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Emerging Market Debt Market Commentary: November 2025

Emerging market (EM) debt sustained positive momentum in November, underpinned by resilient macro data, strong investor demand, and continued dovish global monetary conditions. EM local currency bonds posted positive returns, benefiting from the weakening US dollar, disinflation, and increased inflows. EM hard currency debt similarly delivered gains, driven by the treasury component and an uptick in investor risk sentiment.

Markets priced in a high probability of a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) in December, following dovish signals from key policymakers. This expectation provided some relief to EM currencies, especially in Latin America (LatAm). However, the US government shutdown and the consequent absence of data shifted market participants' focus towards idiosyncratic issues in EM. China’s exports to non-US markets remained robust, underpinning growth stabilization, while other EM Asian economies showed steady export resilience. The US-China trade truce continued to ease pressure on global supply chains although trade tensions lingered—India and Brazil are still facing cumulative US tariffs of up to 50%, prompting both countries to accelerate export diversification strategies. The geopolitical backdrop remained fragile with stalled Russia-Ukraine talks and increased US pressure on Venezuela, while tensions in the Middle East persisted to keep risk premiums elevated for select issuers.

The disinflation trend continued in some of the major EM economies, especially in India where the annual inflation rate fell to 0.25% in October from 1.44% in September, the lowest on record. Most EM central banks held policy rates unchanged, sustaining attractive real yields in local currency bonds. In LatAm, the Bank of Mexico lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25bps to 7.25% in November. In China, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) kept its key lending rates at record lows for a sixth consecutive month in November, in line with market expectations.

To learn more about what drove emerging market debt returns in November 2025,

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