By Andrei Skvarsky. Sun Global Investments chief executive Mihir Kapadia argues that the current decline in the oil price is largely the result of growing shale oil production in the United States and that the US shale industry’s performance may undermine the influence of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Continue Reading
Category Archives: Views
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – February 2017 Newsletter
“While it might seem that anyone can be a value investor, the essential characteristics of this type of investor – patience, discipline, and risk aversion – may well be genetically determined.” – Seth Andrew Klarman is an American value investor, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, in the hedge fund manager hall of fame, and founder of… Continue Reading
Aton: institutional investors think West unlikely to ease Russia sanctions
By Andrei Skvarsky. In a survey by Aton, one of Russia’s oldest investment companies, 76 per cent of more than 100 Russian institutional investors said they thought the West is unlikely to soften its sanctions against Russia. Continue Reading
Bayut upbeat about UAE residential property market despite 2016 problems
By Andrei Skvarsky. Apartment rents and prices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi dropped in 2016 but the two emirates’ real estate markets have stabilised significantly, according to property portal and private company Bayut.com. Continue Reading
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – January 2017 Newsletter
“What you pay for an investment is the single biggest determinant for how successful that investment will be. When equity prices are high, your returns will be lower. When they are cheap, your returns will be higher.” – Barry Ritholtz AFC Funds Performance Summary The team at Asia Frontier Capital would like to wish all… Continue Reading
The Trump Effect: What New Opportunities It Can Open For Business
Donald Trump is now the President of the United States. It is time for him to put turn his campaign promises into reality, and while that comes with several implications, some of the most positive implications are reserved for business. While there have been concerns surrounding a potential conflict of interest, the market seems to… Continue Reading
While investors see long-term value in Tesla, traders are wary of Q4 earnings report
Ever since Tesla’s stock took a beating in 2016, investors and traders have kept a strict vigil on the stock prices. However, with the uncertainties of Donald Trump’s presidency, there are a lot of worries which are plaguing the car manufacturer’s investors. Continue Reading
Sun Global chief: 2017 to be a splendid year to invest in oil stocks
By Andrei Skvarsky. Mihir Kapadia, chief executive of London-based Sun Global Investments, argues that OPEC’s November 30 deal to cut oil production will serve to push up oil prices to levels that could make 2017 “one of the best years to invest in oil stocks in quite some time”. Continue Reading
Head of Dixy food chain: Russia’s economic woes mean opportunities for business
By Andrei Skvarsky. Portuguese businessman Pedro Manuel Pereira da Silva, chief executive of Russian food retailer Dixy, argues that the current economic situation in Russia, though described by many as a crisis, means opportunities for business. Continue Reading
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – October 2016 Newsletter
AFC Funds Performance Summary Now that the race for the Presidency of the United States of America is concluded, many analysts are pondering the possible consequences of the outcome of the election for their investments and how to best position investment portfolios for return maximization or risk management. As the US is the most important… Continue Reading
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – September 2016 Newsletter
AFC Funds Performance Summary September has been another good month for AFC. The AFC Asia Frontier Fund returned +2.3%, up for the seventh month in a row to a new all-time high, bringing the year to date performance to +14.2%. At the same time, the MSCI Frontier Markets Asia Index was down by -0.5% for… Continue Reading
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – August 2016 Newsletter
“Successful Investing takes time, discipline and patience. No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.” – Warren Buffet AFC Funds Performance Summary The AFC Asia Frontier Fund has recorded its 6th month of positive performance in… Continue Reading
Sun Global Investments CEO: 5-fold rise in US direct investment in India is Modi’s work
By Andrei Skvarsky. The chief executive of Sun Global Investments, a London-based financial services firm, has confirmed that US direct investment in India has increased fivefold over the past two years, and has put it to the credit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in office since May 2014. Continue Reading
Brexit bad for Poland but may have upsides to it too – Polish minister
By Andrei Skvarsky. Britain’s exit from the European Union means that in Poland GDP growth could slow by as much as one per cent in 2017 and 2018, a Bloomberg analyst has said, citing the Polish economic development minister. Continue Reading
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – May 2016 Newsletter
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb Continue Reading
Russia consumer sentiment barometer of MNI Indicators down to ‘record low’
By Andrei Skvarsky. Surveys by a research subsidiary of Deutsche Boerse suggest that consumer sentiment in Russia dropped to a “record low” in May after edging up steadily for a few months. Continue Reading
The Best Market in the World?
By Carl T. Delfeld Vice Chairman, ASEAN Investment Council. This article has been kindly made available to EmergingMarkets.me by Thomas Hugger, CEO and Fund Manager of Asia Frontier Capital Wouldn’t it be great if you could create an ideal market to invest in out of thin air? Right off the bat you would want growth – lots… Continue Reading
GUEST ARTICLE: China’s aggressive hunt for overseas property as yuan goes down
By Ivan Stupachenko, Tranio.com real estate brokerage.* With so much money flying into overseas real estate markets, it begs the question: Who are these Chinese investors and why are they so eager to get their funds off the mainland? Continue Reading
Lombard Odier: Brexit may shake London’s status as global financial hub
By Andrei Skvarsky. Swiss private bank Lombard Odier has warned that a Brexit – Britain’s potential exit from the European Union through the June 23 referendum – may threaten London’s status as a global financial centre, thereby depriving Britain of one of its key assets. Continue Reading
Russian companies increasingly upbeat for 3rd month running – Deutsche Boerse intel arm
By Andrei Skvarsky. Surveys by an intelligence subsidiary of Deutsche Boerse suggest that Russia’s business community has been increasingly optimistic in February, March and April. Continue Reading
Developers sure to hail China’s real estate destocking policy – CEIC
By Andrei Skvarsky. A current Chinese government policy to stimulate real estate sales as a way to clear the country’s stocks of unused properties is likely to benefit developers and hence give a boost to construction, according to a subsidiary of the Euromoney Institutional Investor publishing group. Continue Reading
FXPrimus analyst: Oil price likely to sink back, oil market to stay volatile overall
A senior analyst at the FXPrimus global financial and commodities brokerage believes that the oil price, having risen by about 60 per cent since February, is likely to drop again but that in any case it will remain volatile in the foreseeable future. Continue Reading
MNI Indicators poll suggests business sentiment in Russia has gone up markedly
By Andrei Skvarsky. Monthly surveys by Deutsche Boerse-owned research company MNI Indicators suggest that Russian companies were by and large doing better in March than in February and that overall business sentiment in Russia went up with optimists and pessimists making up roughly equal proportions of the country’s business community. Continue Reading
Lombard Odier banker: Financial situation in Russia ‘under control’
By Andrei Skvarsky. Lombard Odier, a Swiss private bank with a presence in Russia, does not see the latter’s economic troubles as a major crisis and believes that the country might be at the start of a path towards recovery. Continue Reading
Lawyer suggests EU govts help dispel banks’ fears of returning to Iran
By Andrei Skvarsky. A London lawyer has suggested that European Union governments pilot European banks through a grey area that makes them afraid of moving into the Iranian market despite the United States’ lifting of nuclear programme-related sanctions against Iran in January. Continue Reading
MNI Indicators: Consumer sentiment in Russia up slightly but still low
By Andrei Skvarsky. Surveys by MNI Indicators, a research arm of Deutsche Boerse, suggest that consumer sentiment in Russia remained quite low in February but that on the whole consumers were a wee bit more optimistic than in January. Continue Reading
Sberbank strategist: Oil, rouble to drop again but to resume ascent
By Andrei Skvarsky. A top analyst at Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, has argued that the current oil price rise and the consequent re-appreciation of the rouble represent a stable long-term trend but that both the oil price and the Russian currency are likely to sag again before resuming their upward movement. Continue Reading
MNI Indicators poll: Business sentiment in Russia up but production 19% down month-on-month
By Andrei Skvarsky. Barometric monthly surveys by a Deutsche Boerse subsidiary suggest that overall business sentiment in Russia edged up in February but that pessimists still outnumbered optimists among company executives and that production had plummeted by one-fifth month-on-month. Continue Reading
Consumer sentiment in Russia down for 2nd month in a row – MNI Indicators
By Andrei Skvarsky. Consumer sentiment in Russia edged down for the second consecutive month in January after rising a little in November, according to monthly polls by a Deutsche Boerse affiliate. Continue Reading