Today, in Business Monitor Online: Governments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are facing a massive demographic challenge as large, rapidly growing young populations enter the workforce over the coming years. Failure to invest in labour-intensive infrastructure projects or make necessary reforms to employment law in an effort to stimulate job creation could… [Read more]
As the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) experiences its biggest shake-up in at least a generation, Business Monitor International (BMI) has just published a special report, MENA Crisis: The Key Risk To Global Recovery And Stability. The report analyses the following topics: The long-term consequences of upheaval for the Middle East and North Africa… [Read more]
On this week’s podcast, BMI’s Head of Country Risk & Financial Markets Justin Patrie talks to Jean-Paul Pigat about the ongoing political crisis in the Middle East. The discussion centres on the tactical and strategic implications for regional/global markets and macro. Justin and Jean-Paul also discuss potential political scenarios in Saudi Arabia and Iran as… [Read more]
With Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qadhafi’s position looking increasingly untenable, and Bahrain rocked by unrest, so soon after popular protests toppled the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been shaken like never before. Crucially, the uprisings have also overthrown the conventional wisdom. Until recently, it was generally assumed… [Read more]
2011 is brewing up to be a big year for political risk in emerging markets. Underlying much of the risk is food and energy prices, with rising inflation likely to catalyse public discontent, especially in countries with existing social strains. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East, where the collapse of the… [Read more]
Several developments in 2010 will linger well into 2011. My colleagues and BMI’s Oil and Gas Team see industry majors continuing their push into deepwater drilling and unconventional hydrocarbons, while cash-rich national oil companies keep looking for upstream opportunities. Depressed US gas prices are unlikely to move significantly in 2011, while Asia-Pacific remains the LNG… [Read more]
Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup is a positive development, which will increase the country’s international exposure, provide a significant boost to the development of the non-hydrocarbon sector of the economy, and also help improve investor risk perceptions of the country. Moreover, this is also an additional step towards fulfilling the country’s… [Read more]
