The fixed income investment community has been shaken up by growing concerns over Greece’s creditworthiness, which appear to be spreading like a bush fire across eurozone peripheral states. While concerns over significant sovereign credit risk are currently limited to the euro area and Dubai, my colleagues at BMI believe that Latin American government credit, too, [Read more...]

Emerging European financial markets were generally quiet over the holiday period, as was to be expected, though Turkish stocks chose to buck the trend in style. The benchmark ISE-100 equity index surged to a 12-month high on the final trading day of the year (December 31), ending 2009 at 52,825. The resulting strong monthly close, [Read more...]

A region which traditionally received only little coverage is being considered an option by an increasing number of foreign investors. Richard Hamilton, BMI’s Latin America analyst, explains why interest in the region is growing, and whether Central America should be considered a viable option for foreign investors.

 

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Having recently returned from a week-long holiday in the Latvian Baltic sea resort of Jurmala, I felt the stark contrast between a wonderful summer holiday destination and the signs of an epic economic crisis. On the one hand I was impressed at the hospitality and pleasantness of this tiny Baltic Sea town, 20km from the [Read more...]

Mexico has made a bid to become part of the emerging market (EM) elite by stating that it too may decide to lend to the IMF, either through a direct loan or the purchase of IMF debt. The announcement on June 12 by central bank governor Guillermo Ortiz came shortly after EM heavyweights Russia and [Read more...]

The sharp spike in Latvian interbank lending rates and the sovereign’s credit default protection premium gave a taste of what awaits the country in case of a devaluation, after key economic advisors to the authorities contemplated such a scenario. Justin Patrie discusses the immediate economic implications of a Latvian currency devaluation and what the impact [Read more...]

 

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Now that Sri Lanka’s civil war is over and the Tamil Tigers’ leaders have been eliminated, President Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa will have to turn his attention to winning the peace. This may actually be harder than winning the war. For a start, the government will need to reintegrate the Tamil minority – of which more [Read more...]