Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s central bank waits for inflation drop before easing The accompanying statement to today’s MPC meeting in Russia, at which the repo rate was left unchanged, was decidedly cautious and it’s clear that policymakers are waiting for firmer signs that... 11th December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economic Outlook Russia to surface from recession, but recovery weak Having contracted in 2015, we expect the economy of Emerging Europe to return to growth in 2016. This will be driven in large part by an improvement in conditions in the region’s largest economy... 1st December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update First thoughts on Russia’s sanctions on Turkey The economic impact of the Russian sanctions on Turkey announced this weekend will, in general, probably be limited. Our best estimate of the maximum losses to the Turkish economy is around 0.5% of... 30th November 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Turning the corner The raft of preliminary GDP data published over the past month showed that the slump in regional growth bottomed out in the third quarter of this year. We estimate that, in aggregate, GDP in Emerging... 26th November 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus Russia’s slow burning fiscal problem Despite a sharp fall in energy revenues, there is no imminent risk of a fiscal crisis in Russia. Accordingly, we don’t share the view that the government needs to tighten policy immediately; indeed... 18th November 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Oct.) Russian inflation edged down again in October, to 15.6% y/y, but the headline rate remains extremely high and this figure alone is unlikely to be enough to tip the balance on the MPC in favour of a... 5th November 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian central bank opens door to rate cuts The Russian central bank kept its benchmark interest rate on hold today, but there was a clear shift in tone in the accompanying statement, suggesting that the MPC plans to resume the easing cycle... 30th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Inv. & IP (Sep.) & Poland IP (Sep.) September’s activity data from Russia suggest that while the downturn in industry seems to have bottomed out, the slump in consumer spending has deepened. Retail sales are now falling at their... 19th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Sep.) The small decline in Russian inflation last month, to 15.7% y/y, was reassuring in light of the fresh fall in the ruble. But even so, inflation remains extremely high and against this backdrop there... 5th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Time to worry about FX debt in Russia? The fall in the ruble has led to a sharp increase in the foreign currency debt burden for Russian companies. The risks are mitigated to some extent by the fact that the debt is concentrated among... 2nd October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Credit conditions in Russia to remain tight for some time Credit conditions in Russia have tightened substantially over the past six months or so, with households and SMEs being particularly hard hit. We don’t expect a significant turnaround anytime soon... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Investment & Industrial Production (Aug.) Rosstat’s monthly raft of activity data showed that the Russian economy continued to contract in August at a pace of around 4.5-5.0% y/y. However, the figures provide the first signs that the pace at... 17th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s MPC keeps rates on hold due to ruble weakness Today’s decision by the Russian central bank to keep interest rates on hold at 11.00% having cut rates at each of its previous meetings this year, clearly reflects policymakers’ concerns about the... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Economic Sentiment Indicators (Aug.) Economic Sentiment Indicators strengthened in most countries across Emerging Europe this month, suggesting that the region continued to grow at a healthy pace in the third quarter. 28th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What does the latest fall in oil prices mean for Russia? The latest plunge in global oil prices and the associated depreciation of the ruble have added to what was already a bleak picture for the Russian economy and reinforce our view that this year’s... 24th August 2015 · 1 min read
