Global news and insight for corporate financial professionals
INDONESIA
Self-made businessman and former governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo won Indonesia’s presidential election in July, marking the first time a candidate without ties to the military or a powerful political family has won the position.
TRENDS | DIGITAL CURRENCIES
Ecuador is gearing up for the launch of a new digital currency that will go into use as early as October alongside the US dollar, the country’s official tender.
SOUTH KOREA
Appointed as part of Park’s cabinet reshuffle——Choi had been on the job only a few days when he unleashed a $40 billion stimulus plan to revitalize the country’s faltering economy, a package equivalent to almost 3% of GDP.
COUNTRY REPORT | EGYPT
Pressure is building on Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to deliver economic gains. Falling investment and a sharp drop in tourist arrivals have weakened growth over the past three years. But a rapid return to pre-2011 expansion levels appears unlikely.
REGIONAL REPORT | CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE
Central European countries are starting to recover, with growth accelerating in most markets. But the region’s banks still have some trials to overcome.
BRAZIL
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will be running for a second term in October, and if she can keep her momentum going, there’s a good chance she’ll win.
TRENDS | SNAPSHOT: PANAMA
COUNTRY REPORT | TAIWAN
Taiwan’s bright fundamentals are underpinned by a revival in both export and import demand, but could a housing bubble be on the horizon?
UNITED STATES
In its 2013 report to Congress, the Export-Import Bank of the United States says that its “overriding mission is to create and sustain American jobs by supporting US exports.” But that very mission is under threat, with House Financial Services Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling, among others, seeking to abolish the bank.
Events in Ukraine have changed the outlook for Russia. Now the country faces choices about its global role that could affect the rest of the world for decades. Which path will it take?
SWEDEN
Known as a credible and pragmatic politician, the leader of Sweden’s Social Democratic party, Stefan Löfven, is gearing up to become the country’s next prime minister.
ARGENTINA
The aftermath of Argentina’s so-called default on July 31 doesn’t at all resemble the catastrophe accompanying its earlier default in 2002, when the country was unable to repay $100 billion of debt and the economy collapsed, costing millions of jobs.
DEAR READER
Do ongoing conflicts and increasing geopolitical tensions represent a threat to globalization, or are they simply redesigning the map of the world?
UNITED KINGDOM
With a seminal speech at the beginning of August, London’s larger-than-life mayor, Boris Johnson, positioned himself as a candidate for the future leadership of the Conservative Party.
THE BRICS
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa now have something more in common than rapidly developing economies that have recently stalled. In July they gave life to the New Development Bank (NDB), the first multilateral institution controlled by developing countries.
GHANA
The world’s second-largest producer of cocoa, is expected to ask the International Monetary Fund for help.
The sixth round of talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the United States and the European Union was held in Brussels on July 18 just as winds of political change have begun sweeping across the two continents.
COVER STORY | INDIA
As prime minister Narendra Modi begins his term in office, global market watchers are hopeful that it could signal a sea change for India’s governance, economy and friendliness to business. But most are tempering that enthusiasm with a dose of skepticism.
REGIONAL FOCUS | EMERGING ASIA
The bigger the opportunity, the bigger the risk. This certainly holds true for frontier and emerging economies in Asia. Finding the right balance between the two is a key challenge for multinationals looking to invest there.
SCOTLAND
The outcome of this September’s referendum on Scottish independence remains too close to call.