China’s Temu App: Not An Amazon Killer, A Dollar Store Killer
October 5th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a look at how China’s Temu is chipping away at the stranglehold that retailers such as Dollar General and Dollar Tree have over low-income and discount shoppers: Retail industry watchers are saying that Amazon.com Inc. has met its match with the viral popularity of online shopping app Temu. Owned by China’s PDD Holdings Inc., Temu […]
Read more »China’s Belt and Road Shows the High Price of Beijing’s Money
October 4th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, commentary on the high price of the BRI: Birthdays are in equal parts celebratory but also inherently tinged with regret, for opportunities missed and mistakes made. All of which may well be weighing on Beijing as its Belt and Road Initiative marks its 10th anniversary this year. For the most part, it has […]
Read more »Taliban Urge Japan To Invest In Afghanistan’s Minerals, Metals
October 4th, 2023
Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, a report on the Taliban’s outreach to Japan for mineral investments: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have called on Japan to invest in the country’s unexploited minerals and metals amid a rush by Chinese investors into the country. The Taliban is banking on investments in its untapped minerals to lift the country out […]
Read more »Oz-Indonesia Tie-Up Could Break China’s EV Battery Supremacy
October 4th, 2023
Via the Asia Times, a report on an alliance that could put Australia in global battery supply chains, make Indonesia an EV battery hub and support the US-led Mineral Security Partnership: Lithium-ion batteries, composed of minerals including lithium, nickel and cobalt, have the potential to be game-changers in decarbonization. However, their efficacy is contingent upon […]
Read more »China To Stay Long in Power Sector of Kazakhstan
October 4th, 2023
Via Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (CABAR), a look at China’s interest in Kazakhstan’s power and energy sectors: Power sector is one of the most attractive sectors of Kazakhstan economy for Chinese investors. The volume of investments from China to this sphere has already exceeded 25 billion dollars in the last 17 years. China […]
Read more »An Indonesian Company’s Rent-A-Solar-Panel Model Aims To Reduce Emissions
October 3rd, 2023
Via Rest of World, a report on Xurya Daya Indonesia which claims to be the first startup in the country to rent out rooftop solar panels: Founded in 2018, Xurya Daya Indonesia started by renting out rooftop solar panels to a mall, a health clinic, and a property business. Today, the company has over a 100 projects across […]
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.