Emerging Europe Economics Update A grim set of Q3 data Third quarter GDP data for Central and Eastern Europe make for pretty grim reading. Output contracted on a quarterly basis in three of the five countries that reported figures and the business surveys... 15th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Little underlying improvement in Turkey's external deficit The upgrade to Turkey’s credit rating last week came in spite of the fact that there has been little underlying improvement in its sizeable current account deficit. This leaves the economy exposed to... 14th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary: markets to sanguine on local government debt risk A restructuring of local government debt in Hungary is by no means certain and, even if it did occur, would entail smaller losses for the banking sector than a similar restructuring of private sector... 13th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia signals rates to stay on hold The Central Bank of Russia kept its key interest rates on hold today and the accompanying statement suggests that any change in rates is unlikely in the very near-term. We still think that... 9th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update The slowdown spreads Third quarter GDP data, which are due to be released by most countries over the coming month, are likely to make fairly grim reading. We estimate that regional growth slowed to around 1.5-2.0% y/y in... 8th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Polish easing cycle has much further to run Today’s decision by the National Bank of Poland to cut interest rates by 25bps to 4.50% suggests that policymakers are finally starting to acknowledge that the big threat to the economy comes from... 7th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkish upgrade unlikely to be a game changer for markets Today’s decision by Fitch to raise Turkey’s sovereign debt rating to investment grade is likely to have only a limited impact on financial markets since the move seems to have already been priced in... 5th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkish stock market rally looks overdone Turkish equities have risen by over 40% since the start of the year, but we think that macroeconomic frailties and weaker global risk appetite could bring this rally to an abrupt end. 2nd November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Czech Republic moves to the zero bound After today’s decision to cut interest rates all the way to the zero bound, we expect the Czech National Bank to move into the realms of unconventional monetary policy measures next year. 1st November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Central Europe’s manufacturing still in recession The latest PMIs show that manufacturing in the highly open economies of Central Europe remains in recession due in large part to falling external demand. By contrast, the Turkish PMI data provide... 1st November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary’s easing cycle running out of room Hungary continued to cut interest rates today, but financial vulnerabilities and a lack of progress towards an IMF deal mean that there is limited room for further easing. Accordingly, we don’t think... 30th October 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Why Yanukovich’s victory is bad news for Ukraine With 70% of the vote now counted, Ukraine’s ruling coalition looks likely to maintain its majority in parliament (although by a dangerously thin margin). The good news is that the election has so far... 29th October 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Inflation set to edge up There are tentative signs that the slowdown in Emerging Market (EM) inflation seen over the past year has bottomed out. We expect EM inflation to quicken over the next six months, mainly due to faster... 25th October 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungarian government too optimistic on deficit reduction Earlier today we attended a meeting with Hungarian Minister of Economy, Zoltan Csefalvay. We left with the impression that the government’s plans for deficit reduction are still too optimistic and... 25th October 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: capital outflows still a cause for concern Having accelerated towards the end of last year, capital outflows from Russia have eased in recent quarters. Nevertheless, they remain substantial. And with the Central Bank now forecasting a current... 22nd October 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkish rate cut a symbolic move Today’s decision by the Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT) to cut its overnight lending rate – which forms the upper bound of its “interest rate corridor” – is a largely symbolic move that is most likely... 18th October 2012 · 1 min read
