I was recently in Buenos Aires on a business trip and, for over two weeks, I had the opportunity to meet with 22 country and regional managers from multinationals with presence in Argentina, two Central Bank executives, one multinational distributor…
With a growth rate averaging 6% in the last 5 years, Vietnam is a rising star within Southeast Asia. As the country becomes increasingly industrialized and urbanized, the expansion of the middle and affluent classes offer many opportunities to retailers…
Sri Lanka’s economy has displayed remarkably consistent economic performance since 2014. Although a small country, Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is notably higher than some of the larger ASEAN economies, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Within…
Belarus will suffer another significant recession in 2016. After falling by nearly 4% YOY in 2015, GDP will contract to a similar extent this year as Russian demand for exports further weakens, refined oil transit revenues fall, and government spending…
With the conclusion of China’s annual National People’s Congress this week, the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan is now official. Chinese leaders have committed to maintaining a growth floor of 6.5% during 2016-2020 while gradually liberalizing the market. Of course, balancing…
The Mexican peso has fallen from an average value of 16.4 MXP/USD to 18.29 as of Jan. 29, 2016, an unexpected and unwelcome drop for most multinationals. When FSG last surveyed Mexico executives in late October, 72 percent of executives…
In 2014, state-level spending in Brazil represented 26 percent of total public spending, or approximately US$ 258 billion[i] (federal and municipal spending represented 58 percent and 16 percent respectively). Total state-level spending in Brazil then represented the equivalent of approximately…