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BMI View : We are revising our passenger car production forecast to a contraction of 0.8% in 2017, down from growth of 1.7% previously, as a downturn in car demand in one of the country's key export markets, the Middle East, weighs on local autos manufacturing.

Having previously expected a revival in domestic vehicle sales and robust demand

Heightened tension over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme could have a substantial impact on South Korea's economy and cause broader effects if it disrupts trade relations, most notably between China and the US. Nevertheless, the risk of an outright conflict, while rising, is still low

The North Korean issues are long-standing and have shown

The limited reach of Tunisia's wireline infrastructure means that mobile networks have shouldered the burden of fast-maturing digital services consumption. This is not sustainable even with 4G technology. A national wholesale network operator would spread the load and make it easier to launch and grow the use of advanced services, benefiting the

Sanofi Pasteur maintains that a public-private partnership approach over the Zika public health emergency was the right course to take, but, given the considerable opposition over the firm's exclusive licence to patents developed through public funds, this has proved to be a useful case study for managing such contracts in the future. Companies

Vietnam is set to join the list of Southeast Asian countries that are seeking to impose a sugar tax on soft drinks. The country has relatively low levels of obesity (traditionally the rationale behind a sugar tax) and so will be looking to stymie the threat of this disease, as we forecast demand for carbonated beverages to increase.

The Vietnamese

BMI View: The ninth annual summit of the BRICS did not result in any 'groundbreaking' initiatives, but we can nevertheless glean several key takeaways: the diversity of the BRICS means few common goals are identified; trade liberalisation is being pushed by China; and India is encouraging cooperation in moving the economies up the value chain.

The

Coming from a low base for activity following a difficult couple of years in the Middle East - due to the dramatic slump in crude oil prices, various political shockwaves, and a slowdown in economic growth - conditions for an uptick in IPO issuance among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies are looking increasingly fertile once more. In a

Australia is home to one of the rising stars in the global sovereign wealth fund (SWF) world in the form of the Australian Government Future Fund - an independently managed fund within which the central government deposits its budget surplus for investment. According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, the Future Fund is currently the world's

We have made a minor adjustment to our UK production forecast following ongoing commissioning issues at EnQuest's Kraken heavy oil field development. Whilst we remain positive on UK oil output growth, the potential delays to other project start-ups in the North Sea basin will remain the largest downside risk to the timescale of our production

Walmart is ramping up its e-Commerce plans by expanding its presence in grocery delivery services, to better compete with rivals Amazon and Target, both of which have introduced same-day grocery delivery service. By deepening its partnership with Uber, Walmart is hoping to compete with its competitors via its fast delivery service, which promises