The Portuguese government finally caved in on April 6 and requested a European Union (EU) bailout. This was effectively a non-event, however. My colleagues and I had long expected the Portuguese to seek external assistance in Q2 2011, and judging by the muted reaction in the euro and bond spreads, the market had already priced… [Read more]
Canada is headed for its fourth federal election in seven years on May 2. With 143 seats going into the election, of 308 total in Parliament, the ruling Conservative Party under Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to pick up 12 seats at a minimum for a majority. Their path to a majority is made difficult… [Read more]
Given that President Hugo Chávez’s Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) lost its two-thirds majority in the September 26 legislative elections, it is pretty likely that the ruling party is going to face a tougher time in passing some of the more radical elements of its socialist reforms. In addition, the 2012 presidential vote is… [Read more]
Barely a month since sweltering temperatures and rampaging wildfires finally ceased plaguing Moscow, things are starting to heat up again in the Russian capital. Yury Luzhkov, mayor of the city for the past 18 years, and widely regarded as the country’s third most powerful politician, is engaged in a very public spat with President Dmitry… [Read more]
Early returns from Iraq’s national elections suggest that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Alliance is on track to secure the highest number of seats of any party in the next parliament, and that he himself is well placed to retain his post. If Maliki does stay on in his role, this should ensure… [Read more]
In this week’s Business Monitor Podcast ‘role-reversal’ Terry Alexander, Head of Country Risk and Capital Markets at Business Monitor, interviews Mark Schaltuper, Head of Latin American Markets, on the investment outlook for Brazil in 2010. With much of the ‘Great Brazil Hype’ already priced in, Mark argues that the tide may be turning for Brazilian… [Read more]
With the centre-right taking control in Germany and polls suggesting the same for the UK in 2010, we ask David Snowdon, Global Economic Strategist at BMI, to examine the potential policy repercussions for Western Europe and beyond. While the centre-left has lost ground electorally, David suggests that this may not necessarily herald a major ideological… [Read more]
