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

Episode 30 of The Emerging Markets Podcast dives into commodity futures curves as a leading indicator for emerging market economies. Lucas and Luna unpack the recent shift from contango to backwardation in oil and copper, and what it signals for producers like Brazil and importers like India. With EWT up 4.5% in the past week and EWZ down 4.1%, they explore how the futures curve explains the diver...

Thailand's stock market has surged 4.4% in the past week alone, making it the best-performing major emerging market in early June 2026. Lucas and Luna explore what's driving the rally: a recovering tourism sector, strong exports, and a stable political environment that contrasts with turmoil in other EM economies. They break down the key numbers behind Thailand's GDP growth, the role of China's re...

In Episode 28 of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine Vietnam's rapid ascent as a global manufacturing hub, spurred by U.S. tariffs on 60 economies and a sustained shift away from China. With exports up 15% year-over-year and foreign direct investment flooding into electronics and textiles, Vietnam is outperforming peers like Indonesia and India in attracting factory relocations. B...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore why emerging market ETFs are delivering wildly different returns in 2026. They use the latest data as of June 2, 2026, highlighting South Korea's 7% weekly gain versus Brazil's 1.4% decline. The hosts discuss the role of AI-driven semiconductor demand, commodity cycles, and currency strength in driving this divergence. They al...

India's emergence as a manufacturing and export powerhouse is reshaping the emerging markets landscape. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the latest trade data and ETF flows to understand how India is positioning itself as the next China. They discuss the iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA), which is up 8% year-to-date, and the recent surge in foreign direct investment into India's electronics and...

South Korea's KOSPI and the EWZ ETF have surged 8.5% in the past week, defying the broader EM weakness. Lucas and Luna examine why — from the memory chip revival driven by AI demand to SK Hynix's dominance and the won's resilience against a strong dollar. They also look at how Korea's trade surplus with China is shifting, and why the country's tech-heavy export mix makes it a unique bet in the eme...

China tech stocks are moving in wildly different directions this year. While Alibaba and JD.com are down, Baidu and NIO are surging. Lucas and Luna dig into the numbers: Pinduoduo dropped over 10% in a single week, while Baidu gained nearly 6%. What's driving these divergences? They explore China's shifting regulatory landscape, AI ambitions, and the fading "cheap China" narrative. Plus, how the s...

Lucas and Luna dig into the striking divergence among emerging market ETFs in late May 2026. The iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) surged 13.1% in five days on chip demand, while the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) dropped 0.7% and Alibaba fell 4.4%. They explore what's driving the gap: structural resilience versus regulatory uncertainty, and what it means for investors. The hosts also...

Episode 22 examines how shifting geopolitical tensions and climate change are reshaping one of the world's most vital trade corridors. With Egypt already reeling from a sharp drop in canal revenues, the hosts explore what a prolonged disruption means for emerging market supply chains, from Indian textiles to Vietnamese electronics. Lucas and Luna break down specific numbers: the Canal Authority's...

While most emerging markets have struggled with a strong dollar and geopolitical turmoil, Colombia has quietly become one of the best-performing EM economies in 2026. Lucas and Luna break down how the country's fiscal discipline, energy exports, and institutional credibility have attracted record foreign investment—and why Colombia's central bank held rates steady at 9.5% even as neighbors cut. Th...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine Poland's remarkable GDP growth, which has outpaced many larger emerging economies in 2026. With the zloty stable, exports surging, and EU fund inflows boosting infrastructure, Poland has become a quiet bright spot. The hosts discuss how the country's proximity to the Ukraine war and its reliance on EU trade create both opportu...

Lucas and Luna explore Indonesia's rapid rise as a manufacturing destination, drawing on recent trade data and the country's nickel processing boom. They discuss how Indonesia's value-added export strategy, combined with geopolitical shifts and a stable rupiah, is attracting foreign investment away from China and Vietnam. The episode examines the trade-offs: infrastructure gaps, regulatory hurdles...

Episode 18 of The Emerging Markets Podcast dives into a paradox. The US dollar has stayed stubbornly strong through early 2026, trading above 119 on the trade-weighted index. But the conventional wisdom — that a strong dollar crushes emerging markets — is breaking down. Lucas and Luna examine why China's yuan is weakening, how Korea's export machine is surging (EWY up 10.7% in a week), and what th...

Lucas and Luna examine Turkey's unorthodox approach to taming inflation after the 2023 currency crisis, focusing on the central bank's real interest rate strategy and the recent $15 billion infrastructure push. With the Turkish lira stabilizing against the dollar and inflation dropping from 85% to 39%, the episode explores whether Ankara's gamble of cutting rates to fight rising prices can actuall...

Lucas and Luna explore Saudi Arabia's rapid transformation under Vision 2030, from NEOM megaprojects to a surging stock market. With the Tadawul All Share Index up 18% year-to-date and foreign investment flowing into tech and tourism, the kingdom is diversifying beyond oil. Lucas breaks down the numbers: non-oil GDP growth of 5.6% in Q1 2026, a $925 billion Public Investment Fund, and the listing...

Lucas and Luna look beyond the usual BRICS and Southeast Asian names to explore a quiet transformation in North Africa. Morocco has posted compound annual growth rate above 3.5 percent for five straight years, driven by automotive exports, renewable energy, and a pivot toward African supply chains. The hosts dig into why the Tangier port complex now rivals Rotterdam for vehicle transshipment, how...

One South Korean chipmaker has surged 250% this year, pulling the entire Korea ETF up 15% in a single week. Lucas and Luna dig into how SK Hynix's trillion-dollar valuation is rippling through emerging markets, from Taiwan semiconductor supply chains to Vietnam's manufacturing ambitions. They discuss the concentration risk of AI-driven EM plays and whether countries like India can replicate Korea'...

Episode 13 of The Emerging Markets Podcast dives into Brazil's surprising resilience. While China ETFs slump and Korea surges, Brazil's EWZ ETF is up 1.3% in the past five days, defying a strong dollar and political noise. Lucas and Luna unpack how agribusiness exports and a stalled but live fiscal reform package are driving investor sentiment. They examine the recent central bank decision to hold...

Lucas and Luna examine how a strengthening U.S. dollar, now above 119 on the trade-weighted index, is tightening the screws on emerging economies that depend on imports. They zero in on Turkey and Indonesia, where currency depreciation is driving up inflation and forcing central banks to choose between growth and stability. With the dollar near multi-year highs against the yuan and yen, the hosts...

While much of the emerging markets world has stumbled in 2026, Taiwan's semiconductor juggernaut has propelled the iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF to a 5.5% gain over the past five days alone — far outpacing China, Brazil, and even India. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine how Taiwan's chip ecosystem, anchored by TSMC, has turned the island into a critical node in global supply chains and a bellwethe...

This episode drills into Singapore's surprisingly resilient economy as a bellwether for emerging markets. With April inflation coming in at just 1.8 percent and GDP growth revised upward, the city-state is defying the global slowdown. Lucas and Luna unpack how Singapore's trade-dependent model is weathering the strong dollar, falling oil prices, and China's tech rout. They examine why the Singapor...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine how the persistent strength of the US dollar is reshaping emerging market debt dynamics. With the trade-weighted dollar index hitting 119.3 and many EM currencies under pressure, countries like Egypt, Pakistan, and Kenya face renewed debt service strains. The hosts explore the mechanics of dollar-denominated sovereign debt, th...

In this episode of The Emerging Markets Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine Egypt's surprising emergence as a frontier market to watch in 2026. With the Egyptian pound stabilizing after a 40% devaluation in 2024 and the IMF program on track, foreign portfolio inflows are returning. The hosts zero in on the Ras El Hekma deal – a $35 billion investment from Abu Dhabi that is reshaping the country's exte...

Lucas and Luna drill into Peru as an overlooked emerging market, using the live data around a strengthening dollar and weak China demand to explain why Peru's copper exports, fiscal discipline, and political stability make it a contrarian bet. They reference the recent copper price rally and Peru's 4.2% GDP growth forecast for 2026, compare it to Chile and Mexico, and discuss the risks around Chin...

While many emerging markets struggle, Vietnam's manufacturing boom and stable currency are attracting investors. Lucas and Luna dig into the numbers: exports are up 14% year-over-year, foreign direct investment hit $6.3 billion in the first quarter, and the VN-Index is one of the few EM benchmarks up this year. They also discuss whether Vietnam can avoid the pitfalls China faced—rising wages, prop...