Europe’s economic prospects have started to look up, thanks to resurgent demand in the west and high energy prices. But sustaining this momentum in the face of growing external pressures is far from straightforward
19 May 2011
Capital has come flooding back to central and eastern European debt and equity markets following the region’s catastrophic collapse. But storm clouds are gathering once again
19 May 2011
The gathering eurozone crisis has left many non-members in central and eastern Europe questioning the wisdom of joining the single currency
19 May 2011
Finding a solution to the Greek debt crisis is crucial to the survival of the single currency - and the future of the European project itself
05 May 2011
Hiroshi Watanabe, a rumoured successor to ADB president Haruhiko Kuroda, is one of the figures poised to define regional development across Asia. In an exclusive interview with Emerging Markets, he discusses his worries for the future
05 May 2011
Asian infrastructure investment has been largely state-driven for much of the past decade. For the private sector to help plug the vast funding gap, governments will have to do more than beg
05 May 2011
South-east Asia has struggled for years to recapture its heady pre-1997 dynamism. But as nations look to rebalance their economies, the hope is that the region might once again surge
05 May 2011
A central question facing the global economy is whether today’s fast-growing emerging economies can maintain their levels of output, especially as the West continues to languish. Trade between developing countries is increasingly seen as a solution – but actions will first have to match up to rhetoric
05 May 2011
This summer’s elections could finally settle the issue of the legitimacy of prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government or that of his predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra
04 May 2011
High-profile corruption cases have shaken India’s political and business establishment over the past year. Without proper redress, economic growth and the country’s image could suffer
04 May 2011
The offshore RMB market has exploded in recent months, as companies and financial institutions have rushed to issue Chinese currency-denominated bonds and products. But a range of obstacles will need to be overcome before the yuan can become a true global reserve currency
04 May 2011
Without putting in place credible reforms, including a greater tax take, Pakistan’s economy looks set to deteriorate
03 May 2011
In an exclusive interview, ADB president Haruhiko Kuroda outlines the reasons behind his drive to win a substantial boost for the Asian Development Fund
03 May 2011
Far from the heady optimism of a year ago, authorities are now grappling with a range of domestic and external challenges. Historically high growth rates cannot be taken for granted and the policy choices made today will decide the region’s fate for years to come
03 May 2011
China’s authorities have taken a cautious approach to credit tightening and inflation fighting over the past year. Whether their efforts will forestall a hard landing for the economy remains to be seen
03 May 2011
Rebalancing its economy has long been a stated goal of Chinese policy, but so far there has been little to show for it. As growth looks set to slow, the stakes today for China to adopt a new growth model could not be higher
03 May 2011
Japan’s devastating triple disaster in March exacted a heavy human toll. But the full extent of the costs to Asian and global economies remains unclear
01 May 2011
The bull run that saw Asian markets surge since the global crisis came to a grinding halt in the first half of the year amid fears around overstretched valuations – and inflation. Whatever the long-term story, investors are hunkering down for a turbulent ride
01 May 2011
Asian authorities are scrambling to contain a worrying surge in prices. The fear is that central banks will remain behind the curve despite signs that drivers of inflation are now domestic as well as external
29 Mar 2011
Growing uncertainty over threats to the Latin America's newfound prosperity loomed over the Inter-American Development Bank's meeting in Calgary
28 Mar 2011
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – if she decides to stand – looks set to be the favourite in the presidential elections this October
28 Mar 2011
The long-running controversy over the accuracy of Argentina’s inflation numbers has taken a dramatic turn, with private economists now coming under fire from the government
28 Mar 2011
Decades of regulatory conservatism mean that Latin American banks should have few problems hitting Basel III requirements. But credit risks remain
28 Mar 2011
Brazil’s new president, Dilma Rousseff, is facing a baptism of fire. With inflation and capital flows complicating the picture, the government must move fast to restore fiscal credibility
28 Mar 2011
A massive inflow of Chinese investment into South America last year has brought significant short-term benefits, but could worsen the region’s addiction to commodity exports
27 Mar 2011
Chile is struggling to adjust to a sharp change in its terms of trade. Far-reaching measures are needed to keep exports competitive
27 Mar 2011
While primary issuance of hard currency Latin bonds is holding up, enthusiasm for local debt has started to wane as interest rates spiral upwards
27 Mar 2011
Most South American central banks have tightened in earnest in recent weeks. While for now they might seem in control of the inflation fight, longer-term structural price pressures remain unresolved
27 Mar 2011
Increased demand for raw minerals has sent the prices of resources higher. And governments are increasingly looking for ways to tap into the wealth
27 Mar 2011
The race to win Peru’s presidential election on April 10 is still open, with five of the 11 candidates looking like frontrunners
27 Mar 2011
Inflation is soaring in Venezuela, and government policy has only made matters worse
26 Mar 2011
Haiti’s reconstruction programme is poised to move ahead this year. But there will be little immediate relief for its citizens
26 Mar 2011
Despite Latin America’s astonishing recovery from the global downturn, policymakers face huge challenges if they are to turn recent momentum into lasting growth
26 Mar 2011
Mexico has rebounded sharply following its worst economic slump for almost a century. But while it may have defied short-term expectations, it will still struggle to overcome its underlying vulnerabilities
25 Mar 2011
Latin America’s finance chiefs gather in Calgary this weekend with an optimistic outlook for the region’s economic prospects. But can the global conditions that helped make this newfound prosperity possible hold up?
24 Mar 2011
A sharp increase in commodity prices has rekindled expectations of a multi-year super-cycle, with profound implications for policy, trade and growth
24 Mar 2011
Outflows from emerging market funds this year have brought the investment case for Latin America into focus once again. Despite solid fundamentals, regional markets are still at the mercy of external forces