Tight money, fragile lira

Turkey’s disinflation program remains under pressure from geopolitical shocks and domestic politics, with inflation still above 32%, high bond yields around 36.89%, and potential for further rate tightening that raises financing costs, working-capital strain, and hedging needs.

Private Renewable Investment Acceleration

Corporate energy diversification is gathering pace as African Rainbow Energy took control of SOLA, which holds a R20 billion renewable portfolio including 1,100 MWp solar and 730 MWh storage. This supports wheeling, decarbonisation and power-security strategies for investors.

Record FDI And Manufacturing Push

India attracted record gross FDI inflows of $94.53 billion in 2025-26 while continuing to court capital for manufacturing, infrastructure and technology. Combined with policy support, this reinforces India’s role in China-plus-one strategies, though execution, approvals and sector-specific restrictions still matter for investors.

Humanitarian Strain Hits Operations

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen, with severe shortages in sanitation, medicine, shelter, and basic services affecting more than 2 million people. For companies, this heightens reputational, legal, ESG, and partner-screening risks across logistics, infrastructure, and compliance-sensitive sectors.

Agricultural protectionism and input stress

Emergency farm legislation and union pressure reflect severe strain from fuel, energy and regulatory costs, weak farm incomes and import competition. Proposed restrictions on products made with banned pesticides signal rising trade frictions and volatility for food supply chains, sourcing and compliance.

Inflation Spurs Hawkish Policy

Rising oil prices and stronger chip-led growth are pushing inflation higher, with April consumer inflation at 2.6% and KDI forecasting 2.7% for 2026. Expectations of Bank of Korea tightening are lifting yields and borrowing costs, affecting valuations and capital expenditure decisions.

Trade corridors and logistics rerouting

Disruption in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz is accelerating Turkey’s role in alternative routes via Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the Development Road and the Middle Corridor. This strengthens Turkey’s logistics value, but also creates operational volatility in transit times and routing costs.

War Economy Crowds Out Investment

Defence and security spending now absorbs nearly 40% of federal outlays, squeezing civilian investment, raising taxes, and expanding domestic borrowing. The resulting fiscal imbalance is weakening non-military sectors, reducing growth prospects, and raising financing and policy risks for businesses.

Trade Remedy Risks Increase

Australian anti-dumping investigations into Vietnamese galvanised steel highlight broader vulnerability to trade remedies as exports expand. Similar actions can disrupt sectoral demand, require costly legal responses, and encourage exporters to diversify markets, compliance systems and pricing structures.

GCC Trade Pact Expansion

The UK’s new Gulf Cooperation Council agreement is expected to add £3.7 billion annually long term, remove 93% of GCC tariffs on British goods, and widen services and investment access, materially improving export, logistics, and market-entry conditions for internationally exposed firms.

Environmental Compliance Reshapes Exports

Environmental traceability is becoming a market-access requirement, especially under the Mercosur-EU framework. EU deforestation rules can trigger fines of up to 4% of annual revenue, while CBAM raises exposure for steel, aluminum, fertilizer, and cement exporters lacking robust carbon data.

US Trade Deal Momentum

India and the United States are nearing an interim trade agreement that could reduce barriers, improve market access and strengthen supply chains. However, Section 301 investigations and shifting US tariff authorities still create uncertainty for exporters, investors and long-term planning.

Coalition Reform Uncertainty Persists

The Merz coalition remains divided on taxes, pensions, labor rules, and business reforms, delaying clearer policy signals. With growth forecast cut to 0.5%, weak polls, and repeated disputes, companies face uncertainty over regulation, labor costs, incentives, and implementation timelines.

US-China Managed Trade Friction

Washington and Beijing are building ‘board of trade’ and ‘board of investment’ mechanisms, but tariff relief appears limited to roughly $30 billion of non-sensitive goods while Section 301 risks persist. Firms should expect continued policy volatility, selective market openings, and strategic decoupling pressures.

IMF-Driven Fiscal Tightening

Pakistan’s IMF programme now carries 55 conditions, including a 2% of GDP primary surplus target, broader taxation and procurement reforms. The FY2027 budget will likely raise compliance costs, tighten public spending and shape market access, pricing and investment planning.

Macro Stabilization Under Strain

Turkey’s disinflation program is under renewed pressure from energy shocks and regional conflict. April inflation reached 32.4%, effective funding costs rose toward 40%, and tighter liquidity conditions raise borrowing costs, demand risk, and pricing volatility for investors and operating companies.

Digital Rules and Data Governance

Operationalisation of the DPDP framework remains a significant business issue as authorities examine stronger responses to stolen personal data on foreign servers. Compliance, localisation expectations, cybersecurity spending and cross-border data handling will increasingly affect digital operations and platform models.

AI memory boom tightens supply

The global AI data-center buildout is sustaining a memory supercycle that has lifted Samsung’s first-quarter operating profit to 57.2 trillion won and intensified supply tightness. For buyers, this supports higher chip pricing, stronger Korean exporters, and continued procurement volatility across electronics supply chains.

Fiscal Stimulus Faces Legal Risk

The government’s 400 billion baht emergency borrowing plan, including 200 billion baht for renewable-energy transition, faces a Constitutional Court challenge. Legal uncertainty over stimulus, fiscal space, and public debt management may affect infrastructure pipelines, sovereign risk perceptions, and project financing conditions.

EV Supply Chain Realignment

Thailand remains Southeast Asia’s leading EV production base, attracting new interest from European and Asian firms. Chinese automakers are reshaping market share and supplier networks, creating opportunities in batteries and components while increasing competitive pressure on incumbent Japanese manufacturers.

Lira Stability and Reserve Stress

Turkey’s disinflation program remains vulnerable to political shocks and external war spillovers. Authorities reportedly sold billions in reserves, while inflation stayed above 32%, sustaining hedging costs, imported-input pressure, and refinancing risk for trade, manufacturing, and consumer-facing businesses.

Semiconductor Expansion and AI Capex

Japan’s semiconductor ecosystem is benefiting from AI-driven global capital expenditure, supporting stronger demand for chips, testing equipment, and production tools. Capacity expansion by firms such as Renesas, Advantest, and Tokyo Electron strengthens Japan’s role in strategic technology supply chains.

Suez Canal Revenue Shock

Red Sea and wider regional shipping disruptions have cut Egypt’s Suez Canal transit income by more than $10 billion, worsening foreign-exchange shortages, debt servicing pressure, import financing constraints, and logistics uncertainty for firms routing cargo through or near Egyptian trade corridors.

US Trade and Alliance Uncertainty

Japan remains exposed to shifting US tariff policy and more transactional alliance management, complicating export planning and investment decisions. Uncertainty around trade terms, burden-sharing and industrial policy is pushing Tokyo to deepen hedging ties with regional partners while reassessing market and supply-chain concentration.

Higher-For-Longer Capital Costs

Elevated Treasury yields and persistent inflation pressures are keeping US financing conditions tight. Thirty-year Treasury yields recently touched 5.11%, while rising federal interest costs and fiscal concerns increase borrowing expenses, reducing investment appetite and raising hedging, refinancing, and valuation risks for global firms.

Manufacturing Push and PLI Expansion

India continues to strengthen domestic manufacturing through production-linked incentives, local value-addition requirements and Make in India policies, especially in electronics and solar. The strategy creates opportunities for investors building local capacity, but raises localization, sourcing and trade-compliance considerations.

Critical Minerals Industrial Push

Turkey is positioning itself in boron, rare earths, and lithium processing, citing 73% of global boron reserves and new lithium carbonate capacity. This could support battery, defense, and advanced manufacturing supply chains, while creating opportunities around mining, processing, and industrial partnerships.

Energy Security and Input Costs

Geopolitical tensions in West Asia are highlighting India’s dependence on imported energy and industrial feedstocks, with implications for inflation and factory costs. Companies in chemicals, manufacturing and transport should monitor fuel pricing, tax reforms and potential disruptions affecting cost structures and procurement planning.

Europe-linked bilateral investment expansion

Turkey is deepening commercial ties with European partners including Germany and Belgium, targeting higher trade and investment in logistics, technology, defense and green energy. Germany-Turkey trade stands at $52.2 billion, while Belgium bilateral trade is targeted to rise from $9.3 billion to $15 billion.

Fuel Security and Energy Costs

The UK eased some Russia-related fuel restrictions after Middle East disruption pushed Brent near $110 and petrol to 158.5p per litre. Higher diesel and jet fuel costs are raising transport, aviation and logistics expenses, exposing import dependence and refinery capacity vulnerabilities.

Inflation, Fuel Costs, Currency Exposure

External commodity shocks are lifting transport and input costs despite South Africa’s relatively contained inflation. Government extended temporary fuel tax relief worth about R17.2 billion, but reliance on imported refined petroleum leaves firms exposed to oil volatility, freight inflation and rand-sensitive pricing.

Infrastructure Megaproject Execution Risk

Thailand’s proposed $30 billion land bridge highlights ambitions to become a regional logistics hub, but financing, customer demand, environmental opposition, and political scrutiny create major execution uncertainty. For shippers and investors, the project signals opportunity, yet also significant long-term implementation risk.

Digital trade and Pix scrutiny

US complaints over Pix, electronic payments, platform regulation, and intellectual property have turned Brazil’s digital policy into a trade risk. Foreign fintech, technology, and platform companies may face regulatory friction, compliance costs, and heightened exposure in bilateral negotiations.

Logistics growth with bottlenecks

Trade volumes are expanding rapidly, but transport connectivity remains uneven. In 2025, import-export turnover neared $930 billion, seaport cargo reached about 960 million tons and containers hit 34.3 million TEU, yet weak rail, inland-waterway and data links keep logistics costs elevated.

Migrant Labor Supply Tightening

Business groups are pressing Bangkok to renew 190,000 Cambodian work permits after earlier conflict-driven outflows from a workforce once totaling about 400,000. Agriculture, fishing and construction face acute shortages, raising wage pressures, project delays and operational risk in labor-intensive sectors.

Fiscal Stimulus and Policy Risk

The government plans 400 billion baht in emergency borrowing for cash support, sector relief and renewable transition, but faces central-bank caution and legal opposition. Businesses should watch fiscal-space constraints, public-debt pressures near the 70% cap, and possible shifts in subsidy or tax policy.