Nearshoring under rules-of-origin

Mexico’s relative tariff advantage for USMCA-compliant goods, amid broader U.S. tariff actions, reinforces nearshoring incentives. Companies face higher compliance demands on regional value content and sourcing documentation, influencing site selection, supplier localization, and cost structures across automotive, electronics, and machinery.

Rare-earth supply diversification drive

Japan is negotiating with India to explore hard‑rock rare earth deposits (India cites 1.29m tons REO identified) to reduce China dependence for magnet materials. This may create new offtake, technology-transfer, and processing investments—plus transition frictions.

Currency instability and import controls

High inflation and rial depreciation increase input-cost volatility and drive periodic import restrictions, multiple exchange rates, and ad hoc licensing. Multinationals face pricing challenges, payment delays, inventory buffering needs, and higher working-capital requirements for Iran-linked supply chains.

Sanctions enforcement and compliance burden

Canada continues tightening Russia-related sanctions, including measures targeting shadow-fleet shipping and lowering the Russian crude price cap. Multinationals face heightened screening of counterparties, vessels, and cargo documentation, plus higher legal and operational costs for trade finance, insurance, and logistics.

Gas supply disruptions risk

Israel’s suspension of roughly 1.1 bcfd gas exports to Egypt highlights energy-security dependence. Egypt is advancing LNG imports, chartering multiple FSRUs (~2 bcfd capacity) and planning ~75 cargoes (est. $3.75bn), raising costs for power and energy-intensive industry.

Industrial relations and strike disruption

Union leverage and compliance enforcement are rising across transport, logistics, construction and mining, with threats of coordinated action affecting warehousing and freight networks. Firms should plan for bargaining risk, contingency routing, and supplier resilience as labour costs and stoppage probability increase.

Ports, rail and labor disruption risk

Labor negotiations and periodic disruption risks at major ports and freight nodes threaten schedule reliability and inventory buffers. Companies reliant on just-in-time flows should diversify gateways, contract for surge capacity, and reassess nearshoring versus ocean/air modal mixes.

Maritime industrial policy and fees

The Maritime Action Plan proposes rebuilding shipyards, expanding US-flag capacity, and considering fees on foreign-built vessels entering US ports to fund a trust. If implemented, ocean freight costs, routing choices, and port-call economics could materially change for importers and carriers.

Ports and maritime security exposure

Strategic gateways such as Haifa face heightened missile/drone risk and operational contingency measures. Even when terminals remain open, security protocols, rerouting, and insurer requirements can slow throughput, complicate just‑in‑time inventory, and raise demurrage and storage costs.

Carbon border and emissions compliance

EU CBAM transition is moving toward payment obligations from 2026, raising embedded-carbon reporting and cost exposure for imports of steel, aluminium, cement, fertilizers and electricity into France. Suppliers must improve emissions data, audit trails and pricing clauses to protect margins.

Russia trade rerouting and border friction

Trade increasingly reroutes via China, the Far East, Belarus and Central Asia as checks tighten. Border-crossing times for China–Kazakhstan–Russia routes have tripled at times, with delays up to a month and transport costs up 5–10%, straining inventory planning and service levels.

Expansão portuária e concessões

Leilões portuários recentes somam mais de R$15 bilhões em investimentos contratados, com megaprojetos como Itaguaí (R$3,5 bi) e o túnel Santos–Guarujá (R$6,8 bi). A agenda reduz gargalos, melhora previsibilidade e reconfigura custos de exportação/importação.

Political fragmentation, policy volatility

Hung parliament dynamics and heavy reliance on decree procedures heighten regulatory uncertainty through 2027. Businesses face higher risk of abrupt changes in taxation, labor rules, and industrial policy, complicating long-term commitments and M&A valuation assumptions.

Fiscal outlook, debt-market volatility

A dívida bruta ronda 78,7–78,8% do PIB e os juros consumiram ~8,05% do PIB em 12 meses, pressionando risco-país, câmbio e curva longa. Emissões elevadas do Tesouro aumentam custos de capital e incerteza para investimento e M&A.

Red Sea ports absorb reroutes

Shipping lines are opening bookings to Jeddah-area Red Sea ports, with estimates of +250,000 containers and 70,000 vehicles per month. Capacity and inland connections improve resilience, but congestion risk, longer Asia transits (60–75 days), and cost inflation rise.

Mega-project FDI and real estate

Ras El Hekma and other Gulf-backed developments are advancing with large-scale infrastructure, hospitality, and industrial zones. These projects can improve hard-currency buffers and contractor pipelines but also concentrate execution, land, and permitting risk; supply chains should monitor local content and payment terms.

Geopolitical hedging and sanctions exposure

Riyadh is expanding economic outreach, including openness to Russia-linked business subject to sanctions screening. Companies face higher compliance needs around beneficial ownership, export controls, and secondary-sanctions risk—especially for dual-use tech, finance, and defense-adjacent supply chains.

Energy security and gas pricing

Indonesia is expanding LNG infrastructure and pushing megaprojects like Inpex’s US$21bn Abadi LNG, with permitting debottlenecking and possible local-content relaxation. Industrial users seek a US$9/MMBtu domestic LNG cap, affecting power, chemicals and manufacturing competitiveness and supply reliability.

External financing and Gulf support

Egypt’s recovery remains tied to external funding—IMF disbursements and Gulf capital—while financing conditions can tighten quickly during risk-off episodes. Record reserves around $52.7bn provide buffers, yet large import bills and debt refinancing remain sensitive.

Nuclear and grid export momentum

Korea is positioning nuclear and grid infrastructure as investable U.S. projects while expanding SMR cooperation abroad, exemplified by KHNP’s MOU with Singapore’s EMA. Growing AI-driven power demand supports opportunities in reactors, transmission hardware, EPC services, and financing.

Expropriation and forced localization risk

State intervention tools—temporary administration, asset seizures, exit approvals and “voluntary” contributions—raise the probability of value erosion for foreign owners. Governance risk elevates hurdle rates, discourages reinvestment, and complicates M&A, IP and joint ventures.

Regulatory uncertainty and state dominance

State and security-linked entities maintain outsized control across energy, ports, and strategic industries, while policy shifts can be abrupt under crisis conditions. Foreign investors face opaque licensing, localization demands, procurement favoritism, and elevated corruption and enforcement risk, especially in regulated sectors.

IMF program and fiscal tightening

Ongoing IMF EFF/RSF reviews dominate policy, with a roughly $1.2bn tranche linked to tax collection, spending restraint, and governance benchmarks. Slippages risk renewed FX pressure, import curbs, delayed payments, and weaker investor confidence.

US tariff reset uncertainty

US policy shifts replaced Thailand’s prior 19% reciprocal tariff with a temporary 10% Section 122 duty for 150 days from Feb 24. Authorities expect more product-by-product actions (Sections 232/301) and tighter origin checks, complicating pricing, compliance, and investment planning.

Minerais críticos e capital estrangeiro

O Brasil acelera projetos de minerais críticos: a Serra Verde obteve empréstimo de US$565 milhões da DFC, com opção de participação minoritária dos EUA, e Minas Gerais concedeu incentivo fiscal (até 18%) para projetos de nióbio/terras raras em Araxá. Impulsiona cadeias não‑China.

Corporate governance reform accelerates

Regulators and activists are pushing Japanese firms to unwind cross-shareholdings and improve capital efficiency. High-profile moves by Toyota and Nintendo signal more buybacks, asset sales, and potential M&A. Foreign investors may see improved liquidity but rising takeover dynamics.

Mining policy, royalties and logistics drag

Mining attractiveness improved slightly, but South Africa still ranks near the bottom on policy perception. Rising administered costs (electricity, port/rail charges), regulatory uncertainty, and export corridor constraints depress output and exploration, affecting critical-minerals availability and downstream industrial projects.

Nearshoring constrained by policy uncertainty

Mexico’s nearshoring upside is tempered by weaker private investment and legal uncertainty after judicial reforms. Plan México targets 5.6 trillion pesos through 2030, yet new-project FDI is limited. Investors are delaying commitments, increasing hurdle rates and due diligence demands.

Climate regulatory rollback uncertainty

EPA plans to terminate the 2009 greenhouse-gas “endangerment finding,” potentially weakening federal emissions rules for vehicles and other sources. Expected litigation could prolong uncertainty for automakers, energy and logistics firms, and ESG-linked investment decisions, alongside state-level regulation divergence.

Tariff volatility and legal shifts

Supreme Court curtailed emergency-tariff authority, but the administration pivoted to temporary Section 122 surcharges and signals broader use of Sections 232/301. Rapid rate and exemption changes raise pricing, contracting, and inventory risks for importers and exporters.

M&A canlanması ve özelleştirmeler

Deloitte’a göre 2025’te Türkiye’de birleşme-devralma değeri 16,2 milyar dolara (+%88) çıktı; 500 milyon dolar üzeri 7 “mega” işlem toplamın ~%44’ünü oluşturdu. Yabancı alıcılar 6,9 milyar dolar ile geri dönerken, rekabet onay süreçleri önem kazanır.

Tightening liquidity and credit

The CBRT suspended one‑week repo auctions and introduced lira‑settled FX forward sales to manage market stress, signaling a higher-for-longer stance. Tighter liquidity transmits to higher working-capital costs, slower domestic demand, and more selective bank lending for corporates and projects.

Industrial relations and labour-code rollout

Implementation and amendments to labour codes, plus state rules (e.g., Karnataka) shift industrial relations, overtime limits and compliance processes. For investors, this can improve formalisation and hiring flexibility, but also raises union/political risk and state-by-state operational complexity.

Tech decoupling and chip controls

US export controls on advanced AI chips and tools—and Beijing’s countermeasures—are tightening. Recent reporting on China AI training using restricted Nvidia Blackwell and halted China-bound H200 production signals rising compliance, licensing, and supply-chain disruption risk for tech-dependent firms.

Tourism and visa liberalization

Expanded 60-day visa exemptions for 93 countries, new Destination Thailand Visa options, and broader e-visa/digital arrival processes aim to boost arrivals and service-sector revenues. Benefits include demand for hospitality and retail, but authorities are tightening misuse controls that may affect hiring and operations.

China–EU EV trade frictions

European scrutiny of Chinese EVs and subsidies—alongside broader EU instruments like the Foreign Subsidies Regulation—raises tariff and compliance exposure for automakers, battery makers, and downstream distributors. Firms should expect localization pressure, documentation burdens, and potential retaliatory measures affecting market access.