Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

Pakistan stands at 7 where as India stands at 16 along side Niger, Bangladesh and Mali.

I would not have wondered about Pakistan given all the negative news about it being published in newspapers all around the world, but India at the same level as Mali, Niger … that really surprised me. So not everything is as shiny as being depicted…

India 16th most risky place to invest - Times of India

LONDON: The United Kingdom-based Global Risks Atlas 2011 on Friday described India as the 16th riskiest country to invest in for the security hazards it poses and rather embarrassingly clubs it with Niger, Bangladesh and Mali. The Atlas is published by Maplecroft, a consultancy founded by Alyson Warhurst, chair of strategy and international development at Warwick Business School.

The evaluation is structured on seven key global risks including macroeconomic risk and threats around security, governance, resource security, climate change, social resilience and illicit economies.

Maplecroft assessed India faces simultaneous threats of terrorist attacks from Islamists and Maoists. It also points at India’s lack of social resilience despite a robust economic growth and cites its poor human rights record. It says large sections of the population lack access to basic services such as education, healthcare and sanitation, and highlights its less productive workforce, greater susceptibility to pandemics and susceptible to social unrest.

The four countries flagged red as extreme risks are Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo; in other words, un-investible. Pakistan is not far behind at 7th.

In an exacting analysis, even developed markets like the US and Western Europe, including the UK, are branded medium risk. Only 35 out of the 175 countries covered in the groups Global Risks Atlas 2011, ranked as low risk.

Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway are listed as among the least risky countries to invest; and Norway claimed the overall crown as the safest place.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

If you can pull strings, Pakistan is one of the best places to invest in. But if you're a nobody, you know what this report tells you already.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

^^ about pulling strings, it is absolutely the same in India. This is what some of the investors who have invested over there tell ...

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest…

Oh most definitely. At the end of the day this goes for every country in the world but more so in developing nations :hinna:

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

India is the worst place to invest, while Pakistan is the best. Why the taxes are so slow + you can keep all the profit. On top of that their is 0% competition in any segment of market.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

Not contesting the negative factors cited. But could this be one way for UK (or other developed nations) to bring developing nations down a peg? The problems outlined are well known - nothing new here. The Indian market has gone up by ~ 7X in the last ~ 7 years. That is outstanding. You did not need to know anyone - just buy the market through an index fund.

Considering the 2007 financial bubble, in which UK banks were also bailed out while Indian banks kept themselves out of danger, I would be skeptical of the motivation and accuracy of such assessments.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

I agree with your analysis. :)

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

And even Pak banks survived the 2008 financial crises and didn't need any bail out.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

^ Good point (and thanks Faris)

Risk is mainly dependent on the price one pays for any security. The returns from the Indian stock market from this moment forward may be poor. Not because India is inherently risky (it may or may not be). But stocks appear fully priced. But if they drop say 30% from here, things can look interesting.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

Risk of:

1) Terrorist attack - not too different from anything US or UK face
2) Financial melt down - RBI & Indian banking system have fared lot better than US or UK....by design, not by accident
3) Housing crash - India's middleclass demanding housing is growing...not saturated as in US and UK;price will fluctuate +- 20% due to system
4) Political instability - India is as stable as US or UK; in fact due to the brilliant 'coalition politics' which UK is still learning, they have maintained
5) Corruption: this is the one area where India is horrible compared to US or UK

Overall, I have no problem investing in US or India;; It is UK that I won't invest in because of their Euro confusion

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

True, but even with good entrepreneurship Pakistan is a good place to invest. Sure it isn't as safe as other places when it comes to physical security or getting affected by frequent policy changes but financially you can still do well here.

Also interesting is the fact that a friend of mine has successfully invested into a major restaurant in Sudan (marked as a red flag here). As long as you know what you're doing, any place is potentially worthy of investment.

Re: Pakistan, India among the top 20 riskiest countries to invest...

Excellent points. I don't get the last sentence. What does Euro currency have to do with investing in UK? If one buys an individual ADR (full form?) and analyzes the financial statements thoroughly, why should it matter?