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 »Tengiz: A Windswept Plain, a Sea of Oil and a Mountain of Money
August 30th, 2019
Courtesy of The New York Times, a look at a Chevron-led joint venture among several energy companies that is spending billions of dollars in Kazakhstan to expand an oil field remarkable for its longevity, promise and risk: In a windswept land of salt flats and wild horses, investors are pouring money into one of the largest and most […]
Read more »An Economic Roundabout: Can Central Asia Be Transformed Into An Automotive Hub?
August 19th, 2019
Via Automotive Logistics, an article on Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan efforts to strengthen their supply bases to boost local production of cars and parts: Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have ambitions to grow the automotive sector as they industrialise and modernise their economies, but, like most other emerging markets, they will be reliant on Korean and Chinese investors in […]
Read more »Kazakhstan: A Lot Riding On Promise Of New Finance Center
July 29th, 2019
Via Forbes, a report on Kazakhstan’s planned finance center: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is the new president of Kazakhstan, and the country’s signature financial event, Astana Finance Days (AFD), is supposed to highlight this man’s vision of making this place a freer market than it was even a year ago. Last year, the four-day AFD brought in […]
Read more »Frontier Markets: Rapid Growth Propelled by Reform
July 6th, 2019
Via Hubbis, some interesting commentary from 15 gatekeepers, asset managers and CIOs during a private and off-the-record discussion on the development of frontier and MENA markets: The topics covered included the key reasons for investment in frontier markets, their high growth but low correlation to global equity markets, the rationale for alpha strategies and the sustainability of […]
Read more »China’s Plan For Railway To Uzbekistan Is Transforming Central Asian Geopolitics
April 11th, 2019
Via The Times of Central Asia, an interesting look at the impact that China’s planned railway to Uzbekistan is having upon Central Asia: China is competing with Russia for greater influence on Central Asia countries, using infrastructure and transport investment and projects to achieve that goal. We are republishing the following article on the issue, written by […]
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.