Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Trade

Egyptian-Israeli gas deal to boost bilateral trade

A USD15 billion deal has been announced between Israel and Egypt to export natural gas. Israel’s Delek Group has signed an agreement to supply 64 billion cubic meters of gas in a span of ten years to Egypt’s Dolphinus Holdings. The deal is considered a milestone ever since the 1979 peace accord, bringing Egypt a step closer to becoming a regional energy hub. However, the transportation of natural gas from Israel to Egypt is a challenge given the security risks. Will the Egypt-Israel gas export deal usher in a relationship of bonhomie and economic co-operation? For more information, click here .

Spire and YCG hold seminar on partnering Vietnamese firms

O n 15 March, Spire and Yamada Consulting Group (YCG) jointly organized a breakfast seminar in Singapore for Japanese speakers, to share insights on Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) deals in Vietnam and investment trends for market entry. An English language seminar on the same theme was held the next day. The speakers were Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, Eiji Asano, incoming Director for YCG Vietnam and Hafidz Omar, Senior Manager at Spire Research and Consulting. The speakers discussed the impact of growing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as the keen interest in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in Vietnam. Vietnam’s economy racked up a USD15 billion positive trade balance from 2015 with manufacturing, metals and textiles as the top export industries. Most of Vietnam’s FDI came from Asian countries like the Republic of Korea, China and Singapore. The speakers discussed pull factors for investors, like competitive

Singapore signs a free trade pact with Sri Lanka

Singapore and Sri Lanka signed the first modern and comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) earlier this year. This is expected to boost commerce, trade and investments between the two island nations. Sri Lanka is Singapore’s 36th-largest trading partner with bilateral trade amounting to SGD2.7 billion in 2017. Singapore’s top imports from Sri Lanka include fuel oils, clothing accessories, perfumes, wheat flour and motor spirit, while Singapore’s exports to Sri Lanka include gold and jewelry, diesel fuel and petroleum oil, to name a few. Will companies take advantage of the Sri Lanka-Singapore FTA? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/singapore-signs-a-free-trade-pact-with-sri-lanka/

Iran nurturing its wind energy sector

With the lifting of trade sanctions against Iran in July 2015, a surge in energy demand led to the development of the renewables sector. SUNA – the renewable energy organization of Iran – aims to attract private investment worth USD10 billion by 2018 and USD60 billion by 2025. Wind energy will be crucial to Iran. There are 15 operational wind farms at present with 100,000 Megawatts of potential capacity. Can Iran attract more investment into its growing wind energy sector? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/iran-nurturing-its-wind-energy-sector/

The Trump Presidency: One year on

One year since President Trump took office, what has been the impact for businesses in Asia? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 27 November 2017 on the impact on global economy. Thus far, Donald Trump’s Presidency has not been bad for the American stock market and the US dollar. However, the expected infrastructure spending and tax cuts, which drove stock market exuberance in 2016, are still far from being realized and could well be at risk. Perera opined that President Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has caused a strain in global trade relations and has raised the risk of trade frictions. President Trump has also overseen a decline in US influence in the Middle East and Asia. However, the basic fundamentals of the US economy remain strong thanks to its world-class universities, innovative companies, confident consumers, a strong start-up sector as well

Vietnam automobile lubricant market beckons

With automotive lubricant demand rising from 2.6 million liters (in 2015) to 4.1 million liters (in 2021), global and regional manufacturers are taking notice of the Vietnam market. How can brands win in this market? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on key trends in the Lube Report Asia magazine. With many players competing in the Southeast Asia market for motorcycle lubricants, leaders will be determined by their success in the large and fast-rising markets of Indonesia and Vietnam. These two countries account for over 80% of the region’s total motorcycle population. A few brands that stand out are Petronas, Shell, BP Castrol and Pertamina. Leon commented that while Vietnam’s short-term growth is driven by motorcycle lubricants, long-term growth is expected to come from car lubricants as middle-class Vietnamese trade up to cars. Vietnam’s attractive lucrative market is dominated by mineral engine oil due to pr

The Arctic – Emerging opportunities beneath the ice

With global warming gradually melting away polar ice caps, new opportunities are slowly, but surprisingly, emerging for trade, tourism and natural resource extraction in the Arctic Circle. But is developing such opportunities at odds with environmental sustainability? Arctic sea ice sank to yet another record annual low in September 2012, at 44% below the 1981-2010 average. The Arctic Ocean is projected to be almost ice-free by the end of this century; with the ice melting at an accelerating rate, quicker than predicted by any climate model. A decade ago, Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” drew world attention to the moral consequences of global warming. These included the destruction of farming, the flooding of coastal land displacing millions of people and the spread of tropical diseases to new parts of the global population. Though the consequences of global warming on the Arctic are inherently detrimental, the shrinking icecaps herald new opportunities for trade, tour

Steady progress for AEC in first year

The establishment of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 was a major milestone in the region’s economic integration. With a GDP of USD2.6 trillion and 600 million people, the AEC is Asia’s third largest economy and the seventh largest in the world. What is the AEC score card thus far? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. AEC’s Blueprint 2025 envisions in achieving a highly integrated and competitive regional economy with enhanced connectivity to improve market access for ASEAN companies to sell goods and services. However, the past year has seen missed opportunities to accelerate progress for cross-border investment between ASEAN countries, speeding up the harmonization progress of non-tariff barriers as well as integrating a competition policy across ASEAN. Nevertheless, the AEC is making some progress. In time, it is well-placed to improve market access and provide the ASEAN groupin

Spire organizes Oman – Singapore Business Meet 2016

Spire Research and Consulting was honored to participate at the Oman – Singapore Business Meet 2016 as one of the event organizers. The event was held in Singapore on 20 July, 2016. The international Business-to-Business (B2B) networking session was an initiative to introduce buyers from Singapore to meet a wide range of Omani suppliers offering competitive products unique to Oman. At this well-attended event, the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (ITHRAA), in association with Singapore Business Federation (SBF), organized many meetings between exporters from the Sultanate of Oman and potential importers in Singapore. Over 33 exhibitors represented various sectors from Oman. Over 250 participants attended the networking sessions. Senior officials and delegates from the Sultanate of Oman as well as associated Government agencies in Singapore were also present. Major brands such as NTUC Fairprice, Hyflux and Mustafa (to name a few) also a

India in dire need of agricultural infrastructure

Post-harvest losses amount to 10% in India – where the percentage might be higher for fruits and vegetables. To help, US-based impact investment firm, Creation Investments Capital Management led a USD15 million investment through private equity in Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), an Indian agricultural logistics firm in September 2015. SLCM’s technology platform known as Agri Reach offers protection and storage services for agricultural commodities to farmers, stakeholders, traders as well as importers and exporters involved in the trade. This is achieved through a vast network spread across 17 cold storages and 760 warehouses in India. It further claims to reduce post-harvest losses down to 0.5% with this technology. With global expansion on the line, SLCM offered procurement solutions and warehouse management in Myanmar (in 2014). The African market is also under their radar. Is agricultural infrastructure set to improve in India? https://www.spireresearc