AI Valuation Woes; G-20 Summit Saga | Horizons Middle East & Africa 11/21/2025

Market Trends & Global Economy - Global equities experienced a selloff, influenced by concerns over AI, Federal Reserve rate cut uncertainties, and fiscal packages [1][49] - The MSCI All Country World Index fell almost 3% this week, marking its sharpest weekly drop since April [3] - Procyclical risk assets saw sharp declines [4] - The US dollar is benefiting as a safe haven amid risk-off sentiment [5] - G20 summit marred by diplomatic dispute between South Africa and the U S over participation [1][26][49] - US accounts for only 13% of global trade [33] Asia-Pacific Market Analysis - Asian equities, particularly Chinese equities, could benefit from domestic stimulus [20][21] - A miserable day to end the week in Asia, with another day of declines [7] - Tech-heavy indexes in Asia are taking a beating, down about 35% [8] - Japan's CPI numbers came out at 3%, higher than the BOJ's target of 2%, putting more pressure on the BOJ to hike rates [9][54] - Japan's stimulus package is 27% higher than the predecessor [9] Company Performance & Valuations - S&P valuations are at approximately 216%, pulling back from recent highs of around 23% [6] - SoftBank is down by 105% [8] - Investec's interim profit declined for the first time since 2021 due to a slowdown in its African unit [48][55][56] Cryptocurrency Market - Crypto markets have extended their crash, with Bitcoin trading around $86000 [74] - More than $1 trillion worth of value has been wiped out across the digital asset world [74] - Institutional investors are continuing to accumulate Bitcoin, while retail investors are selling [75][76]