Chart of the week: who’s afraid of the weakening yen?
Complaining about the effect of Japan’s monetary easing on the value of the yen is virtually de rigeur among the country’s trading partners. But Chart of the week shows that the most vocal critics of Japan are not necessarily those with the most to shout about. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: China’s patent / royalty disconnect
If a mark of being a developed country is innovation, then look out: China is certainly throwing ideas about.
The number of patent applications from China has overtaken those from the US, a remarkable catch-up over the last few years. But does this mean China will soon be exporting ideas in the way it has exported manufactured goods? Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: tracking China’s investments in Africa
Much has been written about China in Africa – a relationship that has been described as neo-colonial as China’s appetite for African resources has boomed and China has embarked on landmark projects such as the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa (pictured left).
But quantifying the China-in-Africa story has been hard. There are official projects, aid donations, gifts, credit lines and more. Adding all that up is tricky – but a new database from AidData shows just how vast and sprawling Chinese investment in Africa has become. Chart of the week has run the numbers. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: Brazil’s foundations, undermined?
But behind recent numbers on inflation is another set of numbers on retail sales, which fell in February for the first time in a decade. If that turns into a trend, the very foundations of Brazil’s recent growth story will be undermined. Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: uneven economic growth in China’s regions
When looking at Chinese growth, it’s easy to think of the country as one entity, and one figure. Will GDP expand by 8 per cent this year, or “just” 7?
However, China is a bit bigger than just one number. With a fifth of the world’s population in the fourth biggest country by area, distributed over many provinces, growth has been very uneven. Chart of the week takes a closer look at China’s growth by region. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: Brazil’s bottlenecks
Several reasons have been given for Brazil’s economic slowdown: a self-inflicted sudden stop caused by capital controls; currency appreciation, making exports more expensive; and falling demand for commodities, especially from China.
But if Brazil really wants to hold onto its position as a leading emerging market, it must address structural problems, starting with infrastructure and education. And as Chart of the Week shows, it has a lot of ground to make up. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: who is developing a taste for the bubbly?
By Irene Madongo and Rob Minto
When it comes to new markets for top-class wines, most people tend to think of China buying up France, by the bottle and by the vineyard.
So when it comes to champagne, where are the big growth markets? The Brics? To an extent, yes. But there is one country high on the list that might surprise: Nigeria, which is expected to see the second biggest increase in sales volume over the next five years. How come? Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: carmakers shift gear in emerging markets
As BMW and Volkswagen made clear last week, China and other emerging markets are the big prize for carmakers. Even if EM growth and consumer confidence falters, the outlook from previous car strongholds, especially Europe, is far worse.
So how have carmakers shifted their sales? And how much does China count for the bigger companies? Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
Chart of the Week: the Hungarian forint’s long fall from grace
It’s easy to see the Hungarian forint’s recent bout of weakness as a reaction to the latest round of controversial policy moves by the maverick prime minister Viktor Orbán.
And so it is. But, as chart of the week shows, the HUF has been a laggard among east European currencies since before Hungary and other east European states joined the European Union in 2004. This is long-term underperformance, with long-term causes. Continue reading »
In October last year, beyondbrics wrote of a sub-Saharan debt rush – partly based on Zambia’s successful issue, and on investors’ hunt for yield and diversification.
But now there is now talk of “original sin” – excessive borrowing in non-domestic currency; yields have increased and spreads have widened. What’s going on? Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: EM shares – the cheap and the expensive
A hot topic of conversation this year has been the so-called ‘great rotation’: the idea that bonds have become over-expensive and we’re now due a mass switch by investors into equities. But on the whole, that’s less true of emerging markets than it is of developed ones.
Chart of the week takes a look at price to earnings ratios across the major emerging markets to see which EMs might or might not benefit. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: the growth pains of EM private equity
By Andrew Bowman and Rob Minto
Private equity is back in the headlines with huge buyout bids planned for EE and Dell. But there’s also plenty of buzz in emerging markets, where the share of global private equity fundraising has quadrupled from 5 per cent in 2003 to 20 per cent last year.
Chart of the week looks at the highs and lows of private equity across the Brics and sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade, courtesy of data compiled by the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: EM currencies, winners and losers
How have emerging market currencies fared at the start of the year compared with 2012? Foreign currency investors say that the grip of so-called risk on, risk off trading has faded this year and that fundamental reasons for buying or selling a currency are dominating investment choice.
But the rise of currency wars is also playing a major role in determining which currencies rise or fall, as investors respond to rhetoric from central bankers and place bets on which countries are most likely to take action to weaken their currency this year. Chart of the week takes a closer look. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: consumer goods in China, moving fast
In the world of fast-moving consumer goods – known as FMCG in the retail industry – China is a big prize. With a rapidly-expanding middle class, and the quick adoption of western brands alongside home grown products, it’s also a highly competitive market.
So which companies are making headway? Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
Chart of the week: are EM interest rates stuck for 2013?
Setting interest rates is one of the most important monetary policy tools a central bank can wield. But at the moment, emerging market policy makers don’t seem keen to use it.
Why? Chart of the week takes a look. Continue reading »
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