Archive for January, 2010

Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey: A New Phase in Energy Competition?

Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), an interesting analysis of the decision by Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz to join Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov at the Jan. 6 inauguration ceremony for a natural gas pipeline running from Turkmenistan to Iran.  As the article notes, Yildiz’s presence raises the possibility that new […]

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The Evolving Pipeline Politics In Central Asia

Courtesy of The Japan Times, an interesting article on the evolving pipeline politics of Central Asia.  As the report notes: “…The opening early last month of a new Central Asia-China gas pipeline is the latest demonstration of Beijing’s growing influence over the natural resources of the region. China’s voracious appetite for energy resources has led […]

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A Gloom Over Vietnam

Courtesy of The Financial Times, a gloomy prognosis on Vietnam’s economy.  As the article notes: “…A flurry of new building in downtown Hanoi, endless swarms of new motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City: by some standards Vietnam’s economy is powering into 2010. But many economists and business executives remain stubbornly gloomy. Vo Truong Son should […]

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Emerging Markets: Emerging No More?

Courtesy of The Economist, an excellent article on how – a year after the West’s slump began to spread to emerging markets – it has become clear that the recession has been a moment of tectonic slippage, a brief but powerful acceleration in the deep-seated movement of economic power away from rich nations towards emerging […]

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Turkmenistan’s Energy Deals

Via Energy Daily, a report on Turkmenistan’s recent decision to award contracts worth 9.7 billion dollars to a series of foreign companies to develop one of the world’s most prized gas fields.  As the article notes: “…China National Petroleum Corporation, South Korea’s LG International and UAE-based Petrofac International are among the firms set to develop […]

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China’s Afghan Alchemy: Turning Copper Into Gold

Courtesy of The New York Times, an interesting look at China Metallurgical Group Corporation’s progress in developing its copper deposits in Afghanistan.  As the article notes: “…Behind an electrified fence, blast-resistant sandbags and 53 National Police outposts, the Afghan surge is well under way. But the foot soldiers in a bowl-shaped valley about 20 miles […]

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ABOUT
WILDCATS AND BLACK SHEEP
Wildcats & Black Sheep is a personal interest blog dedicated to the identification and evaluation of maverick investment opportunities arising in frontier - and, what some may consider to be, “rogue” or “black sheep” - markets around the world.

Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.