Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian bank turns hawkish despite slowdown in growth The slowdown in Russian GDP growth in Q2, though modest, is likely to be a sign of things to come. Accordingly, speculation that the Central Bank may soon hike interest rates seems premature. 10th August 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Can the bond rally last? Emerging European bonds have rallied over the past couple of months. In the case of Hungary and Turkey we are doubtful that it can be sustained, but in the Czech Republic and Poland, it may have... 9th August 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Can upward momentum in Moscow office rents reignite? After a strong upturn in 2010 and most of 2011, office rents in Moscow have stabilised. Given that the economy is likely to slow and that the vacancy rate amongst the capital’s existing office stock... 31st July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack A disappointing Q2 Deepening problems in the euro-zone continue to take their toll on Emerging Europe. Most of the region’s economies appear to have weakened in Q2. Even the region’s strongest performers, Russia and... 27th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: Q2 slowdown a sign of things to come Today’s Q2 economic report by the Russian Ministry of Economy confirmed an earlier forecast that GDP grew by 3.9% y/y in the second quarter, down from 4.9% y/y in Q1. We fear the slowdown may be a... 25th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia & WTO: don’t expect a miracle After almost 20 years of negotiations, Russia’s membership in the WTO at last seems imminent. But as the effects of this will be spread over several years, we do not expect a significant impact on the... 19th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update More bad news for the Russian economy June’s raft of activity data confirmed that strong growth in the first quarter of the year is likely to be the high watermark for the Russian economy in 2012. We think growth slowed to around 4.0% in... 18th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Don’t get carried away by talk of rate cuts At first glance, it looks like the tide is turning towards looser monetary policy in Emerging Europe. But while there may be one or two rate cuts over the coming month, we wouldn’t get carried away... 16th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian Central Bank leaves rates on hold The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) left its benchmark refinancing rate on hold at 8.00% today, citing robust economic performance and that inflation is within the target range. Looking ahead, we think... 13th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s new fiscal rule is no panacea The draft budget for 2013, 2014 and 2015 submitted last Friday offers some hope to Russia’s ailing public finances by aiming to reduce the budget’s vulnerability to swings in oil prices. Nevertheless... 9th July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Manufacturers in Central Europe feeling the squeeze June’s PMI data provide further evidence that manufacturers in the highly open economies of Central Europe are being hit hard by the crisis in the euro-zone, while those in Russia and Turkey are... 2nd July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Most European office markets to suffer drop in take-up Our recent finding that the investment component of the German national accounts data is related to office take-up volumes seems also to apply in most other European office markets. Accordingly, our... 2nd July 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update The return of Russian inflation We estimate that planned hikes in Russian utility tariffs next month and again in September will add a total of around 2.0%-pts to headline inflation, pushing it to 6.5% by the end of the year. The... 29th June 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus What would euro break-up mean for Emerging Europe? The economic and financial effects of a limited break-up of the euro-zone could knock some 2-3% off the level of Emerging Europe’s GDP by the end of 2013. But a bigger, more disorderly, break-up would... 27th June 2012 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Emerging European dollar bonds likely to lose their shine Despite the escalation of the crisis in the euro-zone, which has taken a heavy toll on bonds issued by troubled governments within the region, the dollar-denominated sovereign debt of emerging market... 27th June 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Growth outlook worsens This month’s data brought further evidence – if any were needed – that the euro-crisis is casting a long cloud over Emerging Europe. Business surveys have deteriorated further, suggesting that growth... 26th June 2012 · 1 min read