Global Investment Views - October 2018

Price dislocations lead to a rise in contrarian views  

The hot summer in emerging markets (EM) has been a key investor theme in the third quarter of this year. While the ongoing US/China trade tensions continue to weigh on investor sentiment, the sequence of country-specific stories (Turkey, Argentina and South Africa) contributed to the almost indiscriminate repricing of EM assets, starting with plummeting EM currencies. The causes of the collapse seen in the currencies’ values in these countries are different (need to apply for IMF aid for Argentina; balance of payment crisis in Turkey, accelerated by the perceived lack of independence of the central bank; the start of an economic recession in South Africa, with additional concerns regarding the land reform plan).

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