Opinion
COMMENT: Romania reaches new historical levels of foreign debt
Amid the recent drama on Romania's political scene, nobody has paid any attention to a much more concerning trend: the fast increase of the Romanian foreign debt.
ALACO DISPATCHES: The roots of Moldova’s standoff
Why bitter political enemies have combined forces to precipitate the most serious political crisis ever faced by the country.
REPORTAGE: Kazakhstan protests lose steam as regime mounts ‘semi-curfew’ while Tokayev is sworn in
New president inaugurated despite claims his opponent won vote in Nur-Sultan, Almaty and numerous regions. Kazakhs see him as Nazarbayev “puppet”. Only real concessions for country’s people will change that.
ALACO DISPATCHES: US trails Russia and China in Arctic race
Washington exercised by its rivals’ rapid progress in harnessing the Arctic region’s resources and navigation potential as a new ‘Great Game’ starts to emerge.
COMMENT: Presidential elections in Kazakhstan usher in a new era in the country's development
Kazakhs are about to the go to the polls to elect a new president after Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped aside earlier this year. The Kazakh ambassador to the UK, Erlan Idrissov, believes the election ushers in a new era in Kazakhstan’s development.
NEWS ANALYSIS: Georgia’s Anaklia deep-water port investment hits potentially terminal trouble as officials back rival
‘Monster shark in the water’ takes form of permit for rival Poti project. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day when presented with the facts.
Billionaires are good for happiness
Happiness in poor countries is higher the more billionaires they have. That is the counterintuitive conclusion from a study into the relationship between income and wealth inequality and its effect on happiness.
Ibizagate: Intentional and unintentional consequences of the government crisis in Austria for (Eastern) Europe
The coalition between Austria’s conservative-liberal ÖVP and the right-wing populist FPÖ has been viewed very critically in Austria and abroad since it was formed in December 2017. It has also been an issue for the Eastern European bloc
Turkey Insight: Not weak at the knees yet? Credit default swaps just hit 520
Global markets are pricing in a Turkish default. The Erdogan administration is fixated on its pre-election stimulus and flattering Trump. The IMF says it ain’t had a call. And the IIF quite frankly is saying WTF?
COMMENT: Russia keeps accumulating foreign assets, sales of OFZ bonds driving exchange rate
April balance of payments confirms the corporate preference to convert export proceeds into international assets, making foreign inflows into local state bonds the only support factor for the ruble exchange rate
MACRO ADVISORY: Uzbekistan Terraforming: Privatization is the next stage
Since the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev in December 2016, Uzbekistan has been on a fast-track programme to transform what was, for the previous 25 years, a no-go investment zone. Privatisation is the next step.
COMMENT: Russian offshore? Not so fast...
The two offshore zones established in Russia last August for the purposes of tempting foreign-based Russian businesses back to the Motherland have yet to catch on.
COMMENT: Russia’s GDP growth slows in 1Q19, challenging the policy framework
Russian GDP growth slowed from 2.7% year on year in 4Q18 to just 0.5% y/y in 1Q19, well below expectations. Unlike most commentators, we attribute this slowdown to a pause in the state CAPEX rather than to the VAT hike.