Author Archive

Attractive Frontier Markets (According To Citi)

Via CNBC Africa, a report on frontier markets: Egypt, Kenya and Romania come out as most attractive Frontier Markets (FM), while Kazakhstan, Vietnam and Morocco come out least attractive. Here is what the model says about the top 3: ? Egypt leads the pack thanks to a host of supportive signals, including valuations (PE and […]

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The Story Behind China’s Long-Stalled Mine in Afghanistan

Via The Diplomat, the story behind China’s long-stalled mine in Afghanistan where – nine years after Chinese companies took control of Mes Aynak – copper extraction has yet to start: One-third of the Afghan population lives below the poverty line (earning less than $2 a day) and a further 50 percent are barely above this […]

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One Belt, One Road and Many Countries: China In Central Asia

Via China In Central Asia, a detailed look at BRI in Central Asia: After the collapse of the Soviet Union the newly independent countries of the Central Asian region for the first time in their modern history looked beyond the iron curtain with which they were isolated from the world within the Soviet era. They […]

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Iran’s Economic Crisis Drags Down the Middle Class Almost Overnight

Courtesy of The New York Times, a look at Iran’s economic crisis: Less than a year ago, he was running a thriving computer accessories business, driving a new car and renting a comfortable two-bedroom apartment in the center of Tehran. But last month, Kaveh Taymouri found himself riding a rusty motorcycle on his hourlong commute […]

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Central Asia Moves Towards Its Own ‘Schengen’ Zone

Via Ozy, a look at Central Asia’s efforts to become more integrated: When television producer Abduaziz Madyarov traveled between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with a British TV crew in November, he and his colleagues had to spend hours waiting in queues at border posts. That tortuous experience epitomized the tense relationship the former Soviet republics of […]

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Gazprom Interest In Turkmenistan

Via The Times of Central Asia, a report on Gazprom’s interest in Turkmenistan: Alexey Miller, Board Chairman of Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom, confirmed the interest of the Russian company in cooperation with Turkmenistan and implementation of joint projects during the meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov in Ashgabat on November 28, State News Agency of […]

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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.