As Wiel Embraces Protectionism, Hawu Mumenhes Looks EastCapital flows to Dovani region increasing rapidly say finance bosses (pictured: Hedge Fund Manager John Bomani during HES panel discussion)NEBA --
The smart money is on Dovani. That's the overwhelming sentiment from leading bankers and economists at this year's Annual Conference of the
Hawu Economists Society. The HES is one of the world's leading scholarly associations and its Annual Conference is a Who's Who of academics, big business, and high finance. This year saw speeches, panel discussions, and cameos by the billionaire investor Neferibaši Koné, the public intellectual Qiniso Sibanyoni, Finance Minister Julia Warren-Mhaule, and the CEO of
IeUkN, the investment bank behemoth headquartered at the avant guard sea-side structure affectionately called '
the dreidel' by locals.
Sibanyoni led an engrossing if cheekily-named panel called '
Whither Hawu Capital,' a none too subtle jibe at Vanukean politicians who recently rebuffed investment overtures by a leading Hawu multinational. John Bomani, whose alpha-trading hedge fund was recently acquired by IeUkN, joined other panelists in gleefully ribbing the Wiel government but struck a decidedly bullish tone. 'Their government dropped the ball, no doubt about it,' Bomani agreed. 'That kind of protectionism and paranoia is way out of step with the world's leading economies. And of course the Vanukeans esteem themselves as
the leading global economy. If that was ever true -- and the economists here can confirm that or refute it for us -- it cannot be true for much longer given the defensiveness their policymakers showed to Garang and his team,' Bomani asserted in reference to Garang Deng, CEO of
Umkhiqizi ka Izikhali, whose gruff handling by Vanuku regulators made headlines and caught the attention of investors worldwide. 'Civilization and great societies are open things,' Bomani continued. 'They grow and sustain themselves by taking in the best the world has to offer and adapting it to local needs. However what we're increasingly seeing out of Majatra is legacy powers that hew to rigidity and inadaptability hoping to protect their flanks and preserve their positions. That way lies madness. In the fifth millennium, the velocity of economic change and the sheer volume of productivity required to remain at the forefront makes it impossible to go it alone. You need partners if you're going to win nowadays, and you have to be confident enough to meet them and seek out ways to work with them for mutual benefit,' said Bomani.
Sibanyoni later pivoted the discussion to how and where to find such fearless markets. One academic economist pointed out that global capital flows to the Dovani region had increased at a rate of 40% over recent decades. Contrary to popular fears surrounding political stability in the region, Bomani, the hedge funder, said the smart money is ferreting for ways to get into Dovani rather than getting out. 'Any good trader knows that when the horde goes in one direction, that's the first sign that it's time to head the other way. The risks are huge and there're no doubts about that. But we also have the benefit of some legacy partnerships that serve to anchor business in the region and allows us to step out on the limb with more assurance. The emerging partnerships are also extremely promising if policymakers can construct the regulatory environment investors need to move ahead full steam,' Bomani said in an apparent nod to growing courtships between Hawu Mumenhes companies and the governments of Indrala and Kazulia.
In contrast to Vanuku's move to lockout investors from its local defense manufacturing industry, the Kazulian government has sought to pounce on the Majatran retraction, viewing it as an opportunity to attract critically needed capital to help fund R&D and completion of several long-running munitions development programs. 'I happen to know that the Defence Ministry is in process of procuring submarines and amphibious assault ships from the Kazulians,' Sibanyoni let slip. Peppered from the audience with questions about how large the Hawu Mumenhes government's order might be, Sibanyoni admitted, 'my sources haven't quoted a LOD figure. But I do know Battersby wants to update the whole naval fleet and may request quotes for up to 3 of the diesel-electric submarines,' Sibanyoni intimated. Sibanyoni said there was less enthusiasm for Kazulia's amphibious assault ships due to their relatively low displacement tonnage. Throughout the conference's proceedings, chatter was also rife that weapons technology firm
UkI is thought to be pitching a strategic partnership with Kazulian naval manufacturer Pennington-Reid to boost tech components in Pennington-Reid's
Project CB002 combat boat. Most commentators estimated
UkI's bid to be in the range of 25-40% to leave room for other foreign companies to potentially participate.
Panelists were harder to pin down on the prospects for Hawu multinationals in the Indralan market. 'It's still early going and the relationship seems to be building slowly,' Bomani told fellow panelists. 'That's the ideal way to build a long-term partnership, and few countries have the capacity of high-quality, high-volume, upmarket productivity the way Indrala does. So I personally believe there's every reason for optimism.' Asked by an audience member what might push emerging Hawu-Indrala relations from optimistic to fruition, Bomani punted. 'I think the regulators and public officials from both sides just need a chance to sit down and outline their objectives for one another. And I would predict that we'll see that happen at the state visit later this year.'
-Boipelo Zola Akhenhboui-Richardson, February 4396
Editor-at-Large, The Daily Scribe