Category Archives: Views

Asia Frontier Capital Newsletter – Country Snapshot: Iran

Asia Frontier Capital Newsletter – Country Snapshot: Iran

In July 2015, the AFC Asia Frontier Fund gained +1.1%, underperforming the MSCI Frontier Asia Index (+4.3%) and the MSCI World Index (+1.7%) and outperforming the MSCI Frontier Index (-3.1%). The year to date performance of the AFC Asia Frontier Fund A-shares stands now at +2.1% versus the MSCI Frontier Asia Index which is up… Continue Reading

MNI Indicators: Business sentiment in Russia edges down

By Andrei Skvarsky. A survey by Deutsche Boerse-owned research company MNI Indicators suggests that overall sentiment among Russian businesses was slightly lower in July than in June and their near-term economic outlook had declined significantly but that, just as previous surveys indicated, optimists outnumbered pessimists. Continue Reading

GUEST ARTICLE: A Visual Guide to Colombia’s Surging Economy

By Michael Johnston, senior analyst for All Emerging Markets (www.allemergingmarkets.com). Emerging from a dark history, Colombia has become the economic gem of South America. In the minds of many Americans, Colombia is a lawless country with an economy built around a violent drug trade. In reality, however, Colombia has become a model for economic transformation and is perhaps South… Continue Reading

Asia Frontier Capital Newsletter – Country Snapshot: Vietnam

Since the introduction of market reforms that opened up the country to foreign investment in the late 1980s, Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, averaging annual GDP growth rates of 7-8% throughout the nineties. Agribusiness production has nearly doubled over the past two decades, transforming Vietnam into one of the… Continue Reading

Asian Hedge Fund Assets Hit Record, Top $177 Billion

Assets under management at Asian hedge funds reached a record $177 billion in May, according to new data from Eurekahedge. The tally exceeds the $176 billion managed by funds with an Asia mandate in December 2007, immediately prior the global financial crisis, noted Eurekahedge’s Alexander Mearns in an interview with Bloomberg. The news comes as… Continue Reading

GUEST COMMENT: By the Numbers – China’s Massive Economic Potential

By Michael Johnston. The incredible economic potential of China, with its massive population and surging middle class, can be difficult for U.S. investors to truly appreciate. Most investors are well aware of China’s growing importance to the global economy. Even those without a sophisticated understanding of financial markets generally know that China is a world power, home… Continue Reading

Asia Frontier Capital Newsletter – Country Report: Cambodia

After decades of political mismanagement and civil war, Cambodia has recently begun to capitalize on its economic potential. Since adopting free-market economic policies in the 1990’s and increasing its integration within the international community, Cambodia’s economy has flourished. From 1998 to 2007, Cambodia’s GDP growth ranked sixth in the world (9.8%) and fastest in the… Continue Reading

Russian hedge funds surge on oil, rouble gains

Emerging markets hedge funds have benefited from the strong recovery of the Russian Rouble, higher oil prices, lowering of interest rates by the Chinese Central Bank, and a surge in trading volume on the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program.  As a result of these, hedge funds investing in Russia and China posted strong gains in… Continue Reading

Hedge funds climb in April as Chinese, EM equities surge

Hedge funds posted gains in April as regional equity and currency markets across China, Russia, Brazil and the Middle East posted sharp gains. Volume surged on the Shanghai/Hong Kong Connect program to a daily record driving Chinese A-shares to a gain of over 18 per cent for the month. The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index®… Continue Reading

Asia Frontier Capital Newsletter – Country Report: Saudi Arabia

This month’s country report profiles the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). While Asia Frontier Capital does not currently invest in Saudi Arabia, we are always evaluating frontier markets that may possibly hold investment potential. For example, Nepal and Bhutan are both in our fund’s investment universe, although we cannot currently invest in either country. Iran… Continue Reading

Asia Frontier Capital Newsletter – Country Report: Iraq

AFC Country Report: Iraq – The post conflict opportunity To mark the upcoming launch of the AFC Iraq Fund and to follow up on our recent in-depth coverage of Iraq in our previous newsletter (click here), this month we will be covering the post-conflict opportunity of Iraq. Country snapshots for all of AFC’s markets can… Continue Reading