Road To Nowhere? China’s Belt and Road Initiative At Tipping Point
August 16th, 2022
Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, a report on China BRI, and whether the Pakistan, Sri Lanka debt crises threaten Beijing’s regional influence: The drive to Pakistan’s port of Gwadar takes seven and a half hours from Karachi via the Makran coastal highway. Much of the 600-km route is deserted, with no restaurants, restrooms or even fuel stations. […]
Read more »Bangladesh and Nepal Are Not Destined to Repeat Sri Lanka’s Mistakes
August 16th, 2022
Via the Carnegie Endowment, commentary that Bangladesh and Nepal are not destined to repeat Sri Lanka’s mistakes due to their vastly different approaches to debt and China: South Asia is in trouble. The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has led to an uprising ousting the government, with crowds taking over the president’s office and residence. The country has defaulted on […]
Read more »Sri Lanka’s State-Owned Enterprises: A Big Part of Its Economic Problems
July 28th, 2022
Via The Diplomat, a look at Sri Lanka’s state-owned enterprises whose loss-making operations are a huge drain on government coffers: Sri Lanka is in an unenviable position, and its policy makers face a conundrum. The country is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a century. Sri Lanka has formally defaulted; its public debt is over 100 percent of GDP […]
Read more »Sri Lanka — On The Painful Path To Recovery
July 18th, 2022
Via Mark Mobius, a reminder that crises can prove to be profitable times for investing: When Sri Lanka’s financial crisis started to deepen a few months ago, I decided to visit the country to observe first-hand the political and social developments. At the time, street demonstrations were still peaceful and power outages were few and […]
Read more »Bangladesh: Heading Towards A Sri Lanka-Like Crisis?
May 22nd, 2022
Via Geopolitics in South Asia, commentary on Bangladesh’s near-term economic outlook: According to a report in South Asia Journal, like Colombo, Dhaka has also taken on massive foreign loans to embark on what critics call ‘white elephant’ projects. The economic turmoil in Sri Lanka should serve as a cautionary tale for Bangladesh, say experts. Soaring […]
Read more »Sri Lanka’s China-Built Isle Beckons As Economy Sinks
April 8th, 2022
Via Nikkei Asia, an article on Port City Colombo, a still barren, sand-filled island built by the Chinese off the coast of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital: A growing list of companies are looking to establish toeholds in Port City Colombo, a still barren, sand-filled island built by the Chinese off the coast of Sri Lanka’s commercial […]
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.