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 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been resilient despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and rising inflation, according to Franklin Templeton’s Dino Kronfol and Salah Shamma. While Ukraine and Russia are remote from the region and linkages are not direct nor easy to identify, they give their views on how local economies are faring amid the volatility.
This material is intended to be of general interest only and should not be construed as individual investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy. It does not constitute legal or tax advice. This material may not be reproduced, distributed or published without prior written permission from Franklin Templeton.
The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as at publication date and may change without notice. The underlying assumptions and these views are subject to change based on market and other conditions and may differ from other portfolio managers or of the firm as a whole. The information provided in this material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region or market. There is no assurance that any prediction, projection or forecast on the economy, stock market, bond market or the economic trends of the markets will be realized. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount that you invested. Past performance is not necessarily indicative nor a guarantee of future performance. All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal.
Any research and analysis contained in this material has been procured by Franklin Templeton for its own purposes and may be acted upon in that connection and, as such, is provided to you incidentally. Data from third party sources may have been used in the preparation of this material and Franklin Templeton ("FT") has not independently verified, validated or audited such data. Although information has been obtained from sources that Franklin Templeton believes to be reliable, no guarantee can be given as to its accuracy and such information may be incomplete or condensed and may be subject to change at any time without notice. The mention of any individual securities should neither constitute nor be construed as a recommendation to purchase, hold or sell any securities, and the information provided regarding such individual securities (if any) is not a sufficient basis upon which to make an investment decision. FT accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss arising from use of this information and reliance upon the comments, opinions and analyses in the material is at the sole discretion of the user.
Products, services and information may not be available in all jurisdictions and are offered outside the U.S. by other FT affiliates and/or their distributors as local laws and regulation permits. Please consult your own financial professional or Franklin Templeton institutional contact for further information on availability of products and services in your jurisdiction.
Issued in the U.S.: Franklin Resources, Inc. and its subsidiaries offer investment management services through multiple investment advisers registered with the SEC. Franklin Distributors, LLC and Putnam Retail Management LP, members FINRA/SIPC, are Franklin Templeton broker/dealers, which provide registered representative services. Franklin Templeton, One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, California 94403-1906, (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236, franklintempleton.com.
Canada: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., 200 King Street West, Suite 1500 Toronto, ON, M5H3T4, Fax: (416) 364-1163, (800) 387-0830, www.franklintempleton.ca
Offshore Americas: In the U.S., this publication is made available only to financial intermediaries by Franklin Distributors, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC, 100 Fountain Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716. Tel: (800) 239-3894 (USA Toll-Free), (877) 389-0076 (Canada Toll-Free), and Fax: (727) 299-8736. Distribution outside the U.S. may be made by Franklin Templeton International Services, S.à r.l. (FTIS) or other sub-distributors, intermediaries, dealers or professional investors that have been engaged by FTIS to distribute shares of Franklin Templeton funds in certain jurisdictions. This is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities in any jurisdiction where it would be illegal to do so.
Issued in Europe by: Franklin Templeton International Services S.à r.l. – Supervised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier - 8A, rue Albert Borschette, L-1246 Luxembourg. Tel: +352-46 66 67-1 Fax: +352-46 66 76. Poland: Issued by Templeton Asset Management (Poland) TFI S.A.; Rondo ONZ 1; 00-124 Warsaw. Saudi Arabia: Franklin Templeton Financial Company, Unit 209, Rubeen Plaza, Northern Ring Rd, Hittin District 13512, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Regulated by CMA. License no. 23265-22. Tel: +966-112542570. All investments entail risks including loss of principal investment amount. South Africa: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investments SA (PTY) Ltd, which is an authorised Financial Services Provider. Tel: +27 (21) 831 7400 Fax: +27 (21) 831 7422. Switzerland: Issued by Franklin Templeton Switzerland Ltd, Stockerstrasse 38, CH-8002 Zurich. United Arab Emirates: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investments (ME) Limited, authorized and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Dubai office: Franklin Templeton, The Gate, East Wing, Level 2, Dubai International Financial Centre, P.O. Box 506613, Dubai, U.A.E. Tel: +9714-4284100 Fax: +9714-4284140. UK: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (FTIML), registered office: Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6HL. Tel: +44 (0)20 7073 8500. Authorized and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Australia: Issued by Franklin Templeton Australia Limited (ABN 76 004 835 849) (Australian Financial Services License Holder No. 240827), Level 47, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000. Hong Kong: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited, 17/F, Chater House, 8 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong. Japan: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investments Japan Limited. Korea: Issued by Franklin Templeton Investment Advisors Korea Co., Ltd, 3rd fl., CCMM Building, 101 Yeouigongwon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul Korea 07241. Malaysia: Issued by Franklin Templeton Asset Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. & Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. This document has not been reviewed by Securities Commission Malaysia. Singapore: Issued by Templeton Asset Management Ltd. Registration No. (UEN) 199205211E, 7 Temasek Boulevard, #38-03 Suntec Tower One, 038987, Singapore.
Please visit www.franklinresources.com to be directed to your local Franklin Templeton website.
Copyright © 2024 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.