GlobalSource Partners | Country Insights

On March 5 the United States stated that Ihor Kolomoisky is guilty of significant corruption. He and his close relatives have therefore been banned from entering the United States. It is speculated that the banned list might be extended to cover his associates.The statement against Kolomoisky rel...

Covid watch

PHILIPPINES · In Brief · 06 Mar 2021

Excitement this week over the rollout of donated Chinese vaccines and arrival of more from Covax has, by the weekend, been doused by reports of rising covid19 infections, with the more transmissible variants of the coronavirus having been detected locally. Yesterday, the health department reporte...

US imposes sanctions on oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyy, big political reshuffle is on agenda

UKRAINE · In Brief · 05 Mar 2021

Today, on March 5th the Secretary of state Antony J. Blinken announced “the public designation of oligarch and former Ukrainian public official Ihor Kolomoyskyy due to his involvement in significant corruption”. Sanctions were also imposed on members of Ihor Kolomoyskyy’s immediate family. Mr. Bl...

GULF WEEKLY: OPEC+ postpones taper, Khashoggi report reverberates, Kuwait forms cabinet

GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 05 Mar 2021

A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines include: * OPEC+ surprised markets by keeping cuts unchanged for April, including Saudi’s extra 1m b/d. * Iran rejected an EU proposal for talks but there were hints of a softening later in the week after the US withdrew a cr...

Alberto Fernandez's Kirchnerist speech during the opening session of Congress

ARGENTINA · Report · 03 Mar 2021

President Alberto Fernandez (AF) gave a long yet carefully structured speech during the Congress’s opening session. He reviewed his government’s achievements, defended it from what he called “malicious criticism that responds to unspeakable interests of concentrated economic powers”, and made sev...

The dangers of deafness to suffering

COLOMBIA · Report · 01 Mar 2021 · 2 responses

Last year’s 6.8% contraction represents, not surprisingly, the worst economic downturn in Colombian history – and only the fourth year in more than a century in which the economy has posted negative results. Though most sectors, especially manufacturing and commerce, followed overall GDP, agricul...

Eonomics: February data point to future challenges

MEXICO · Report · 01 Mar 2021

Even as some branches of industrial and service activity continued to pare their losses from the lows of 2020 and the trend remains toward a reopening of activity, GDP contracted -4.3% in the fourth quarter (and -8.2% for 2020), with health the only service sector to show growth. We expect a simi...

January Trade Balance surprised on the upside

ARGENTINA · In Brief · 01 Mar 2021

Most market attention will be set today on Alberto Fernandez’s speech during the opening sessions of Congress, which is expected to happen at noon, local time. This said, in this opportunity, we would like to review January’s trade balance published Friday afternoon. Even though the December to F...

Hi tech service exports continue to support growth (and the shekel)

ISRAEL · In Brief · 28 Feb 2021

Highlights of the weekly macro wrap up: The BoI sounds more optimistic Rates and accommodation remained unchanged last week. Nevertheless, the rate announcement sounded more upbeat, in light of rapid vaccinations and opening up of the economy “The fast pace of the inoculation process in Israel in...

Relations between Russia and US at rock bottom over Syria and Crimea

CIS POLITICS · In Brief · 27 Feb 2021

On February 26 Moscow condemned US air strikes on Syria. The attacks supposedly killed Iranian militants. Russia is a stalwart ally of Syria.On February 26 President Biden said that Crimea belongs to Ukraine, and the United States shall never recognize it as Russian land. There has been an increa...

Ukraine receives vaccines from India

CIS POLITICS · In Brief · 27 Feb 2021

On February 23 a consignment of 500,000 doses of AtsraZeneca arrived in Ukraine from India. Ukraine has finally started vaccinating people. Kyiv has refused to purchase Sputnik V, and Western vaccines are too expensive for Ukraine. The EU has a program to provide Eastern European nations with vac...

Finally, the Electric Pact was signed

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · In Brief · 26 Feb 2021 · 2 responses

Yesterday the National Pact for the Reform of the Electricity Sector 2021-2030 was signed. This Pact aims to “build a agreed vision of the electricity system to guide the actions to be developed in the short, medium and long term for the Dominican Republic to have definitively an efficient, compe...

SAUDI ARABIA: Khashoggi report blames MBS and US imposes travel ban on 76 Saudis

GULF COUNTRIES · In Brief · 26 Feb 2021

The declassified summary of the US National Intelligence report is very brief (500 words). It states “we assess” that MBS approved an operation “to capture or kill” Jamal Khashoggi based on: "His control of decision making in the Kingdom;The direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muha...

10% of Russian SMEs face closure

CIS POLITICS · In Brief · 26 Feb 2021

On February 24 a government study showed that a tenth of small businesses are about to fold. The business ombudsman conducted the study. The survey was published on RBK. The small business sector is irate that almost all government aid has been directed at major corporations, i.e., those most abl...

Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela: Quasi-sovereigns in Latin America and the evolving relationship with the sovereign

COLOMBIA · Report · 26 Feb 2021

In our live webinar, Juan Carlos Echeverry, Mauricio Gonzalez, Marco Fernandez and Ruth de Krivoy discuss the risks and opportunities to watch for in the sovereign/quasi-sovereign relationship in Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. Our webinar is moderated by Joe Kogan, Head of Latin America...