The collapse of the Russian rouble has provided another reminder for investors in emerging markets that contagion persists as a risk.
From Asia to Latin America, stocks, bonds and currencies fell sharply as markets woke up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Thursday. Some of those markets extended their losses on Monday after sanctions against Russia’s central bank at the weekend sent the rouble plunging as much as 29 per cent.
“We’re entering a new phase where we get broader EM risk-off given the Russian shock over the weekend,” said Kevin Daly, a debt portfolio manager at Aberdeen Standard Investments. “The sub-Saharan Africa complex is down 1 to 3 [percentage] points,” he added, referring to sovereign bond prices in the region, which dropped in a flight to quality across global markets.