Emerging Markets Economics Update EM fiscal rules: there to be broken? A growing number of EMs have adopted fiscal rules to improve investor confidence in the management of their public finances. But the recent deterioration in fiscal health in some EMs has led to the... 23rd July 2024 · 4 mins read
UK Economics Update Is the UK’s fiscal situation as bad as the Chancellor says? Without wishing to downplay the ugly fiscal picture, we think the new government is overplaying the gloom. We suspect more optimistic economic forecasts and various tweaks to the fiscal rules will... 23rd July 2024 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Focus German debt brake to cause more self-inflicted pain Fiscal policy has become almost as fraught in Germany as it is in France and Italy, but rather than from a desire to run very loose fiscal policy, Germany’s woes stem from its strict “debt brake”... 23rd July 2024 · 21 mins read
India Economics Update Finance Ministry continues to show fiscal restraint Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has shown a commitment to fiscal consolidation while for the most part placating the BJP’s coalition partners in today’s FY24/25 Union Budget announcement. There is... 23rd July 2024 · 3 mins read
China Economics Update Plenum Decision fleshes out existing reform agenda The complete Third Plenum “Decision” document provides interesting details on the leadership’s reform agenda across a range of areas. Overall though, it reinforces the central message in last week’s... 22nd July 2024 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Nigeria spending, SA investment, SARB to cut soon Nigeria announced plans this week to raise 2024 budget spending again. Funding will come via a windfall tax on bank profits, but more measures will be needed to permanently boost revenues if Nigeria’s... 19th July 2024 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Services-led slowdown, Third Plenum signals The detailed breakdown of Q2’s weaker-than-expected GDP figures point to a broad-based slowdown in almost all parts of the service sector, leaving growth increasingly dependent on industry. The Third... 19th July 2024 · 5 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Current account deficits, MNB rate cut guidance Balance of payments data out of Central and Eastern Europe this week showed unexpected current account deficits in Poland and Czechia in May, but the big picture is that external positions are... 19th July 2024 · 7 mins read
India Economics Weekly What to watch for in the Union Budget The full Union Budget for FY24/25 - which will be unveiled on Tuesday - will provide an important indication of how much the BJP is willing to concede to its coalition partners. It will also give an... 19th July 2024 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Public Finances (Jun. 2024) June’s disappointing public finances figures suggest that public borrowing is on track to come in a little higher than the OBR’s 2024/25 forecast of £87.2bn. Admittedly, the OBR may grant the... 19th July 2024 · 3 mins read
China Economics Update Third Plenum fails to resolve policy tensions China’s leadership has promised to continue comprehensively deepening reform in a wide range of areas. But there are few signs that the just concluded Third Plenum marks a major change in the... 18th July 2024 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Nigeria rate cuts, Kenya instability, Ghana inflation Nigeria’s central bank governor this week hinted that rate cuts may soon be on the cards but there are still upside inflation risks on the horizon that could scupper those plans. Meanwhile, Kenyan... 12th July 2024 · 7 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly France struggling (and not just at football) France has made little progress towards forming a new government since the second round of the elections last Sunday. But when a new administration is eventually formed, it will struggle to agree a... 12th July 2024 · 5 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Hungary fiscal tightening, June inflation re-cap Hungary’s fiscal tightening measures announced this week are a step in the right direction, but we are sceptical that the deficit will come down far enough to put the public debt ratio onto a... 12th July 2024 · 5 mins read
Asia Economics Weekly Korea: assessing the impact of the strike at Samsung Even if the strike by workers at Samsung Electronics is brought to an end soon, it has served to highlight once again the inflexibility of Korea’s labour market and the poor state of industrial... 12th July 2024 · 7 mins read
