Sovereign Credit Strategist: Translating Complexity into Actionable Alpha for Asia & Frontier Markets
As a Vice President and EM Sovereign Credit Strategist at an US investment bank, I specialize in transforming complexity into actionable opportunities across Asia’s frontier and investment-grade sovereign credit markets. My work revolves around a singular strength: synthesizing complex and always evolving macroeconomic, political, and market data into clear and simple narratives. A process which helps institutional investors capture asymmetric risk-reward opportunities. By combining quantitative technical tools — like cross-comparative macro scorecards, debt sustainability analysis, and restructuring models including state contingent instruments — with qualitative analysis from years of experience and my global network (investors, policymakers, rating agencies, and multilateral institutions), I cut through noise to identify high-conviction trades.
My methodology thrives on collaboration and real-world pragmatism. Over years of client roadshows across New York, London, and Singapore, and investor trips in Emerging Asia, I translate deep-dive macroeconomic analysis — like Pakistan’s IMF program and its political viability, Maldives’ twin deficit and gross external financing risks, and Mongolia’s FX liquidity concerns during COVID-19 — into high conviction trades that outperform benchmarks. For example, my analysis of Sri Lanka was the first on Wall Street to warn of restructuring risks while still recommending profitable short-term trades (multiple 10-30%+ total return trades within 6 months) delivering alpha even amid crisis while accurately navigating each phase of the debt default. At J.P. Morgan, this approach achieved top rankings in Institutional Investor’s Sovereign Debt Strategy polls for both EM Asia ex-Japan and EMEA EM, cementing my reputation as Wall Street’s go-to analyst for Sri Lanka and other EM Asia sovereign markets.
What sets me apart is a focus on partnerships. I partner with investor clients, maintaining open dialogue to align analysis and trade ideas with their evolving priorities, and am privileged to learn from the best. My relationships span buy-side investors, sell-side strategists, policymakers, and international financial organisation officials — forged while discussing the intricacies of Emerging Market economies and fixed income markets over the years.
From London’s EMEA EM local rates and FX desks to Hong Kong’s Asia credit trading hubs, I empower clients by turning complexity into clarity — delivering alpha through actionable frameworks and fostering thrust that spans market cycles.