Emerging Markets

Looking ahead to the beginning of 2018, it seems that employers in industries across the board are expecting to add jobs, with certain sectors more likely to hire than others.

The global economy will probably expand this year by 2.7%, the World Bank says. Assuming the growth lives on into 2018, a healthy share of the world’s employers plan to step up hiring in the first three months of the year, American recruiting firm ManpowerGroup found in surveys released last week.

In a big thrust to the Indian government’s crackdown on black money inside and outside the country, a key parliamentary panel in Switzerland has approved an automatic information exchange pact between the two countries.
India had sought an approval from Switzerland to get an instant access to the details on Indians with accounts in Swiss banks.

Volkswagen has become one of the world’s biggest carmakers with a full range of makes and models, including highly engineered vehicles that compete with the world’s best. Now it is returning to its roots with a simpler people’s car, only this time the people are the teeming billions in China, India and other emerging markets.

Volkswagen India’s automotive offerings are actually over delivering for the Indian market, according to Steffen Knapp, director of passenger cars, Volkswagen India. As told to the Economic Times (ET), the company will now be looking to develop more region-specific offerings from sub brand Skoda Auto.

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has begun testing on a proof-of-concept autonomous air taxi, flying for five minutes approximately 650 feet above a windy residential neighborhood.

The air taxis (AATs) are built by the German company Volocopter. Looking like a helicopter with a drone’s rotors attached at the top, it is meant to seat 2 with 18 propellors. Unmanned for its first run, the test and surrounding ceremony was arranged by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

The Pakistani equity market has been one of the best performing equity markets of the world for the last 20 years, despite facing significant challenges.

There are several markets across the broader emerging market (EM) world that offer yield – India is no different in that sense – but very few match Indian bonds for their high yield and low volatility characteristics.

Today’s markets can be challenging when seeking sustainable yields, but that doesn’t mean investors should give up the search.

The optimists noted strong and honest leadership, rule of law, business structures that bore scrutiny against the best in the world, allied with a global political elite that was willing the new South Africa to succeed.