Joseph Cotterill

The crumbling mansions of the Guptas are on sale again. Combined asking price R22mn (£1mn) but with offers starting at R15mn (£675k) you can get 18 bedrooms & a piece of South African history for the price of a London flat. www.property24.com/for-sale/sax... www.property24.com/for-sale/sax...

You could get shares in Brazil’s biggest investment bank for a third off the previous day’s price today. A US-listed Brazilian investment manager for half off. A 20% discount on the region’s biggest fintech. Etc. www.ft.com/content/bffe...

If you’re a politician anywhere outside the US, at this point the big lobbying move with Trumpworld should be to get him to endorse your opponent.

Folha: Lula projected to win Brazil’s election with just over 51% of the vote, based on votes tallied so far. www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2026/1...

That's right. They're battlefields.

This is so much like attempts in South Africa a decade ago to keep firing, prosecuting and otherwise hounding officials who tried to stop state capture, even after courts threw it out. www.ft.com/content/d0c8...

First (no doubt not the last!) Nobel Prize winner to write interestingly on Rosalía www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Substack in response to the FT on whether or not India is facing a "shock" from tighter migration restrictions in the rich English speaking world. gavinjackson2.substack.com/p/an-indian-...

UK Government Investments Ltd, UK Export Finance, and the Department for Business and Trade (et al) are bringing out the big guns though. www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/07921... www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/07038... www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/06014...

I’m… an OpenAI agent

One thing we noticed looking at London house listings (not even flats) lately is a few more so-called 'modern method' (or conditional) auctions. I don't really understand their appeal other than sellers maybe more anxious for a quick sale? www.ft.com/content/f9c1...

South Africa's central bank governor on how the Great Global Bond Sell-Off™ hasn't affected South Africa or other EMs much yet. (Yet.) In part because many were already under the gun in fiscal and monetary terms for years, and had reformed a bit accordingly. www.resbank.co.za/en/home/publ...

If you've ever followed a big investment in a mine or LNG project in a frontier economy, it's funny how AI investment's impact on the US economy mimics the broad strokes a bit. Imports go up. Inflation goes up. Then people start muttering darkly of ‘social license to operate’ and ‘force majeure’...

Post-Orban Hungary has made its first big step toward joining the euro, with the central bank adopting a lower inflation target that is closer to the ECB (or 2.5% from 2028, down from 3%). Please inform the Roger Scruton fans in your life. www.mnb.hu/en/monetary-...

It would bring an apparently revolutionary upgrade in Home Office capacity to connect to other parts of government, such as HMRC. Eg at present they don't consider UK job offers or salaries for applicants for spousal visas (only the 'sponsor').

“The success of the Trump administration’s blockbuster Venezuela oil deal is riding on fields that are aging, degraded or expensive to access... [US] would be taking on enormous environmental liabilities at properties previously operated by China Concord Petroleum“: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

This but it is actually also happening to emerging markets balance of payments crises when you combine demographics with the new EM orthodoxy. Hundreds of millions of people in India must be younger at this point than the Taper Tantrum (2013) let alone '08-09, etc.

Looking forward to the YouTube slop thumbnails of everyone in the discussion looking shocked below "TEA OR COFFEE? THEY DIDN'T KNOW"

Senegal’s total return swap situation continues to go well.

I remember the moment in late 2022 when Ramaphosa came close to resigning over Phala Phala. One of his closest advisers told me then he would come back stronger, wouldn't take the reform agenda for granted, etc. Outside Operation Vulindlela (and even then...), it just never really happened.

Not the main thing here, but a black velvet is also known as a way to ruin two perfectly good drinks. A perfect choice then for someone completely flailing at their due diligence.

VanEck on Venezuela's debt restructuring: “The IMF is the only independent, credible institution with the resources necessary to rebuild government statistics in a timely fashion and perform a credible, unbiased debt sustainability analysis...” www.vaneck.com/us/en/blogs/...