Articles

The Latest: During the American Society of Haematology (ASH) annual meeting, which took place from December –9-12 2023 in California, Johnson and Johnson (J&J) announced positive data from the Perseus Phase III clinical trial. The study, which evaluated Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase) among stem cell transplant-eligible patients

Key View:

• Recent and upcoming inaugurations of new and reelected leaders in Argentina, Egypt, and Poland highlight ongoing economic and political constraints facing their agendas. In emerging markets (EMs) with upcoming elections, including South Africa, Mexico, and Turkiye (municipal) such constraints will test incumbents and raise unrest

Latest Development: State-owned operator VNPT has called for the government to adjust the regulatory system to facilitate the development of Internet of Things (IoT), cloud, big data and AI service provision in Vietnam.

Forecast Implications: We see this as a positive development from the government to push for IoT infrastructure that would

Key View

• We forecast that real GDP growth in Cameroon will accelerate to 4.5% in 2024, up from 3.9% in 2023. We retain our 2023 forecast after Q223 data showed that growth accelerated, in line with our expectations, coming in at 3.9% against an upwardly revised 3.6% in Q123.
• In 2024, growth will be driven by a strong performance by the non

Key View

• Beijing stressed the importance of making “economic progress” at its annual Central Economic Work Conference on December 12.
• We take this to mean that it will set a growth target of around 5% at the upcoming Two Meetings (lianghui) in March.
• However, a weak global economic outlook in 2024 and the ongoing housing market downturn mean

Key View

• Trade risks will escalate for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers amid the push from various markets to enhance self-sufficiency in their EV supply chains.
• The EU is likely to sign new free trade agreements (FTAs) with resource-rich markets in 2024 to diversify its supply of

Key View

• We revised down Saudi Arabia's GDP growth forecast for 2024 from 3.3% to 2.6% due to lower oil production post-OPEC+ production cuts. This will see the non-oil economy be the primary driver of growth despite some softening due to elevated interest rates.
• The kingdom will register a slight fiscal surplus in 2024, bolstered by slightly

Key View

• Establishing the first ever ‘Health Day’ at COP28 will provide a platform at future meetings to highlight the inextricable link between climate and health.
• The endorsement of the Declaration on Climate and Health by more than 140 countries at COP28, coupled with several funding commitments, will help to support the resilience of

Key View

• The release of the EU’s list of critical medicines will bolster efforts to mitigate drug shortages in Europe.
• In the long-term, we expect a structural shift towards enhanced local pharmaceutical manufacturing within the region to reduce dependence on imports.
• However, the EU's proposed legislation will hinder pharmaceutical

Key View

• Malaysia’s upstream sector is gathering momentum as investors commit to exploration and production investments.
• New PSCs are providing the impetus for increased investments in Malaysia’s upstream exploration and production.
• Accelerated upstream exploration efforts are contributing to new discoveries and reserves.
• The outlook for