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Emerging Market Debt Market Commentary: Q4 2025

Emerging market debt delivered healthy gains for the final quarter of 2025. Local currency debt posted positive returns in Q4, aided by currency gains against the US dollar, high real yields, and interest rate cuts. EM hard currency bonds also did well, driven by sovereign spreads tightening to record lows, increased investor interest, and strong issuance activity. Improved global liquidity conditions and risk-on sentiment supported EM debt inflows.

October set the tone for the quarter as EM assets benefited from accommodative policy signals and steady growth data. The US-China trade truce eased pressure on global supply chains, while China’s exports to non-US markets surged, bolstering confidence in EM Asia’s export resilience. The US agreed trade deals with Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, further boosting regional optimism. However, tariff overhangs on India and Brazil, with cumulative duties of up to 50%, persisted throughout the quarter.

Geopolitical risks remained a latent source of volatility in Q4. In the Middle East, a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October halted two years of conflict, though sporadic violence resurfaced later. The Russia-Ukraine war evolved into a mixture of military operations and intensified diplomatic efforts. US pressure on Venezuela intensified, culminating in fresh sanctions and tanker seizures in December, which elevated risk premiums. Lower oil prices eased inflationary pressures for importers like India and Thailand, improving trade balances, while Gulf exporters accelerated borrowing to offset revenue shortfalls.

Real yields in emerging markets local currency debt remained elevated in Q4 2025, supported by benign inflation trends, resilient growth in key EM economies, and a cautious monetary policy approach by major EM central banks. Most EM central banks kept policy rates unchanged, preserving carry appeal, while selective easing in a few markets extended scope for duration gains. The global disinflation trend continued in EM, reinforcing positive real returns.

Learn more about what drove emerging market debt returns in Q4 2025.

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