BRICS & Global South Analysis
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Top stories
Shanghai Composite clears 4,000 — policy tailwinds lift mainland shares. | OPEC+ signals December supply move — crude steadies mid-$60s. | New trade and critical-minerals pacts reshape Southeast Asian supply chains. | Upgraded China–ASEAN pact targets tariff friction and logistics bottlenecks. | Sensex holds near 85k as metals and banks firm on easing bets. | JSE slips as resources soften; rand stable near 17.2 per USD. | Shanghai Composite clears 4,000 — policy tailwinds lift mainland shares. | OPEC+ signals December supply move — crude steadies mid-$60s.
Markets at a glance — THE MERIDIAN Data Desk
Ibovespa
146,969
+0.55%
MOEX
2,452
—
Sensex
84,779
+0.67%
SSE Comp
4,005.44
+0.21%
JSE All-Share
108,707.33
-1.57%
USD/BRL 5.38
USD/RUB 79.70
USD/INR 88.28
USD/CNY 7.10
USD/ZAR 17.22
USD/AED 3.6728
USD/SAR 3.75
USD/SCR 14.00
Commodities
Gold $4,002/oz
Brent $65.40/bbl
NatGas $3.40
Live snapshot • 28 Oct 2025 (Asia close; Europe early).
Updated: 28 Oct 2025 • 09:00 London • © THE MERIDIAN Data Desk
Latest from The Meridian

Politics & Economy

Society & Climate

The Meridian Data Desk
FX: Rand weakens past 19.30 per USD — load-shedding dents sentiment. | Rates: Brazil central bank signals possible rate pause in November. | Markets: Bovespa edges up on metals rally, defying global risk pullback. | Trade: India boosts wheat exports to Sri Lanka under emergency deal. | Energy: Nigeria’s oil output slips as maintenance hits major terminal. | Commodities: Chile copper exports fall 8% amid weak China demand. | Climate: Floods in Bangladesh displace 20,000, threaten rice harvest. | Policy: South Africa unveils 2026 fiscal framework with spending restraint. | FDI: Vietnam sees surge in EV investment from Chinese manufacturers. | Logistics: Panama Canal delays spike again as drought worsens. | FX: Rand weakens past 19.30 per USD — load-shedding dents sentiment. | Rates: Brazil central bank signals possible rate pause in November.
UN46 • Development Economics

46 countries. 1.2 billion people. Less than 2% of global GDP. These are the world’s most economically vulnerable nations — the frontier of the global development challenge.

Angola flag
Angola
Oil dependence, FX pressure & fiscal reform
Read Report →
Benin flag
Benin
Ports, cotton & corridor logistics
Read Report →
Burkina Faso flag
Burkina Faso
Gold-backed junta economics in the Sahel
Read Report →
Burundi flag
Burundi
Landlocked, donor-dependent & politically isolated
Read Report →
Central African Republic flag
Central African Rep.
Fragmented sovereignty & resource plunder
Read Report →
Tin Tuna Index • Food Inequality
Tin Tuna Index

The time-price of basic protein exposes what GDP hides: the real cost of dignity on the plate. A single tin of tuna can cost minutes — or hours — of minimum-wage labour in different economies.

Explore full index →
The Meridian Data Desk
32%
Canal transit delays vs seasonal baseline

Bottlenecks reprice freight and delivery risk across EM supply chains.

Source: ACP Operations Bulletin, Oct 2025

$669 B
Remittances to low/middle-income economies

Household buffers hinge on cross-border income, not domestic credit.

Source: World Bank KNOMAD 2025 Q2

-8 %
Copper export volumes (Chile, latest month)

China demand and mine maintenance drive pricing and fiscal room.

Source: Chile Customs / INE Sept 2025

20 000
People displaced by floods (Bangladesh, event)

Agriculture and food prices move first; insurers reprice next.

Source: Bangladesh DDM / OCHA SitRep Oct 2025

Verified metrics • Source datasets and dates stated below each item.