Mark Bohlund

Sub-Saharan Africa’s economies entered 2026 with significant momentum. The region had notched its fastest growth rate in 10 years—4.5 percent in 2025—buoyed by reduced macroeconomic imbalances, rising investment levels, and improving market sentiment…. 1/5

Register here. @d48d8aa0-5d8e-415b-a207-98fe097dc422" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cc7a8a9b…

Starting in 30m. join us for a live webinar on 29 April as we examine the evolving situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on GCC credit markets;Time: 11:00 AM London | 6:00 AM New York | 1:00 PM Saudi Arabia | 2:00 PM UAE | 6:00 PM Sing

Something big seems to be cooking in the Middle East: Multiple Emirate commentators are softening the ground for a major diplomatic announcement. Aside Iran, the UAE has been dissatisfied with several neighbors and its membership in several organisations.

I'm a historian and my province is the past not the future but this is going to end badly

Amazing how fast the US has swung from hyping the "trillions" it was going to get from the oil sheiks and Asia ... to talking about providing those same countries with billions in bailouts (swaps ... ) 1/

A U.S. firm central to the Trump administration's push to secure critical minerals from Congo overstated its mining experience, Reuters has found. reuters.com/world/africa/u…

@pcaruanagalizia I would extend my stay if i could afford to...

If you're in Amsterdam the evening of 29 May... debalie.nl/programma/welc…

Interesting WSJ story about the Emirates request for a swap line -- the UAE hasn't reported its end March reserves but it went into the conflict with tons of reserves and no shortage of liquid bills in US custodians 1/

Good chart from Bloomberg, Egypt's interest payments are no joke. Argentina calculation is complicated by the non transferable treasury securities held by the BCRA; the real interest burden is higher 1/

"As of Dec. 31, 2025, the exposure of #Togolese banks to #Senegal reached XOF266bn (ca 5% of banking assets), and that exposure increased by another XOF170bn in 1Q26 as Togolese financial institutions were major players in Senegal's recent debt issuances" spglobal.com/ratings/en/reg…

Deep in Morocco's fertile heartlands, pickup trucks carrying migrants from sub-Saharan Africa roll past a sea of plastic greenhouses producing fresh fruit and vegetables for supermarkets across Europe and West Africa. reuters.com/sustainability…

Congo is poised to overtake Ethiopia to become sub-Saharan Africa’s fifth-largest economy this year, the IMF said bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

New episode of @MajlisMarkets with @AltawariIssam talking about the impact of Iran War on Kuwait and Gulf economies. Out now! youtu.be/PczEPYmm_ko?si…

On May 1 China is set to remove tariffs imposed on Africa's exports. Why now? What is the promise of this new offer? It's limitations? "There is nonetheless a risk that consistent tariff treatment merely facilitates the continent’s stronger economies and export prospects, such as Morocco, Egypt and South Africa. Where economies like Kenya and Ghana may benefit somewhat, there is a risk that LDCs gain least, and even get squeezed. That is, more industrialised nations like South Africa can squeeze the prospects of countries like Malawi. On the other hand, Malawi may in the end benefit more from regional cooperation with a richer South Africa than from more direct access to China. The net impacts will only be known over time and also be a product of cross-country and regional policy responses." welthungerhilfe.org/global-food-jo…

To put this in context: the total gold sales amount to ~40% of all gold accumulated by EM central banks in 2025. Two similar episodes in Turkey’s recent history: mid-2018 during the Pastor Brunson crisis and mid-2023 ahead of the presidential election. Doesn’t look pleasant.

@hvtwwz Bristol is great if you ask me.

i already visited notty, manny, cambridge, london, birmingham, brighton-- any other great city in the uk that i should visit ?? (and why)

Recent shocks to the global economy have reinforced the divide between emerging markets that have strengthened their policy frameworks and those that remain more exposed to external volatility. In today's post, the authors explore the divide between these two sets of countries. nyfed.org/4vkMLgi

Going for a five-year and ten-year issuance that may well exceed USD 1bn. Think (lack of concerns for) timing shows they're relatively price insensitive...