Commodities Update China’s commodity import volumes hold up well China’s commodity import volumes were generally strong in July, for the second consecutive month. Although low prices probably encouraged buying, it is also likely that government stimulus is starting... 10th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Winners and losers from the latest commodity collapse Of the major EMs, the biggest losers from the most recent fall in commodity prices have been Russia, Nigeria and Colombia, while the biggest winners have been Korea, India and Thailand. A similar... 7th August 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Property market should shrug off equity price falls When equity prices collapsed in 2007, property prices and sales also collapsed. This precedent has led to concerns that the latest stock market rout may spark a sharp fall in property demand. These... 6th August 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Pork prices boost headline inflation Consumer price inflation is likely to have risen to an 11-month high in July on the back of surging pork prices. Volatility in food inflation aside, the bigger picture is that inflation is set to edge... 5th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM manufacturing still subdued, Central Europe a bright spot July’s PMIs, published earlier today, showed that manufacturers across much of the emerging world struggled last month. The one bright spot was Central Europe, where the surveys improved in spite of... 3rd August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Commodities under siege The prices of almost all the major commodities fell sharply last month as sentiment plummeted, despite a deal to bailout Greece earlier in the month. Industrial metals and energy commodities suffered... 3rd August 2015 · 1 min read
China Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jul.) We wouldn’t read too much into the weak July reading of Caixin’s manufacturing PMI which we suspect was dragged down by bad weather and more downbeat business sentiment following recent stock market... 3rd August 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Cracks appear in government rescue efforts Renewed falls in China’s equity markets at the end of this month underline that investors are focused more than ever on policymakers’ intentions rather than fundamentals. Meanwhile, market interest... 31st July 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Three reasons why growth should hold up in coming quarters Sentiment about the economic outlook for China has darkened again, with the equity market debacle casting a shadow. But we see three reasons to be relatively positive about prospects for growth in the... 30th July 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update China and US, not Iran, most important for oil prices Oversupply and the looming return of exports from Iran are undoubtedly weighing on oil prices. However, prices are likely to continue to be more influenced by sentiment towards commodities in general... 28th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update EM inflation set to rebound despite latest oil price fall The latest fall in global oil prices will not be enough to prevent a rise in EM inflation later this year. It is, however, another reason to think the rebound in inflation will be relatively benign... 28th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update No need to fret about recent currency declines Most EM currencies have fallen over the past month, with many now at or close to multi-year lows against the US dollar. For the majority of countries the economic impact of recent currency weakness is... 27th July 2015 · 1 min read
Frontier Markets Wrap Frontier currencies suffer Frontier market currencies are having a difficult time, with only three of the 31 currencies that we follow gaining ground against the US dollar over the past month. The biggest decline has been in... 27th July 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response China's gold imports (Jun.) Mainland China’s gold imports from Hong Kong fell in June after a strong May. However, we expect total imports by China and India to pick up in the second half of the year as low prices attract a... 27th July 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update China set for further widening of renminbi band China may be on the cusp of again widening the renminbi’s trading band with the dollar. The lesson of previous similar moves is that they have next to no impact on the medium-term path of the currency... 24th July 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Taiwan-China trade agreements are not a big deal There is concern among some parts of Taiwan’s business community that a cooler stance toward China under the next government could hurt the economy. However, closer relations between China and Taiwan... 24th July 2015 · 1 min read
