Russia has always gripped the western public’s imagination. Take investors’ dreams of fabulous riches or moviegoers’ anticipation of another Russian villain’s demise at the hands of James Bond. Ironically, the current situation in the Kremlin seems to be taken straight out of an Ian Fleming book with a former secret-service… Read More »
The rise of the populist vote will continue to dominate the political agenda in 2017 elections across Europe. The risks and uncertainty involved in these elections is far more material than it has been in recent cycles. 2016 will be remembered as the year when the populist vote triumphed. While… Read More »
Trump’s decision to remove the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a formality given that Congress was unlikely to ratify the deal during Obama’s final months. Additionally, his disapproval for the TPP was evident throughout the campaign, suggesting that withdrawal was not only well advertised but also fully… Read More »
Talking about Japanese equities, 2016 can be divided in two timeframes. Firstly, there was the period from the start of 2016 until roughly July during which financials heavily underperformed, exacerbated by the Bank of Japan’s Negative Interest Rate Policy. Then there was the sudden trend, which began in the summer,… Read More »
The current valuation of A-shares is determined by 3 driving forces: …. 1). short-term economic stabilization, improved earnings of enterprises 2). marginal tightening of liquidity though overall volume is relatively loose 3). progress in domestic supply side reforms and state-owned enterprise reforms reinstate risk appetite to a certain extent. The… Read More »
Global political uncertainly has been plaguing investors around the world for months. With the UK Brexit vote behind us, attention now turns to the US presidential election When I survey the current investment landscape, I’m struck by the fact that two things are driving financial markets today: central bank policies… Read More »
Emerging market equities are Candriam’s strongest regional overweight conviction, …. … as (a) they have the highest re-rating potential (with a still-attractive relative valuation), (b) economic growth is stabilising and (c) the scope of USD appreciation is limited. However, central bank uncertainties and a less supportive commodity environment than at… Read More »
HSBC’s outlook for the European economies divides into the short term, where a modest recovery is expected to continue, and the longer term, where the challenges are becoming ever more stark. In the short term, the impact of the UK’s Brexit vote has not been as severe as initially feared;… Read More »
A strong domestic economy and a government hungry for market reform makes Indonesia a stand-out market on the global stage. With developed markets battling deflation and Chinese growth decelerating due to past investment and excesses, Indonesia stands out as a strong economy supported by domestic factors. While many developed economies… Read More »
The impeachment of Dilma Rousseff had been widely expected. The prospects for Brazilian assets now rest on economic fundamentals and muchneeded reforms. With a greater-than-expected majority, Brazil’s Senate voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, removing her from office after her suspension in May. Rousseff is replaced as president by Michel… Read More »