The Emerging Markets Podcast with Fexingo: Developing Economies, Growth, and Investment

South Korean stocks are up nearly 15% in the past week, while China's retail sales just posted their first drop in over three years. Lucas and Luna unpack the divergence: the Bank of Japan's surprise rate hike to 1% is strengthening the yen and lifting Korean exporters, while China's domestic demand continues to weaken. They examine the KOSPI's outperformance, the role of semiconductor and autos e...

Lucas and Luna explore how Vietnam is positioning itself as a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain, with a focus on the country's recent investments in chip assembly and testing facilities. They discuss the geopolitical factors driving this shift, including US-China trade tensions and the CHIPS Act, and examine what this means for emerging market investors. The episode references...

The US dollar is at a 20-year high, yet emerging market equities are rallying—EEM up 3.2% in a week, EWZ surging 4.2%, EWY jumping 6.4%. Hosts Lucas and Luna explore why the old correlation is breaking. They examine the Iran peace deal's impact on oil-dependent EMs, the divergence between Chinese and Korean stocks, and how EM central banks' gold buying and rate hikes have built a buffer. Lucas dri...

Episode 52 of The Emerging Markets Podcast explores a surprising shift: amid global uncertainty, emerging market sovereign bonds are outperforming developed-market debt. Lucas and Luna dive into the data—how EEM is up 3.2% in five days, and the trade-weighted US dollar index at 120.1 is weakening. They discuss why investors are flocking to EM bonds, the role of central bank gold-buying (a record p...

This episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast examines how developing nations are using infrastructure bonds to finance renewable energy and transportation projects. Lucas and Luna discuss the surge in green bond issuance by EM countries, with a focus on India's recent $10 billion infrastructure bond offering and how institutional investors are increasingly allocating capital to these debt instrume...

In June 2026, the world's largest emerging market central banks are buying gold at a pace not seen since the collapse of Bretton Woods. China alone has added over 300 tonnes to its reserves since 2022, while Turkey, Poland, and India are also aggressively diversifying away from US Treasuries. In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the data behind the gold rush—why the People's Bank of China is lea...

Vietnam is quietly emerging as a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain, attracting billions in investment from chipmakers diversifying out of China and Taiwan. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine Vietnam's strategic advantages — from its young workforce and trade agreements to its growing role in chip assembly and testing. They explore recent data showing Vietnam's rising shar...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — including Aadhaar, UPI, and the account aggregator framework — is transforming financial inclusion and creating a template for other emerging economies. They discuss how this infrastructure has enabled a 400 percent increase in digital payments since 2019, with UPI processing o...

In a week where Chinese ADRs like Alibaba and Baidu are down 4-6%, South Korea's EWY ETF has surged nearly 14%. Lucas and Luna break down the divergence: a proposed Iran-US deal opening the Strait of Hormuz, China's deflationary spiral versus Korea's semiconductor-driven rebound, and what the trade data reveals about global supply chain realignment. Specific numbers: EWY up 13.6% in five days, BAB...

This episode examines how SpaceX's historic IPO, expected to price today at a $1.8 trillion valuation, is creating ripple effects across emerging market technology and space-related stocks. Lucas and Luna analyze the data: EM tech ETFs like KWEB and individual Chinese tech giants BABA, JD, and BIDU have diverged sharply this week, with Chinese stocks down 4-6% while broader EM indexes like EEM and...

While everyone watches Vietnam and Mexico, Bangladesh is quietly emerging as a serious alternative in global manufacturing. Lucas and Luna look at the numbers on June 11, 2026: the EEM up 3.4 percent in five days, the EWY surging 10.5 percent, and a trade-weighted dollar at 120.1. But the real story is Bangladesh's garment-to-electronics pivot. Lucas breaks down why Bangladesh's labor costs are no...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Mexico is emerging as a dominant manufacturing hub in emerging markets, driven by nearshoring trends away from China. With the trade-weighted US dollar index at 120.1 and the yuan weakening to 6.77 per dollar, Mexico is attracting record foreign direct investment, especially in automotive and electronics. We discuss the specific advantages Mexico offers,...

The US dollar is hitting multi-year highs, and emerging market currencies are paying the price. Lucas and Luna examine why a strong dollar is crushing EM debt, squeezing import-dependent economies, and creating a new stress test for central banks from Brazil to Indonesia. They break down the mechanics: dollar-denominated debt becomes more expensive, commodity exporters face price compression, and...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore a quiet but powerful force in developing economies: remittance flows. With the US dollar index at 120.1 and the yuan at 6.77 per dollar, billions sent home by migrant workers are propping up currencies and funding consumption in countries like India, the Philippines, and Mexico. Lucas breaks down how remittances now exceed for...

As AI models guzzle electricity, data center construction is booming in emerging markets with cheap power and lax grids. Lucas and Luna examine the paradox: countries like Malaysia, Chile, and Saudi Arabia are attracting billions in AI infrastructure investment, but their fragile power systems risk blackouts. They break down the specific numbers — Malaysia's 4.5 gigawatts of new data center capaci...

With emerging market stocks down sharply in June 2026, Lucas and Luna explore a surprising bright spot: dividend-paying EM companies. They examine how firms in Brazil, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia are offering yields that rival or beat developed-market bonds, while currency depreciation amplifies dollar-denominated returns for foreign investors. Using real data from the week's selloff, they disc...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine a strange divergence gripping developing economies in early June 2026: while emerging market stocks are plunging—South Korea's KOSPI down over 13 percent in a week, Brazil's Bovespa sliding nearly 6 percent—many EM currencies are actually holding steady or even strengthening. The Chinese yuan has barely budged, the Mexican pes...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into the dramatic capital flight hitting emerging markets in June 2026, anchored by South Korea's KOSPI plunge of 7% in a single day and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) dropping 7.8% in a week. They explore how a combination of a strong dollar, rising geopolitical tensions (Iran-Israel strikes), and domestic political...

Episode 37 of The Emerging Markets Podcast examines Saudi Arabia's surprising resilience amid the Iran war and the Hormuz closure. With OPEC+ approving a fourth oil output quota hike since the strait's closure, Saudi Arabia is capitalizing on higher volumes and stable production. Lucas and Luna discuss how the Kingdom's fiscal breakeven oil price has fallen to around $80 per barrel, its sovereign...

South Korea's KOSPI is getting obliterated in early June 2026, with the EWY ETF down 19% in five days. Lucas and Luna dig into why — a perfect storm of export slowdown, China exposure, and the Iran war hitting semiconductor supply chains. They contrast Korea's pain with India and Brazil holding up, and ask whether this is a buying opportunity or a structural reset. Plus: how the trade-weighted dol...

South Africa is re-emerging as a critical gateway to African markets, with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) accelerating trade and investment. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Johannesburg is becoming a hub for logistics, finance, and manufacturing, drawing companies from China, Europe, and the US. They discuss the country's infrastructure upgrades, the role of the rand...

On June 6, 2026, emerging market ETFs are in a broad sell-off, with South Korea's EWY down 19% in five days and Brazil's EWZ down 4.7%. Lucas and Luna drill into one specific trigger: the Nasdaq's 4% crash on June 5, which hammered tech-heavy EM markets as traders fled chip stocks. They unpack how the AI capex blowup—Google paying SpaceX $920 million a month for compute—is spooking investors, and...

South Korea has been the standout emerging market in 2026, but a brutal selloff is underway. The EWY ETF is down 17.4% in five days. Lucas and Luna drill into why — from semiconductor export data to the strong yen-won dynamics and a cooling China trade partner. They discuss what this means for investors who piled into Korea as an AI proxy and why the divergence from other EM markets matters. A foc...

Episode 32 of The Emerging Markets Podcast examines the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its impact on supply chains, investment flows, and intra-African trade. Lucas and Luna discuss how AfCFTA is reducing tariffs, boosting manufacturing in nations like Kenya and Ghana, and attracting foreign direct investment from China and Europe. They reference the latest trade data and explore...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the quiet but strategic rise of the Chinese yuan as a settlement currency in emerging markets. With the yuan weakening slightly to 6.77 per dollar this week, they look beyond the headline to examine how China is using bilateral swap lines and trade agreements to bypass the dollar system. Lucas breaks down the numbers: over 20...