Business
Emerging Market Bond Handlers Recoup Losses
Emerging-Market bond investors recovered their losses from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression as a rally in debt from Argentina to Ukraine pushed JPMorgan Chase & Co’s benchmark index to a record.
The index, which tracts total returns on the foreign-currency debt of developing nations, has soared 43 per cent from its 2008 low to 445.14 Friday, the highest since the index began in December 1993, JPMorgan’s guage had dropped to as low as 311.87 in October after Mortgage losses at US banks caused global credit markets to freeze and New York-based investment bank Lehman Brothers Holding Inc to collapse in September.
“It’s probably the strongest recovery we’ve had in history” said Nigel Rendell, a senior emerging-market strategist at RBC Capital Markets in London. “The question is if it’s sustainable I would be much more cautions going forward, because markets just don’t keep going up forever.”
Leaders of the world’s biggest-economies pledged more than $1 trillion in April to bolster developing-nation finances by tripling the amount the International Monetary Fund can lend to rescue crisis-stricken countries to $750 billion to shore up foreign-exchange reserves. Bonds issued by Pakistan and Ukraine have led this year’s rally after the countries received IMF financing.
While the index is at a record high, the extra yield investors demand to own emerging-market bonds instead of US Treasures is 2.58 percentage points wider than its record low on June 1, 2007. The so-called spready today narrowed 7 basis points to 4.07 percentage points.
Indonesia sold 35 billion yen ($374 billion) of 10-year Samurai bonds Friday, even after bomb blasts in Jakarta killed eight people, a banker involved in the transaction said. Hungary raised 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in its first international sale of bonds since an emergency bailout last year.
Developing-nation bonds have recovered losses faster than global equities and commodities. The Emerging Markets index of equities in 22 countries is 42 per cent below its peak on October 2007. while the World Index of 23 developed nations has dropped 41 per cent. The Reuter/Jefferies CRB Index of commodities is down 49 per cent from its high on July 2, 2008.
The last time emerging market bondholders suffered losses of at least 30 per cent was during the aftermath of Russia’s 1998 default on $40 billion of domestic debt. The index dropped 36 per cent from March through September of that year, and took 15 months to recoup its losses. That compares from the low in October.
We had a clear panic move in September and October of last year, said Luis Costa, an emerging-market debt strategist at commerzbank AG in London.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic
Reports say that the training is designed to equip youths with practical technical skills for employment in the oil and gas and construction sectors, with emphasis on employability, safety, competence and self reliance.
In attendance at the flag-off ceremony this week, at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Hall, Effurun, were stakeholders, dignitaries, and political representatives, among others.
Dafinone, represented by his Chief of Staff, Adelabu Bodjor, said the initiative reflects a deliberate political investment in human capital development across Delta Central.
He explained that the training focuses on rigging and scaffolding, noting that “both are essential technical competencies required in industrial operations, construction projects, and oil and gas installations”.
Bodjor added, “The programme is intended to reduce dependency among youths by providing job-ready skills capable of supporting long-term economic opportunities and self-sufficiency. The initiative aligns with Senator Dafinone’s broader development agenda, which prioritises practical skill acquisition as a pathway to sustainable empowerment.”
Also addressing the participants, the NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by Mr. Teddy Bai, commended Dafinone for sponsoring the programme, describing it as “a timely response to critical manpower gaps in the industry”.
Bai explained that rigging and scaffolding remain safety-sensitive skills required across fabrication yards, offshore platforms, and construction sites, stressing that the programme bridges the gap between certification and practical competence.
He also charged the training consultant, OROH Contractors Limited, to maintain strict standards of professionalism, safety, and discipline, while urging participants to remain committed, focused, and disciplined throughout the exercise.
The Senate Liaison Officer for Sapele Local Government Area, Chief Patrick Akamuvba, , described the programme as a major step in strengthening human capital development in Delta Central.
Akamuvba said scaffolding and rigging skills are in high demand across residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects, noting that the training offers real employment opportunities for beneficiaries
He urged participants to prioritise knowledge and certification over short-term material expectations, stressing that discipline and seriousness would determine their long-term success.
He also cautioned youths against social vices and distractions, advising them to remain focused to maximise the opportunities provided by the programme.
