Features
Russian equity market on hold until US elections pass
Russia's equity markets are trading sideways as investors wait for the US presidential elections to pass, but some investors are already taking positions in the blue chips in anticipation of a mini-re-rating that could happen afterwards.
Amid war, Armenians closely watching the signals from Russia
The messaging from Moscow has been pro-Armenia but critical of its government. And some Armenians are questioning their leaders’ flirtation, as mild as it’s been, with the West.
TURKEY INSIGHT: Hospital building consortium latest creditor to go for a high stakes restructuring
Talks on €900mn of loans proceed as country’s shocking pile of debt across fields including construction, energy, conglomerates and now tourism mounts up.
Poland, Russia heading for long-running legal dispute over Nord Stream 2
Poland and Russia look set for a lengthy and arduous legal dispute, after Polish antimonopoly watchdog UOKiK last week slapped Kremlin-run gas supplier Gazprom with a $7.6bn fine for going ahead with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline without its consent
CEE-4 growth pulls ahead of the rest of Europe
After two and half decades as members of the EU, the leading four Central European countries of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Romania are pulling ahead of their peers, but remain vulnerable thanks to their reliance on the automotive sector.
Kyrgyzstan is no Belarus: country's third revolution may hide age-old tribalistic power struggle
In assessing events in the Central Asian republic, you can’t ignore its intricate north-south divide.
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Karabakh’s critical supply line fights to stay open
The road through Lachin is a critical supply line between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and it’s coming under regular attack from Azerbaijan.
Attempted coup seen as under way in Kyrgyzstan
Protesters break into building housing parliament and presidential offices and free President Sooronbai Jeenbekov’s predecessor Almazbek Atambayev. Television and security buildings taken over.
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Ukraine’s banking sector’s performance in August was remarkably good but it is not out of the woods yet
Ukraine’s banking sector’s performance in August was remarkably good given the negative impact on the economy from the coronacrisis, but the sector has yet to make back all the ground lost
Nagorno-Karabakh’s previously flourishing economy hit by coronacrisis but supported by Armenia
The disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is a small but not insignificantly sized region that generated almost three-quarters of a billion dollars of GDP in 2019, according to the self-proclaimed republic's statistics bureau.
The EU summit puts its credibility on the line
The EU’s credibility was on the line as delegates met on October 1 in Brussels for a two-day summit to discuss a slew of headaches plaguing the Union.
Imagine Caucasus as “another Syria” cautions Armenia’s president as conflict with Azerbaijan rages on
Moves towards arranging peace talks only edge forward as Armen Sarkissian says: “The international community has to realise that if you don’t interfere now, then the Caucasus will become another huge problem.”
Tajikistan revives on-off dispute with Iran
Tehran summoned the Tajik ambassador to account for accusations of supporting terrorism.
Are the Caucasus energy assets in danger from a war in Nagorno-Karabakh?
Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is escalating. Are the numerous pipelines and oil and gas fields in danger of getting caught up in the fighting?
Mongolia’s wrestling culture: From the grasslands to the cage
“When you’re little, they make you wrestle sheep. When you get older you wrestle horses, and finally, you wrestle camels,” says one wrestler. Can country’s centuries-old wrestling tradition be translated to domination of professional MMA?
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Turkmenistan: Everybody yurts, sometimes
In a rare nod to reality, Turkmenistan’s strongman hints at austerity.
TURKEY INSIGHT: Surprise rate hike not actually a rate hike?
“It’s more of a ‘catch-up’” says one analyst. New benchmark rate of 10.25% still below average cost of funding.