What rising protests in South Africa say about attitudes towards local government
Jun 21, 2016 11:24 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
The euphoria of South Africas 2016 municipal elections is at its peak, with political parties parading their manifestos, all in competition for a stake in the local sphere of government. The razzmatazz is deafening....
How investors see South Africa: lots of potential, not worth the hassle
Jun 16, 2016 14:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
South Africa has narrowly survived a downgrade of the rating of its government bonds. The reprieve, however, is temporary because government has been warned by the Big Three rating agencies Fitch, Moodys and Standard ...
Russia's inflation rate likely go down to 4 percent by end-2019
Jun 07, 2016 15:07 pm UTC| Commentary
Data released by the Russian State Statistics Service on Tuesday showed that Russias monthly inflation was 0.4 percent in May, and the year-on-year rate for the last 12 months reached 7.3 percent. The decline follows...
Poland set to unveil new FX loan plan, Zloty to remain volatile
Jun 07, 2016 14:32 pm UTC| Commentary Central Banks
Poland is set to unveil a new policy proposal today for converting FX mortgage loans to local currency. The re-drafted proposal will be made public today, and then sent to the lower house for debate before the end of June....
Brazil: no longer the country of the future?
Jun 02, 2016 09:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
When I first served in Brazil in the mid-1960s as a young American diplomat stationed at a small consulate in Belem on the mouth of the Amazon River, the country was in its second year of a 20-year military...
Brazil crisis: for once, a conspiracy theory turns out to be true
May 31, 2016 13:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Conspiracy theories are never true. Or are they? That question has been settled for Brazilians by a leaked recording in which now-resigned planning minister Romero Jucá clearly spells out a conspiracy to unseat...
EM currencies to remain susceptible in the run-up to the Fed
May 30, 2016 13:50 pm UTC| Commentary
Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen in a speech at a panel discussion at Harvard University on Friday said that the central bank would probably raise interest rates in the coming months if the U.S. economy keeps gaining strength....
The Alberta government is interfering in public sector bargaining on an unprecedented scale
Putin’s Russia: first arrests under new anti-LGBT laws mark new era of repression
Canada needs a national strategy for homeless refugee claimants