Emerging Europe Economics Update What next for the Turkish lira? The fresh sharp falls in the Turkish lira this week reflect growing concerns about the state of domestic policymaking and the health of the banking sector. Monetary tightening or an improvement in... 30th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia already slipping on fiscal reforms Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement yesterday that the government will soften a planned rise in the retirement age wasn’t altogether surprising, but it marks part of a broader slippage on... 30th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey entering a steep recession The latest Turkish activity data suggest that the plunge in the lira since May, and the associated sharp tightening of financial conditions, has tipped the economy into recession. Things are only... 29th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey’s debt repayment crunch Turkey’s economy has so far managed to come through the worst of the plunge in the lira without suffering acute financial stress. That said, the banking sector faces a large external debt repayment... 20th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Where do the risks in Turkey’s banking sector lie? Turkish policymakers have taken steps to support local banks today, but concerns have continued to mount about the health of the sector. Banks appear to hedge all their on-balance sheet FX mismatches... 13th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Where to watch for signs of stress in Turkey’s banks? The collapse in the lira has raised concerns about the health of Turkey’s banking sector. Banks’ dollar bonds yields and interbank interest rates are already pointing towards some stress, and these... 10th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update CEE slowdown continues GDP data out next week will probably show that GDP growth in Central and Eastern Europe slowed for a third straight quarter in Q2. We think that the slowdown will continue over the rest of 2018 and... 9th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Sanctions and the importance of balance sheets The fact that the US sanctions (or the threat of) are having a bigger impact on financial markets in Turkey than Russia reflects the latter’s much stronger balance sheets as well as the credibility of... 9th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update How can Turkey get out of its crisis? The lesson from other countries that have suffered from currency crises is that fiscal and monetary policy will need to tighten, preferably under the auspices of an IMF deal, to stabilise the economy... 8th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update A fresh look at Turkey’s banking sector risks The plunge in the lira and rise in borrowing costs is likely to push the Turkish economy into a technical recession in the second half of this year. But the vulnerabilities that have built up in the... 8th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey: another emergency rate hike? The Turkish lira has recovered some of its losses in the past few hours, but the plunge in the currency over the past few weeks is now on a scale which has, in the past, prompted the central bank to... 7th August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What impact would sanctions on Russian sovereign debt have? A bill presented in the US Senate yesterday has raised the threat of US sanctions on Russian sovereign debt. Were the bill to pass, we think it might plausibly add a premium of about 50-100bp to the... 3rd August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Czech MPC: Another hike on the cards in November The new forecasts accompanying today’s Czech MPC meeting – at which the policy interest rate was raised by 25bp – suggest that another hike is likely in November. In 2019, we think that interest rates... 2nd August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey: assessing the fallout from US sanctions The sanctions imposed by the US on two Turkish government ministers in themselves aren’t very big, but it looks likely that more measures will be announced. The lira is likely to fall further... 2nd August 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey: here comes the slowdown The latest hard activity data from Turkey has been surprisingly robust, but more timely survey evidence and low-profile data suggest that a sharp slowdown is underway. Officials are reportedly... 31st July 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s central bank leaves door open to easing The Russian central bank’s post-meeting statement once again sounded hawkish on inflation risks. But it also implied that interest rates could be lowered in 2019, supporting our view that the easing... 27th July 2018 · 1 min read
