August 7th, 2023

Geopolitics, not geographical proximity, is the key driver of supply chain shifts. Nevertheless, the sheer size of China’s domestic market, and the country’s competitive advantages perfected over years of high economic growth, render China a necessary partner for years to come.

August 3rd, 2023

While the covid-19 pandemic contributed to a boom in retail sales and inflation in many developed markets, China is experiencing the opposite effect. Consumers remain cautious, with frugal spending habits reflecting widespread uncertainty over future wage and employment opportunities. This weak sentiment along with other structural issues have led EIU to downgrade its real growth forecast of the country to 5-5.3%. 

August 3rd, 2023

Without doubt, the continuing war in Ukraine, stubbornly high inflation and our own domestic challenges have made doing business in South Africa significantly more complex than in prior years. This has placed additional demands on South Africa’s C-suite, requiring greater resilience and fortitude than before.

August 3rd, 2023

Economic data released last week by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that China’s economy experienced a noticeable loss of momentum in the second quarter. Although headline real GDP growth stands at a decent level of 6.3%, it was distorted by a low base effect stemming from lockdowns over the same period last year. Two-year average year-on-year growth, which effectively eliminates such effects, only reached 3.4%, down from 4.7% in the first quarter. The softening momentum is echoed in the slowdown of seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter growth, which reached just 0.8%.

August 3rd, 2023

Shifting regional realities, an emphasis on pushing forward with developing the Emirati non‑oil economy and securing markets for its hydrocarbons exports, as well as the diminishing role of the UAE’s traditional main security guarantor, the US, are leading to a significant reshaping of the country’s foreign‑policy stance. 

July 5th, 2023

When Premier Li Qiang announced this year’s economic growth target of about 5% at China’s annual policy making meeting back in March, the market consensus was way above that figure. However, is the 5% growth target really a conservative one?

July 5th, 2023

Although global supply-chain stress has eased in Europe, Asia, and North America, tensions between China and the US as well as persistent anxieties over Taiwan nevertheless speak to an urgency for firms to diversify their operations and supply-chain footprint in Asia.

June 6th, 2023

Q2 of 2023 has been tough for Africa, particularly South Africa. The rand is sinking towards R20/$ on continued headwinds around South Africa’s decision to grant immunity to certain heads of state (including Russian president Vladimir Putin) ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit, load shedding continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods and the weak economic outlook is negatively affecting business sentiment.

June 6th, 2023

Outcomes of the G7 summit and the future of Sino-Japanese relations