The ‘Brics’ concept is a lazy and misguided tool for assessing emerging markets June 24, 2019 Seen in hindsight, the “Brics” concept was the perfect analytical tool for our lazy age, making one big point that required little thought while ignoring the nuance that is the basis of all good political risk analysis. Coined in 2001 by then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill, the idea that the rising developing countries [...]
London fintech player Worldremit raises $175m in series D funding June 3, 2019 London fintech startup Worldremit has raised $175m (£138m) in a series D funding round led by TCV, Accel and Leapfrog Investments. The cash will fund Worldremit’s plans to grab a greater share of the world remittance market, which was worth $689bn last year. Read more: Fintech startup Worldremit poaches former Paddy Power chief as its new boss [...]
Are emerging markets ready to fight back? May 21, 2019 You know there’s an underlying problem when investment firms start to cut exposure to a particular asset class. Goldman Sachs’ decision last week to slash exposure to emerging markets is an indication of the current situation for these economies. The bank’s asset management arm said that it had scaled back its “overweight” exposure to emerging [...]
US markets follow Europe downwards as China announces retaliation tariffs May 13, 2019 US markets have followed their European counterparts sharply downwards after the bell, following China's announcement of retaliatory tariffs on $60bn worth of US goods in the latest development in the two countries' trade war. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise The US’s S&P 500 opened down 1.8 per cent [...]
It’s time to stop arguing about expanding Heathrow – and get building May 2, 2019 Thankfully for the UK economy, the High Court yesterday quashed a challenge brought against the government’s decision to expand Heathrow Airport. No one questions the need for scrutiny. Indeed, detailed consideration for how to manage the impact of the expansion on local people – which for some will be significant – lies ahead through the [...]
What role does the state play in corporate governance? April 29, 2019 | City Talk What do the recent corporate governance scandals involving the Italian oil company Eni, the Franco-Japanese auto alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, and the Canadian construction giant SNC-Lavalin all have in common? They each have a surprising culprit lurking behind them: the state. While corporate governance is intended to describe a system by which firms protect shareholder and stakeholder [...]
Unilever: Why there’s lots to like about this FTSE 100 star April 25, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. These first quarter numbers have been well received, and this market favourite still has lots to go for. Unilever (LSE:ULVR) shares surged to within a few pence of a record high last week as first-quarter trading figures heightened focus on whether this defensive and reliable dividend payer can offer [...]
City of London Investment Group boosts funds by 14 per cent April 16, 2019 City of London Investment Group announced that funds under management jumped 14 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 to £4.1bn. The group reported funds under management of £4.1bn, an increase from the £3.6bn recorded at the end of last year. Read more: Emerging markets shake City of London Investment profits The asset management [...]
Investors fear Turkey’s recession could be a contagion risk to emerging market economies – but they have nothing to to worry about April 16, 2019 Recent local elections in Turkey saw opposition parties gain control of the country’s economic engines, such as the capital Ankara, while no clear winner emerged in Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city. This only reiterated the state of Turkey’s current economy – the country is experiencing its first recession in a decade. Last summer’s currency crisis, [...]
China’s mobile brands have global ambitions – this will have a big impact on the digital marketing ecosystem April 12, 2019 With the world’s online mobile population growing day by day, and a home market dominated by giants such as Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba, Chinese app developers are increasingly looking to market their apps abroad. I have seen first-hand this shift from a focus on the domestic market to a much more global viewpoint. And I [...]