What’s Next: The List Of Catchy Acronyms For Emerging Market Economies

Jim O’Neill, former Goldman Sachs chief economist, invented the most famous classification of emerging markets countries in a 2001 research note – Building Better Global Economic BRICs.

He grouped together Brazil, Russia, India, and China as the world’s emerging economic powerhouses.

The original acronym “BRICs” became an association of emerging market economies, and in 2011, the club expanded.

And the most conspicuous groups of rising powers now includes South Africa, the acronym was extended with an additional capital letter, to become BRICS.

Since then, many investors, trade experts, analysts, and economists made serious attempts to classify economic and financial spheres (emerging economies) — conveniently grouping together emerging market economies.

The number of acronyms for major emerging market economies has exploded. Acronyms have long been a favourite of  Pundits, policy wonks, and policymakers.

Here is a list of some of the most popular catchy acronyms for emerging market economies:

BRICs
Countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China
Invented by: Jim O’Neill

BRICS
Countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa
Unlike other acronyms, the BRICS is an actual club of 5 major emerging nations.

CIVETS
Countries: Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa
Invented by: Robert Ward, Global Director of the Global Forecasting Team of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in late 2009, and popularized by Michael Geoghegan, HSBC

EAGLEs or Emerging And Growth Leading Economies
Countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan, and Turkey
Invented by: BBVA research, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA)

Fragile Five/BIITS
Countries: Brazil, Indonesia, India, Turkey, and South Africa
Invented by: James Lord, Morgan Stanley
Coined in 2013, there was some fear at the time that the difficulties being experienced by these five emerging economies (Brazil, Indonesia, India, Turkey and South Africa,) especially with their currencies, could trigger a generalised crisis in the same way that Thailand triggered a global crisis in 1997.

MINT
Countries: Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey
Invented by: Originally coined by Fidelity Investments, and popularized by Jim O’Neill

MIST, the next tier of large emerging economies after BRICS.
Countries: Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey
Invented by: Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs

N-11 (The Next Eleven)
Countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, Vietnam
Invented by: Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs

PIIGS or PIGS or PIIGGS , does not refer to emerging market economies, but to what were the eurozone’s weakest and most debt-laden southern economies at the height of the European sovereign-debt crisis. Widely considered derogatory.
Countries: Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain
Invented by: Unknown. Barclays Capital analysts were banned from using the term in 2010.

SANE countries, Africa’s best chance of producing an economic bloc comparable to the BRIC economies
Countries: South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt
Invented by: Unknown

TIMPs
Which countries: Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, and Phillippines
Invented by: Bob Turner, chief investment officer of Turner Investment Partners