Brazilian drinks giant AmBev has had an incredibly successful time in post-global crisis Brazil. It is one of the crown jewels in AB InBev’s global portfolio with the lion’s share of the Brazilian market and some of the global beer industry’s strongest margins. What AmBev has done so well over the past few years is… [Read more]
Political risk has ceased to be a dominant theme in Latin America over the past couple of years, allowing the region to emerge ever more prominently on global investors’ radar screens since the global financial crisis. The focus, instead, shifted towards the region’s resource wealth, the vast capital investment growth potential and the growing consumer… [Read more]
The impact of rapid real appreciation on Brazil’s export competitiveness will remain a key political and economic policy issue for the foreseeable future. Robust economic growth and huge fiscal stimulus injections in Latin America’s largest economy continue to fuel higher inflation, leading to higher interest rates and attracting real-boosting capital inflows due to a widening… [Read more]
The United Nations has published its latest population forecasts for the world from now to 2100. The accompanying press release is worth reading, and the online database has been updated accordingly. Of note, the UN sees the world population rising to 10.1bn in 2100, with Africa’s population more than tripling to 3.6bn over the next… [Read more]
I like a number Latin American FX majors against the US dollar, but for very different reasons. In Mexico’s case, strong currency performance will continue to be driven by the carry trade, whereas in Brazil the demand for both yield and capital appreciation will keep upside pressure on the real. This view is best highlighted… [Read more]
Today in Business Monitor Online, and in this week’s Emerging Markets Monitor (EMM) magazine, my colleagues and I outline our latest views of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) economies. The BRIC countries remain among our top growth picks over the long run, and we forecast real GDP expansion to average in excess of… [Read more]
While my colleagues at Business Monitor believe developed-state equity markets will outperform EM equities in 2011, they still believe it is still too early to call the end of the EM equity rally, and I tend to agree with them. True, many Latin American bourses look expensive, and this contrasts starkly to developed states, where… [Read more]
