GlobalSource Partners | Country Insights

This report includes my latest slide deck on the war impact and outlook, along with impressions from my two-week tour of the GCC on the local mood, including attitudes towards the US, Iran and other Gulf states.

Topic of the week: 2Q 2026 Slide deck

CAUCASUS / CENTRAL ASIA · Presentation · 02 Jul 2026

This is the quarterly slide deck for 2Q26 for the Caucasus and Central Asia, comprising a 206-slide detailed description of the economic status quo in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It covers various topics, including growth, economic structure, inflation, ra...

Israel's high-tech sector continues to expand

ISRAEL · In Brief · 01 Jul 2026

Recent data on high-tech services exports (April) and startup fundraising (June) suggest that Israel's technology sector continues to demonstrate resilience despite geopolitical challenges. Israeli startups raised approximately USD 8.45 billion during the first half of 2026, including a record US...

Bi-Weekly Economic News Summary

KAZAKHSTAN · In Brief · 01 Jul 2026

Jun 18 NBK: A national strategic crypto reserve with an investment target of $1 bln has been established in the country. NBK: In June, the Bank, as a regulator, changed investment declaration of the Unified Pension Fun and added new guidelines for alternative investment instruments to be a part o...

Mulino confirms Cobre Panama will not operate under a contract-law framework approved by the National Assembly

PANAMA · In Brief · 01 Jul 2026

President José Raúl Mulino used his address at the opening of the National Assembly’s legislative session to clarify one key point on Cobre Panama: the legal mechanism for a potential reopening will not be a contract law and, therefore, will not be submitted to the National Assembly for approval,...

Central Bank keeps the monetary policy interest rate unchanged in July

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · In Brief · 01 Jul 2026

The Central Bank decided to keep its monetary policy interest rate unchanged at 5.25% per year in July, a level that has remained in place since November 2025. Likewise, the rate on the Standing Liquidity Expansion Facility (one-day repo) remains at 5.75% per year, while the remuneration rate on ...

Encouraging electoral results, big challenges ahead for the new government

COLOMBIA · Report · 01 Jul 2026 · 1 response

President-elect de la Espriella's victory was expected; in our more stressed scenarios, his chief opponent Iván Cepeda lost in over 75% of all simulations. Still, the new president-elect defeated his closest rival by less than 1 percentage point: the narrowest victory in modern Colombian history....

Former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro has stepped down as president of PL Mulher, the Senate will hold a plenary debate on the 6x1 work schedule PEC, and leaders meet to discuss the rural debt renegotiation bill

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 01 Jul 2026

Former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro has reached an agreement with the Liberal Party (PL) to step down as chair of PL Mulher, the party's women's wing. The decision follows the public dispute between Michelle and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), the party's presidential candidate. Today, the Federa...

Essential CIS Politics: June 15-30, 2026

CIS POLITICS · Report · 01 Jul 2026

Major headlines: Ukraine war update: Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries caused fuel shortages, queues, and rationing across Russia. Putin acknowledged the issue on June 30 while officials negotiated imports; military diesel supplies are prioritized over civilian shortages. Front update: ...

With inflation still high in June, the NBK will probably hold steady in July

KAZAKHSTAN · In Brief · 01 Jul 2026

The Bureau of National Statistics reported a slight y-o-y inflation slowdown (to 10.3% from 10.4% in May), but m-o-m inflation ticked up to 0.8% from 0.7% in May, showing disinflation has nearly stalled since October 2025. Last year’s sharp base rate hike cooled the economy and slowed household c...

Mulino’s “mining deadline” is near, but Cobre Panamá’s re-opening schedule is uncertain. Strong activity data support a 4.5% growth forecast for 2026

PANAMA · Forecast · 30 Jun 2026

"D-Day" is approaching for the solution of the "Minera Panama Case": our assessment is that on July 1, the date President Mulino had promised to present the roadmap for the reopening of the copper mine, he may propose general ideas rather than specific plans. The same day, the new Directorate of ...

Peru: Keiko Fujimori is officially the winner of the runoff

PERU · In Brief · 30 Jun 2026 · 1 response

Last night, Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales (ONPE, the office responsible for organizing the elections) and Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE, the national electoral jury) finished the tally of 100% of the runoff votes, including those contested, and confirmed that Keiko Fujimori (KF) f...

Lula launched the Desenrola program for financially compliant consumers, he will launch the 2026 Harvest Plan today, and the Senate may vote on the minimum freight rate policy provisional measure

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 30 Jun 2026

In another move aimed at boosting his popularity, President Lula yesterday launched the Desenrola Adimplentes program during an event at the Presidential Palace. The initiative will offer loans with monthly interest rates of 1.99% to informal workers who are current on their debts. Today, Lula wi...

Politics: Justice in Mexico—the great deficit

MEXICO · Report · 29 Jun 2026

Mexico's justice system faces a structural crisis of historic proportions, one that now carries direct geopolitical consequences. The US demand to extradite ten ruling-party politicians linked to criminal organizations has forced President Sheinbaum into an impossible dilemma: complying risks a s...

Weekly report, June 29, 2026: Netanyahu prepares for a post-election deadlock; markets reassess geopolitical risk, AI valuations, and the upcoming Bank of Israel rate decision

ISRAEL · Report · 29 Jun 2026

Executive Summary - Netanyahu's agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties appears aimed at preserving the Likud-ultra-Orthodox bloc after the elections. With current polls pointing to the loss of the coalition's parliamentary majority, the agreement reduces the likelihood that the ultra-Ortho...