As 2011 draws to a close, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share some ‘outrageous’ political predictions for 2012. When crafting these, I tried to avoid coming up with ‘obvious’ risks such as the break-up of the eurozone, an Israeli attack on Iran, or a terror attack in a major city. Please note that… [Read more]
Earlier this week, Germany’s Bild newspaper reported that Kazakhstan’s 71-year old president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, had undergone prostate surgery in Hamburg. Given that Nazarbayev has dominated Kazakhstan since the late Soviet era and given the country’s importance to Eurasian energy and geopolitical calculations, any sign that he is ill will certainly increase the country’s risk profile,… [Read more]
Business Monitor Online recently published a report on Frontier Markets, which is also appearing in this week’s Emerging Markets Monitor magazine. The definition of ‘frontier markets’ varies greatly. For example, BMI’s definition (which would include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Uzbekistan) is considerably more ‘exotic’ than most investors’ definition (which might include Peru, Nigeria, and Vietnam). Nonetheless,… [Read more]
With the international investment community shaken by suggestions of a potential Dubai World default, this week we turn our attention to the troubled Kazakh banking sector. Bruce Jeffery, Business Monitor’s Kazakhstan analyst, provides some insight into the industry and shares his views on the key themes, which will likely dominate next year.
