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iShares MSCI Frontier and Select EM ETF

Szn 4, Ep 5: Opportunities Abound in Emerging Asia, with Herald van der Linde, HSBC

Published February 15, 2022

Herald van der Linde, head of Asia equity strategy for HSBC in Hong Kong, joins the podcast to discuss opportunities in emerging Asia.

Content Highlights

  • Emerging markets have under-performed developed markets, including in Asia — but this is not an entirely fair comparison (3:09);
  • What of the premise that much of emerging Asia are simply suppliers to China and therefore dependent on that country? This too is not so simple… (6:01);
  • Markets like Indonesia move independent of China and the U.S. With 250 million people, a growing middle class, and improved infrastructure, this is one area where there are opportunities (8:21);
  • Financial services still have ample room to grow in the region, with large numbers of under-banked individuals. The energy sector, meanwhile, is transitioning (12:45);
  • Background on the guest (19:26);
  • Consumers are a growing force throughout Asia, but individual countries have vastly different spending habits. An overview (24:38);
  • There is one country that nobody is really looking at in professional investing circles. The possibilities are enormous. That country is Bangladesh (31:55).
MoreSzn 4, Ep 5: Opportunities Abound in Emerging Asia, with Herald van der Linde, HSBC
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Season 2, Episode 11: Bargain Hunting in Frontier Markets, With Hedi Ben Mlouka of FIM Partners

Published April 7, 2020

Frontier markets are at greater risk of coronavirus fallout, but there are opportunities

Hedi Ben Mlouka joins the podcast to discuss his views of frontier markets in light of the coronavirus crisis.

Ben Mlouka has been investing in frontier markets for more than a decade as CIO and CEO of Dubai-based FIM Partners. He sees the asset class in general as being at greater risk of being impacted by fallout from the COVID-19 epidemic. The political risks are particularly vexxing.

Content segments timestamp:

  • Is this a good time to be investing in frontier markets? (6:03)
  • The first part of the equation: Frontier markets are less prepared for the coronavirus than developed markets (7:05)
  • The impact will be larger from a healthcare perspective while the policy response can be expected to be weaker, especially in fragile economies (9:56)
  • The crisis will expose the “downside of globalization,” precluding a “V-shaped” recovery (11:30)
  • Where are the opportunities? Oil importers like Pakistan and Egypt can benefit (15:26)
  • Speaking oil, forget about the demand shock for now. Oil prices should recover to $50 or $60 per barrel (18:57)
  • Beyond the macro picture, industries with access to capital are preferred. Avoid travel, hospitality, banks. (21:07)
  • Healthcare, education, retail, and consumer discretionary companies should recover over the long term (23:56)
  • Political risk is a major concern for many countries in frontier markets. Who’s most vulnerable? (31:09)

Highlights From Our YouTube Channel

More information on the guest:

Not intended as investment advice.

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