Archive for the ‘Countries’ Category

Turkmenistan’s Gas Line: A Pipe Dream?

Via BBC, an article on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) gas pipeline: For many, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) gas pipeline is nothing but a pipe dream. Its starting point is in Turkmenistan, one of the most isolated and closed-for-business states in the world, before it goes through war-torn Afghanistan and then reaches two countries that are hard to describe […]

Read more »



Energy: Key To India’s Central Asia Reset

Via Eurasia Review, a look at the energy objectives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s current tour of the five Central Asian republics: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s current tour of the five Central Asian republics will signal whether India has the capacity to become a major power in Eurasia. Occurring half on his way to the July 9-10 […]

Read more »



InFrontier Takes Stake In Afghan Pharmacy Chain

Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report on a British private equity company that has taken a stake in an Afghan pharmacy chain: A British private equity company has taken a stake in an Afghan pharmacy chain in a deal touted as evidence that the country is opening to business and foreign capital in spite of […]

Read more »



Iran’s Homegrown Treasure: The Spice That Costs More Than Gold

Via CNN, an interesting article on the economic potential of saffron: It is the most expensive and sought after spice in the world, commonly known as red gold. At $65 per gram for the highest quality crop, Saffron can actually cost even more than the precious metal. Its value has been kept permanently high by labor-intensive harvesting methods […]

Read more »



Islamic State Eying Afghanistan’s Natural Resources

Via The Diplomat, a report on how an expansion of the group’s operations in Afghanistan could threaten the fledgling mining industry: According to a recent Pentagon report, the Islamic State’s (IS) activities in Afghanistan remain exploratory, with limited recruiting efforts. Although the capabilities of the Islamic State’s recently minted Khorasan Province may be limited, the group […]

Read more »



Iran: Gearing Up For Post-Sanctions Optimism

Courtesy of The Financial Times, a look at Iran, post sanctions: The prospects for an Iranian economic revival and new opportunities for foreign investors hinge on a final agreement at the end of this month on the nuclear deal and United Nations verification – probably at the start of 2016 – of Iranian compliance, after […]

Read more »


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.