Each week Frontier Strategy Group’s global team shares their view on key media stories, and what the implications are for businesses that operate in emerging markets. For more information about how to contact our analysts, send us an email.

Mario Gutierrez on “Colombia’s Congress Approves Peace Accord With FARC”

“Colombia’s Congress just approved a revised peace accord with the country’s largest rebel group on Wednesday night, a vote that was most likely the final hurdle in ratifying the troubled agreement whose earlier version had been rejected in a referendum this fall.”

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Dalia Naguib on “Egypt raises tariffs up to 60 percent for imported goods”

“Although Egypt has been slowly lifting capital controls and allowing the importation of non-essential goods, the measure to increase tariffs on specific items shows that the government is still trying to discourage certain types of imports from entering the market in order to ease pressure on FX reserves.”

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Cheng Siew Chua on “Thailand’s crown prince accepts invitation to become new king”

“Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has accepted the National Legislative Assembly’s invitation to ascend the throne and become the new King of Thailand. He will be formally crowned after the mourning period. With the royal succession in place, there should be more stability on the domestic front, and the government should be able to shift its focus to bolstering economic growth in Thailand.”

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Mark McNamee on “OPEC Confounds Skeptics, Agrees to First Oil Cuts in 8 Years”

“While OPEC’s deal will drive prices up above US $50/bbl for some time, many questions still linger as to both internal and external (i.e. Russian) compliance with the deal through H1 2017. Moreover, the uptick in prices will be a boon to US shale producers, who will be able to increase output, capping the rise in oil prices.”

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Joel Whitaker on “‘Trump Effect’ Is Already Shaping Events Around the World”

“Foreign leaders and corporate executives are starting to bet on the foreign policy priorities of the Trump presidency. Much remains undefined and unpredictable, but all indications are that a few key campaign themes will persist: renegotiation of trade agreements, restrictions on immigration from Mexico and Muslim nations, and Middle-East policy that sharply separates ‘friends’ from ‘enemies.'”

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Athanasia Kokkinogeni on “‘Italy referendum: all you need to know about Renzi’s crunch vote”

“Multinationals should expect that a disapproval in the Italian referendum on Sunday will slow Italian policymaking and necessary reforms. A yes in the referendum would reduce Italian Senate to a third. Although this would accelerate policy making as well as facilitate spending cuts, the Italians are concerned that the reform will give excess powers to PM Renzi and any Italian elected next.'”

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