Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (May) May’s euro-zone money and credit data point to continued steady economic growth. But problems in Italian banks have seen lending there continue to contract. 28th June 2017 · 1 min read
India Economics Update State profligacy is undermining centre’s gains Discussions on the health of India’s public finances often focus exclusively on the national level, where relatively good progress has been made reining in the budget deficit in recent years. Less... 28th June 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Consumer credit in the FPC’s sights The publication today of the Financial Stability Report revealed that while the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee is fairly sanguine about the resilience of the financial system as a whole... 27th June 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italian bank rescue raises long-term concerns While the state aid granted to two regional Italian lenders over the weekend has reduced the risks to the Italian economy in the near term, it shows that the so-called “doom loop” between the banking... 27th June 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will Portugal continue to outperform Italy? Portugal’s economy has outperformed Italy’s in recent years as easing austerity, progress with labour reforms and improvements in competitiveness have all borne fruit. We expect this to continue. 22nd June 2017 · 1 min read
India Chart Pack RBI wields new powers The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has started to put to use its new powers to clean up the banking sector. Earlier this month it instructed several commercial banks to begin insolvency proceedings... 22nd June 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Should we worry about consumer credit? Consumers still appear confident enough to borrow in order to sustain spending growth in the face of higher inflation. But how worried should we be that higher household borrowing and debt will... 20th June 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Little scope for German spending boost from lower savings Structural factors have pushed the German household saving rate higher in recent years. So we doubt that a fall in the saving rate will see consumer spending growth gain much pace in the months ahead. 20th June 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek crisis averted for another year The deal at yesterday’s Eurogroup meeting should see Greece receive the next tranche of its bailout soon, allowing it to meet July’s debt repayments with a little time and cash to spare. Debt relief... 16th June 2017 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack China awaits damp squib of MSCI inclusion MSCI will announce on Tuesday whether it will include China’s domestically-listed A-shares in its benchmark indices. It has chosen not to in the past on concerns over market access and official... 16th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly No need to panic over rapid credit growth in the Philippines The recent acceleration in credit growth in the Philippines is unlikely to lead the central bank (BSP) to hike interest rates at its meeting on Thursday. However, it could prompt the BSP to introduce... 16th June 2017 · 1 min read
China Data Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (May) The squeeze in bond markets explains a pick-up in corporate loan growth last month as firms sought cheaper forms of credit. But on broader measures, the recent slowdown in credit growth has been... 14th June 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Asia well placed to withstand Fed interest rate hikes The US Fed looks almost certain to raise interest rates at its meeting later today. For most of Emerging Asia, higher rates in the US do not pose a major threat, even if the US Fed ends up hiking... 14th June 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (May) Bank profits have continued to shrink as lenders’ net interest margins have declined. However, non-financial firms are benefitting from rock-bottom borrowing costs and corporate bankruptcies remain... 14th June 2017 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Firms shun banks for other sources of finance Although the sharp slowdown in C&I bank loans over recent months has received plenty of attention, total corporate sector debt actually expanded by a record amount in the first quarter, suggesting... 13th June 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Qatar: banking sector concerns slip under the radar Concerns over the impact on Qatar from its diplomatic spat with neighbouring countries have largely focussed on trade ties, but we think investors should be keeping a closer eye on Qatar’s banking... 13th June 2017 · 1 min read
