The seven biggest telecoms service providers in the GCC – STC (Saudi Arabia), Etisalat (UAE), du (UAE), Qtel (UAE), Batelco (Bahrain), Zain (Kuwait) and Omantel (Oman) reported mixed financial results for the second quarter of 2011. One of the key financial indicators for telecoms operators is net profit. Figures published by the operators show du,… [Read more]
Although many of the more promising consumer industries in Latin America are reasonably easy to identify (e.g. food & drink and retail stocks), there are several other consumer-related sectors that I think have massive growth potential over the medium term. The first is airlines. Business and leisure travel is set to boom over the coming years,… [Read more]
Emerging Market (EM) equities are looking good at the moment, there is no doubt about it, and as regular readers of Riskwatchdog will already know, I am particularly bullish towards Polish, Turkish and Abu Dhabi stocks. But now looking elsewhere for the next big thing, I turn my attention to Latin America, identifying Peru as… [Read more]
If you think your mobile phone and PC represent the acme of your out-of-office connectivity, then think again. In the not-so-distant future, our homes and all the gadgets in them will be as interconnected with each other and the outside world as you are at your desk. Perhaps more so, if some of the industry’s… [Read more]
At first glance, the link between rising wheat prices and the state of telecoms infrastructure is hard to see, to the casual observer. However, Mozambique provides an opportunity to look at these two – usually unrelated – industries. Protests against a hike in bread prices in Mozambique were organised via SMS messaging on mobile phones…. [Read more]
Mobile banking services present a unique growth opportunity for mobile operators in emerging markets, and have already made good progress in bringing financial services to the previously unbanked populations of many developing countries. The GSM Association reckons that there are over 60 million people worldwide accessing financial services, and this number is set to keep… [Read more]