South Korea, a bellwether for world trade thanks to its deep integration into Asian supply chains, has become the latest economy to enter recession. Second-quarter GDP slumped 2.9% on the year, driven by the biggest quarterly drop in exports since 1963, says Alex Holmes of Capital Economics.
Seoul has dealt well with the virus and consumption is growing again, but that is being overshadowed by shaky global demand as trading partners struggle to “get back on their feet”. The rebound will be slow.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Now it is leading the global recovery. Emerging markets can be a “roller-coaster”, but that is in the price. Korean equities, for example, trade on a very reasonable cyclically adjusted price/earnings ratio (Cape) of 12.3.
Asian nations have distinguished themselves in their response to Covid-19, with death rates far lower than those in the West, says Kishore Mahbubani for Project Syndicate. While Western politicians have neglected institutions and expertise, Asian nations have invested in “good governance”. Per capita health expenditure in Vietnam increased by 9% a year between 2000 and 2016. The result is that Covid-19 cases have been very low and output has swiftly returned to near-normal levels.
Following in China’s footsteps
The health picture is only one facet of Vietnam’s admirable “strategic discipline”. The country was once one of the world’s poorest, but its doi moi (renovation) reforms in 1986 changed everything.
The country emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, clocking up average annual growth rates of around 7%. In a single generation extreme poverty rates fell from 50% to just 3%.
Vietnam’s export-led growth model owes much to the Chinese experience, writes Buttonwood in The Economist. That leaves it vulnerable to slowing global trade, but it is still one of the few countries where GDP is expected to grow this year. A “darling of multinational firms” who need to shift supply chains out of China, the nation is proving a “refuge” from the squalls of the trade war and deglobalisation.
Vietnam is “an economy to be reckoned with”, agrees Craig Mellow in Barron’s. Yet the investment picture is more complicated. Regulations limit foreign business ownership and “arcane trading bottlenecks choke liquidity”. It is for this reason that the country is still classified as a “frontier” rather than an “emerging” market, but there is no doubt that there is opportunity here for those willing to invest “carefully”. MoneyWeek’s favourite Vietnam play is VinaCapital’s Vietnam Opportunity Fund (LSE: VOF).
-
Reeves urged to axe stamp duty from UK shares held in an ISAChancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering axing stamp duty from UK shares held in stocks and shares ISAs. What could it mean for your portfolio?
-
Family investment companies explained: how the ultra wealthy shield their money from the taxmanWealthy families are increasingly turning to family investment companies to keep more of their money away from HMRC – but what are these arrangements and how do they work?
-
Yoshiaki Murakami: Japan’s original corporate raiderThe originator of Japanese activism, Yoshiaki Murakami, was disgraced by an insider-trading scandal in 2006. Now, he's back, shaking things up
-
Cash in on the vast growth potential of the companies electrifying the worldOpinion Martin Todd, portfolio manager, head of sustainable equities, Federated Hermes, highlights three electrification companies where he'd put his money
-
Galliford Try has firm foundations for strong growthBuilder Galliford Try has a finger in a wide range of pies, notably important work in the public sector
-
Card Factory is a stand-out small-cap going cheapIn a digital world, we still value the personal touch. That’s good news for Card Factory, whose unique business model is suited to weather all economic storms
-
8 of the best smallholdings for sale nowThe best smallholdings for sale – from a medieval cross-passage farmhouse in Taunton, Somerset, to a former farmhouse with an orchard in the Welsh Marches
-
How much gold does China have – and how to cash inChina's gold reserves are vastly understated, says Dominic Frisby. So hold gold, overbought or not
-
How to invest in undervalued gold minersThe surge in gold and other precious metals has transformed the economics of the companies that mine them. Investors should cash in, says Rupert Hargreaves
-
Debasing Wall Street's new debasement trade ideaThe debasement trade is a catchy and plausible idea, but there’s no sign that markets are alarmed, says Cris Sholto Heaton
