Emerging Markets

No region of the world has generated an average annual growth rate of 5.5% over the past 20 years—except Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, GDP has expanded by 40% since 2009.

After a summer of heavy turbulence in global financial markets, the new season starts with the seemingly endless story of when the Federal Reserve Board will raise interest rates. Although the Fed put off the move in September, the US central bank will up rates eventually, most likely at its next meeting in December. The hike will undoubtedly force some countries to shift monetary policies.

Saudi Arabia needs a strategy to diversify its oil-based economy. Can change come fast enough?

Real-time payment remains the holy grail of global transaction processing. And like the grail, it remains elusive.

Newsmakers | China
At the beginning of September, the fledgling Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank took an important step forward with the appointment of its first president.
 

Short-term risks have not dimmed the country’s economic prospects. That may explain why FDI from Asia and Gulf nations is surging.

African nations can no longer get by on mineral wealth and commodities alone—and they know it.

Capital Outflows | The meltdown in China’s stock market this summer and steep falls in many emerging markets currencies led some investors to wonder if another 1997 Asian crisis was brewing.

Arabia is meeting with some success in its efforts to entice foreign investors to six new economic cities in the kingdom.

Compared with several other markets in the region, Peru’s economy is rock-solid.

The Indian government headed by prime minister Narendra Modi is betting big on the reform and revamp of state-run banks over the next four years to support the country’s 8%-plus GDP growth.

After years of stagnation, Jamaica’s economy appears to be headed up. Debt reduction is a good start.

Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, visited Global Finance on September 10, just as Standard & Poor’s cut Brazil’s public debt to junk level. We asked him about the outlook for that country and other emerging markets.

Commodities | Oil prices have only slightly recovered from a new record low set at the end of August. But they are still 60% below their peak of 2014, which is putting pressure on US oil companies, with many pundits predicting a rapid overhaul of the industry.

Country Report | Turkey is roiled by political uncertainty and slowing growth ahead of November elections.

What’s irking central bankers is not that they have bought too many stocks or bonds. Rather, it’s that they haven’t bought enough.

The real question for Africa now is not so much about past economic performance but about what’s coming next.

Eni, the Italian energy company that was unsuccessful in finding exploitable hydrocarbons in Cyprus, now has a major find on its hands elsewhere.

Islamic Finance | Bank Negara’s decision to halt issuing shariah-compliant bonds has left a big hole in the Islamic debt market. Filling the void will take time.

FX Reserves | China’s foreign exchange reserves plunged by nearly $94 billion in August, the most ever in a single month, as the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) struggled to support the renminbi after devaluing the currency by 1.9%.