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 […]
Americas: Border closures, travel restrictions, deportations amid COVID-19 in Latin America Sectors: all Key Risks: business and economic risks; travel disruption; FoP Latin American countries will continue to heighten measures to try to control the spread of COVID-19. Border closures, deportations of tourists refusing to quarantine, banning large public events, suspension of flights, banning foreigners and […]
Americas: Argentine farmers launch commercial strike to protest export tax hike Sectors: agriculture; all Key Risks: business risks; strikes; transport disruption; protests In Argentina, farmers launched a four-day commercial strike on 9 March which could also lead to disruptive protests on the country’s main roads. On 5 March the Rural Confederations of Argentina (CRA) announced […]
Americas: Mexico’s Pemex posts US$18.3bln loss in 2019, financial challenges to persist Sectors: all; oil & gas Key Risks: non-payment; recession; credit rating downgrade In Mexico, on 27 January state-owned oil firm Pemex announced a US$18.3bln net loss in 2019, almost double the losses reported in 2018 and its worst annual performance not primarily due to external […]
Americas: Guyana to hold long-delayed snap general elections on 2 March Sectors: all; oil & gas Key Risks: political stability; contract frustration; policy continuity; civil unrest In Guyana, long-delayed snap general elections will take place on 2 March following a December 2018 vote of no confidence against President David Granger’s government. The vote will be […]