Monthly Archive for April, 2011

Women are the Next Global Emerging Market

Published on April 11, 2011 in Emerging Markets. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Here’s what works (and what doesn’t) when selling to this large, but surprisingly often ignored group of consumers.

Women’s economic power is truly revolutionary, representing the largest market opportunity in the world. Just look at the numbers: Women control 65 percent of global spending and more than 80 percent of U.S. spending. By 2014, the World Bank predicts that the global income of women will grow by more than $5 trillion.

Globally, women consumers control $20 trillion in consumer spending. They make the final decision for buying 91 percent of home purchases, 65 percent of the new cars, 80 percent of health care choices, and 66 percent of computers.

Women around the globe have more control over their life choices and path than ever before. In emerging markets, women are entering the workforce at lightning speed [Source].

For Hedge Fund Investors, Brazil Is the Country of Now

Published on April 1, 2011 in Emerging Markets and International Finance. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Ten years ago, Goldman Sachs proclaimed that Brazil was among the new economic powerhouses. Now it is the next frontier for hedge funds. Looking to capitalise on the fast-growing region, global hedge fund managers have started to descend on Brazil. In all, hedge fund assets devoted to the region rose 75 percent, to $21.4 billion, in 2010, according to data from Hedge Fund Research.

The appeal is obvious. While many developed countries have sputtered amid weak economic growth, Brazil has continued to thrive, given its rich reserve of natural resources and growing middle class. Last year, the country’s gross domestic product increased 7.5 percent — helping catapult Brazil ahead of Britain and France to become the fifth-largest economy in the world.

“In the past five years, about 34 million Brazilians entered the middle class,” said Oscar Decotelli, a partner at Vision Brazil Investments, a $2 billion alternative investment firm based in São Paulo. “This for a population of 200 million is significant. Brazil is not just a commodity story, but a very strong domestic story.” [Source]