Reposted from The Financial Times
By David Stevenson
Emerging markets investors certainly love their acronyms. First came the Brics, courtesy of Jim O’Neil at Goldman Sachs. Rather less well-known are HSBC’s frontier market “Civets” – Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa. And barely heard of at all is the “M3 Axis”. More…
Myanmar headed in a positive direction
THE lobby of the Traders Hotel in Yangon is buzzing in the early evening hours. The number of Chinese, Japanese, Europeans and Americans roaming the lobby is surprising. It’s as if they are all here just waiting for the economic boom to happen. More…
Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo fight for market share in Myanmar
SHANGHAI: PepsiCo Inc is in talks to sign a bottling agreement in Myanmar, ramping up the competition with Coca-Cola Co as they fight for market share in a country emerging from decades of isolation. More…
US to move faster to normalize relations with Myanmar
Freshly re-elected US President Barack Obama’s visit to Thailand, Myanmar [Burma] and Cambodia later this week will be an extremely important step to firm up his Asia-Pacific policy, often described as a “pivot” to the region. More…
Burmese Girl outside of Yangon, Myanmar
As Leopard Capital prepares to launch two Myanmar-focused funds over the next year – Leopard Myanmar Property Fund in Q4 2012 and Leopard Private Equity Fund in H1 2013 – we highlight recent economic and political developments within the country.
Following recent democratization measures, including the release of hundreds of political prisoners, cease-fire agreements with militant groups, and the incorporation of long-time human rights champion Aung San Suu Kyi into the political process, it is apparent that Myanmar’s government is determined to become fully integrated into the international community. More…
Myanmar’s 800,000 stateless Rohingya are viewed by the UN as among the most persecuted minorities on the planet
The discrimination against mostly stateless Muslims in Rakhine State in Myanmar has caught world attention following serious communal unrest in June 2012. Since Burmese independence in 1948, the name “Rohingya” has increasingly been used to designate these unfortunate people. More…
Myanmar is in a strong position with great natural resources, a large youthful population, and great geographical location
Many people believe that Myanmar presents a great opportunity for investment and growth. Rich in natural resources and with a youthful population of 60 million, the country seems ripe for investment. However the challenges facing the country are substantial. More…
Bangladesh – Myanmar
Myanmar plans to set up a wholesale market and hold trade fairs along the Bangladeshi border to increase bilateral trade, said Pwint San, Myanmar’s deputy commerce minister, yesterday.
“Unfortunately there are some communal problems in our area, which is delaying the enhancement of border trade. When the conditions improve our border trade will also increase. It is assured,” he said. More…
Weekend Links
By Steve Hashim
Each weekend we take a step outside our normal coverage to provide our readers with links to some of the stories we find the most intriguing from around the globe.
The Economist, “Myanmar’s investment rules: Burmese haze”
Southeast Asia Realtime, “Students in Myanmar Take Part in Mock Vote at U.S. Embassy”, Shibani Mahtani and Celine Fernandez
beyondbrics, “Myanmar welcomes accountants”, Gwen Robinson
Voices: Perspectives on development, “Jim Yong Kim: A Hopeful Look at Haiti’s Future”, John Donnelly
beyondbrics, “Mongolia: lights come on at Oyu Tolgoi”, Stefan Wagstyl
The Economist, “Sri Lanka’s judiciary: Courting trouble”
beyondbrics, “Pakistan: inflation reality check”, Farhan Bokhari
MarketWatch, “Carlsberg could raise stake in Hanoi Beer to 30%”, Nguyen Pham
The Wall Street Journal, “Vietnam Moves on Oil Refinery and Nuclear Plant” Vu Trong Khanh and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
beyondbrics, “Laos: pressing ahead with the Mekong dam despite concerns”
IDEAS, “Probably Not the Best Lager in the World: Effect of Brands on Consumers’ Preferences in a Beer Tasting Experiment”, Matteo Maria Galizzi and Christian Garavaglia
brain pickings, “A History of Reading”, Maria Popova
Steve Hashim is an Investment Consultant for Leopard Capital
