A buy-and-hold mentality is thwarting Brazil’s debt capital market, limiting access to long-term funding in the country. A number of initiatives have been launched to help deepen the market, but will they help it meet the mounting finance requirements of domestic development projects and local corporates? 

A combination of policy intervention in emerging markets and high residual risks in developed markets means volatility in emerging market currencies looks set to continue.

Starvation and the effects of a poor diet continue to blight a large percentage of the world's population, despite the fact that enough food is produced to eradicate hunger. It is now time for the private sector to play a bigger role in tackling this problem, which would bring with it economic and humanitarian rewards.

Brazilian infrastructure is in desperate need of investment if it is to support the country's growing economy. But with restrictions on foreign investment, limited public and domestic funding and opposition to further development from environmentalists, taking advantage of the plethora of opportunities in this sector is not straightforward.

Brazil may be the world’s seventh largest economy in terms of gross domestic product, but its legislation and taxation policies, not to mention its infrastructure, still needs a lot of work if the country is to realise its full potential.

Brazil is undergoing a renaissance, with its improving standards of living and a consumer credit boom. The next challenge is to secure longer-term funding for the fledgling mortgage market and reduce interest rates.