With growth slowing and recession becoming more of a possibility amid elevated inflation and hawkish central banks globally, GCC bond and equity markets have become more volatile. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities in select countries and sectors that are more defensive in nature or could benefit from the same macroeconomic factors causing general uncertainty. Franklin Templeton’s Mohieddine Kronfol and Salah Shamma share their thoughts on the current environment and where they see opportunities in their respective areas.
The global economy is currently facing headwinds because of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but there are several reasons to be optimistic about the outlook for equities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity’s Bassel Khatoun and Salah Shamma. They point to several themes supporting the investment case, including robust government balance sheets, currency pegs to the US dollar and higher oil prices, which should provide policymakers with ample tools to mitigate any inflationary risks over the medium term.
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