As the 2000s draw to a close, now is an opportune time to reflect on the big political events of the past decade, and what the future might hold.

First, here is an overview of the main events of the past decade:

The rise of China and India (and emerging markets [Read more...]

Few countries have been as badly hit by the global downturn as Latvia.

According to a flash estimate released by the statistical office, the Latvian economy plunged by 18.4% y-o-y during the third quarter, which although below the consensus contraction of 19-20%, was nonetheless a horrific rate of decline. Indeed, this would mark [Read more...]

Following the re-election of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday, arguably the biggest question is whether Indonesia can join the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) league and make the group ‘BRIIC’. Goldman Sachs identified Indonesia as one of the ‘Next 11’ big emerging markets in 2005, and Morgan Stanley recently suggested that Indonesia should be [Read more...]

I recently visited Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), where my colleagues and I met many local business leaders (mainly Vietnamese, but also foreign expatriates). Although Vietnam is undoubtedly suffering from the global recession – real GDP growth slowed to just 3.1% y-o-y in Q1 2009 from 7.4% in Q1 2008 – the country should [Read more...]

After a strong rally in 2007 and the first half of 2008, gold is now trading down from its peak, and in a volatile fashion. The question on everyone’s mind is whether or not gold is a good investment for 2009. This is a tricky forecast, as gold continues to be buffeted by multiple dynamics. [Read more...]