Will a “taper tantrum” trounce emerging markets?

Tighter US monetary policy and a stronger dollar could see capital flood out of emerging markets, leaving turmoil behind. 

Blue Mosque in Istanbul
Turkey’s large current account deficit makes it vulnerable to market storms
(Image credit: © Getty Images)

Are we heading for “taper tantrum 2.0”? asks Duvvuri Subbarao in the Financial Times. In 2013 concern that the US Federal Reserve might cut back – or “taper” – its quantitative easing (QE) programme triggered the “taper tantrum”, a sell-off that hit emerging markets hard; India’s rupee plunged by more than 15%.

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Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.