Oil Swings Following Maduro's Capture | Horizons Middle East & Africa 1/5/2026

Watch on YouTube ↗ | January 05, 2026 at 07:45 | 45:53 | Bloomberg Markets

Speakers

Amar Bashir — Head of Fixed Income, Wealthbrix Capital Partners

Carole Nakhle — CEO, Crystol Energy

Amer Khansaheb — CEO & Board Member, Union Properties

Mario Braga — Geopolitical Analyst, RANE

Min Min Low — China Correspondent, Bloomberg

Summary

The program covers Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro and President Trump said the U.S. plans to run the country and revive its oil industry. Guests debate the geopolitical implications, oil-market impact, and whether Venezuela can quickly restore production. The show also features a 2026 global markets and fixed-income outlook, a discussion of Iran protests, and a bullish view on Dubai real estate from Union Properties' CEO.

U.S. operation captures Nicolas Maduro; Venezuela's acting president offers to cooperate with Washington.
Oil prices swing as traders assess whether Venezuela can raise production; Brent trades around $60.
Carole Nakhle says Venezuela cannot quickly restore output and sees potential Brent downside on a surplus.
Amar Bashir is optimistic on global equities, prefers U.S. fixed income via steepeners, and expects further dollar weakness.
Amar also likes EM assets, the Chilean peso, and the South African rand.
Iran's Supreme Leader threatens a crackdown as protests over economic conditions continue.
Union Properties CEO Amer Khansaheb discusses the company's restructuring and Dubai's real estate outlook.
U.S. signs health agreements with African nations, including Ivory Coast and Kenya, amid data-privacy concerns.

Ideas

Amar Bashir Head of Fixed Income, Wealthbrix Capital Partners 13:55

Central bank easing supports global equities

Amar is optimistic on global equities in 2026, though he does not expect a full repeat of 2025's roughly 20% global equity gain. The main driver remains central bank monetary easing: inflation has moved back toward targets in emerging and developed markets, creating room for rates to fall, which should continue to support equities.

Amar Bashir Head of Fixed Income, Wealthbrix Capital Partners 15:34

Long U.S. fixed income via steepeners

He is constructive on U.S. fixed income and says the firm expresses this through steepeners, one of its core views. He expects the labor market to weaken, after shutdown-related noise and potentially overstated payrolls, driving unemployment higher and prompting the Fed to cut three or four times this year, which supports long fixed income and a curve steepener.

Amar Bashir Head of Fixed Income, Wealthbrix Capital Partners 18:16

Dollar weakness supports EM assets

He believes EM assets can perform well in 2026. Further dollar weakness, EM central banks' ability to cut rates, and high real yields create scope for EMFX outperformance, which he sees driving EM local rates and equities.

Amar Bashir Head of Fixed Income, Wealthbrix Capital Partners 18:22

Second high-conviction call: short dollar

He calls further dollar weakness his second high-conviction call, expecting a continuation of the 2025 move. A weaker dollar would be a tailwind for emerging markets, allowing EM central banks that previously could not cut rates to ease policy, and supporting EM assets.

Amar Bashir Head of Fixed Income, Wealthbrix Capital Partners 18:53

Long Chilean peso and South African rand

He favors commodity currencies, specifically the Chilean peso and South African rand, arguing they have lagged behind precious metals and should benefit from further dollar weakness, high real yields, and scope for EM FX outperformance.

Carole Nakhle CEO, Crystol Energy 32:37

Oil surplus risks Brent downside

She sees potential for further downside in Brent if there are no further Iran or Russia escalations and Venezuelan barrels return to the market after sanctions relief. The oil market is expected to be in surplus this year, so additional Venezuelan supply would put downward pressure on prices, and OPEC+ is wise to wait and see.

Amer Khansaheb CEO & Board Member, Union Properties 35:50

Union Properties turnaround and pipeline

He argues Union Properties' outperformance reflects 40 years of restructuring and rebuilding investor trust. The company has launched AED 4 billion of projects with another AED 2 billion in design ready to launch this year, sees solvent demand, and is focused on managing construction and supply-chain cost inflation to deliver quality, value, and shareholder profitability.

Amer Khansaheb CEO & Board Member, Union Properties 36:39

Dubai real estate market remains healthy

He is positive on Dubai real estate because the market has matured, demand is now global and driven by lifestyle, safety, and economic growth, and selling prices are not stretched relative to land and construction costs. Construction and land inflation should help the market self-regulate, with opportunities across residential, industrial, and commercial property.

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815 Money Talk (815머니톡) · Jan 05

This Bloomberg Markets video, published January 05, 2026, features Amar Bashir, Carole Nakhle, Amer Khansaheb discussing VT, U.S. Fixed Income, U.S. fixed income steepener, Emerging market FX, EMLC, EEM, UUP, Chilean Peso, ZAR, BNO, UPP, Dubai real estate. 8 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Amar Bashir, Carole Nakhle, Amer Khansaheb · Tickers: VT, U.S. Fixed Income, U.S. fixed income steepener, Emerging market FX, EMLC, EEM, UUP, Chilean Peso, ZAR, BNO, UPP, Dubai real estate