Khorgos or Khor-stops: Hype on the Belt and Road
September 28th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, an updated look at Khorgos which is less transformative than its proponents believe – and yet it does illustrate some of the promise of the BRI: Since its announcement at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan in 2013, what has become known as China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has prompted a host of analyses […]
Read more »Warning Signs Over Libya’s Oil Production
September 27th, 2019
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), a report on Libya’s oil production: HIGHLIGHTS Any attempt by the National Oil Corporation to further restrict supplies of kerosene, diesel and jet fuel to eastern Libya risks upending the balance of Libya’s oil sector, which has maintained production of about 1 million barrels per day despite the outbreak of […]
Read more »Iran’s Economy: Bruised But Not Broken
September 24th, 2019
Via The Iran Project, commentary on Iran’s economy: Last April, in a column for this blog I predicted that sanctions are very unlikely to force Iran to renegotiate the multilateral nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In particular, I argued that the belief held by Iran hawks in Washington foreign […]
Read more »Ranking Top African Countries For Investment
September 21st, 2019
Via How We Made It In Africa, an article on the top ten (10) countries for African investment: The latest edition of Rand Merchant Bank’s Where to Invest in Africa report assesses each African economy’s investment potential, by overlaying macroeconomic fundamentals with the practicalities of doing business on the continent. “After nine years of publishing, we never […]
Read more »Uzbekistan: The Hidden Gem In China’s New Silk Road
September 15th, 2019
Via Forbes, a look at Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan may very well be the best under-the-radar investment story in the world today. But the transformation spearheaded by the country’s new president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, from socialism to capitalism should put the $50 billion economy on investors radar screens. The country is famous for the ancient cities of Samarkand […]
Read more »Laos’ Land-Linking Dreams
September 10th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, a look at Laos’ aspirations to gain centrality in the Greater Mekong Subregion via new infrastructure: The Lao government is strongly pushing ahead with different projects to better connect the country to the main transport networks of the region and integrate it into global value chains. Laos’ landlocked position and natural topography has […]
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.