In line with my view of a renewed bounce in the US dollar (which is playing out really nicely, by the way), I believe that the recent gains of some sub-Saharan African currencies could be rather short-lived. Indeed, over at businessmonitor.com, I have been highlighting the potential for a rally in the Kenyan shilling, which [Read more...]

As pointed out last week, I believe that many sub-Saharan African countries will continue to struggle with double-digit inflation figures over the course of 2009, mainly on the back of currency depreciation, relatively robust real GDP growth and weak monetary policy transmission mechanisms. I should have mentioned though that South Africa is likely to represent [Read more...]

Sure, Zimbabwe’s inflation has recently been estimated at 89.7 sextillion (that’s a one with 21 zeroes after it) percent, but given plummeting commodities and the global recession, surely inflation is going to turn the corner in the rest of Africa. After all, yours truly recently pointed out that deflation, rather than inflation, may now be [Read more...]

Last Saturday was a sad day for world trade, with Somali pirates seizing a Saudi-owned tanker carrying US$100 million worth of oil. The Sirius Star was hijacked 450 miles off the coast of Kenya, becoming the largest vessel ever hijacked.

If you thought that piracy was the stuff of old swashbuckling tales, think again. Indeed, [Read more...]

Having spent a week in South Africa, it was very refreshing to escape the European economic doom and gloom and visit a country with stunning natural beauty and fantastic culinary experiences. With the British pound having appreciated by more than 10.4% against the rand year-to-date (ytd), South Africa’s world famous beef steaks tasted even juicier. [Read more...]

Now that the initial euphoria surrounding Barack Obama’s election as US president has dissipated somewhat, it is time to take a more sober look at the geopolitical implications of his presidency.

One of Obama’s biggest tasks will be to shore-up the United States’ global position in the wake of its financial meltdown, and years of anti-Americanism [Read more...]

Looking at EM equities these days, one can easily overlook the woods for all the trees. Aside from short-term bounces here and there, the overall direction of stocks continues to point downwards. However, I have started to frequently come across comments such as ‘stocks are oversold’, and ‘valuations are highly attractive’. Well, that may be [Read more...]