Americas: Controversy expected as Guyana’s 2 March general elections vote recount begins Sectors: all; oil & gas Key Risks: political stability; policy continuity; civil unrest In Guyana, controversy over the 2 March general elections is set to increase as the long-delayed full recount of votes began on 6 May. Meant to last around 25 days, according to estimates […]
Americas: Argentina unlikely to modify debt restructuring offer as default looms Sectors: all Key Risks: sovereign default In Argentina, the government appears ready to extend the 8 May deadline it has imposed on holders of US$66.2bln of foreign debt to accept a restructuring proposal which has been already rejected by the main creditor groups. The extension would […]
Mind F&$k In general, people have negative thoughts because they suffer and because they have fears. Humans, unlike animals, can derive from their present circumstances and believe that they can predict the future. When things are going well, the future looks bright, and when they are not, it seems dark. It’s human nature, we love […]
Americas: Brazil’s Bolsonaro under growing pressure as Moro quits finance minister post Sectors: all Key Risks: political instability; policy continuity In Brazil, Sergio Moro resigned on 24 April as justice minister after a showdown with President Jair Bolsonaro, who he accused of interfering in police investigations and of firing the head of the federal police for personal […]
Can’t or Won’t. Can’t = Cannot. Won’t = Will Not. “Troy, what are you on about? Where are you heading with this?” Week four of lockdown and some people are beginning to break down. We spend so much time on making ourselves comfortable that we tend to forget what real hardship is. Lockdown is not […]
Americas: Mexico’s Pemex faces bond sell-off, higher borrowing costs amid credit rating cuts Sectors: oil & gas Key Risks: non-payment; credit rating downgrade In Mexico, embattled state-owned oil firm Pemex is expected to face a bond sell-off and increased borrowing costs following Moody’s Investors Service’s decision to cut its credit rating two notches to Ba2 with a negative […]
#2: Stoicism Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy which teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. Really? A philosophy lesson from a guy that did a four-year security degree in eight-years? A lesson, no – ideas, yes! A friend asked me, “how do you stay focused, in times […]
Americas: Guyana’s electoral authorities to decide on general elections full recount Sectors: all; oil & gas Key Risks: political stability; policy continuity; civil unrest In Guyana, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is meant to decide on the modalities under which it will conduct a full recount of the 2 March general elections. The recount was […]
Isolation One minute your life is more or less normal, wake up, work, gym, weekends, the pub, meeting your friends, family time, shopping, and then overnight, it changes. You’re told to isolate, and the words social distancing are introduced. Social what? We are social creature. Tribal by nature. How do I survive […]
Americas: Argentina delays local-law debt repayments amid heightened Sectors: all Key Risks: sovereign default; policy continuity In Argentina, the government issued a decree unilaterally postponing the payment of up to US$10bln in dollar-denominated debt issued under local law until 31 December or a prior date to be determined by the Economy Ministry. The move, which […]
Americas: Brazil’s Petrobras to cut output, investments amid COVID-19 Sectors: oil and gas Key Risks: economic risks; frustration of process In Brazil, state-owned Petrobras announced plans to cut crude oil production, investment spending and refined-product output to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and of plummeting oil prices. On 26 March the firm stated that it […]
Americas: COVID-19, low oil prices hit Ecuador, Fitch cuts sovereign credit rating to ‘CCC’ Sectors: all; mining Key Risks: business and economic risks; sovereign default In Ecuador, plummeting oil prices and the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak will continue to heighten sovereign default and business disruption risks. On 20 March authorities announced that Canada’s Lundin Gold’s Fruta del Norte […]
