DRC: The Most Dangerous Cup of Coffee in the World
October 16th, 2016
Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, a look at Congo, one of the last frontiers in a global scramble for the world’s best-tasting coffee: BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo—A dozen artisanal coffee aficionados from around the world hovered their noses above cups of steaming grounds and inhaled deeply. Then they tasted the coffee, swishing or […]
Read more »Saudi Arabia Struggles to Remake Its Economy
October 13th, 2016
Courtesy of The New York Times, a detailed interesting look at Saudi Arabia, where low crude prices and the war in Yemen have sent a shock through the kingdom’s budget and forced it to revise its social contract even as it seeks to diversify its businesses: This is what it takes to run a mega-dairy […]
Read more »Developers Make Bets on Iran
October 9th, 2016
Via The Wall Street Journal, an interesting look at Iran’s real estate development potential: Real-estate developers have found their next big project: Iran. The onetime pariah’s year-old deal to curb its nuclear program lifts a host of economic sanctions that have limited the ability to do business in the country. Now, hotel and shopping mall […]
Read more »Azerbaijan: Caviar Diplomacy?
September 26th, 2016
Courtesy of The Economist’s 1843 magazine, a detailed look at Azerbaijan: Some call it the Paris of the Caspian; others purr that it is the caviar-producing region’s Dubai. But on the weekend of June 18th and 19th the comparisons were with Monaco. Baku’s first-ever Formula 1 race took place on a 6km (4-mile) street circuit in […]
Read more »Palestine Gets FTSE Frontier Market Status For First Time
September 25th, 2016
Courtesy of Lebanon’s Daily Star, a report on Palestine: The Nablus-based Palestine Exchange began trading as a frontier market for the first time in its two-decade history. The classification by index provider FTSE Russell came into effect this week. While none of the 49 publicly traded companies have been granted the same status, the move […]
Read more »Venezuela Crises Compound as Oil Industry Falls Into Disarray
September 20th, 2016
Courtesy of the New York Times, an interesting look at Venezuela’s crisis: One oil rig was idle for weeks because a single piece of equipment was missing. Another was attacked by armed gangs who made off with all they could carry. Many oil workers say they are paid so little that they barely eat and have to keep watch […]
Read more »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.