Asia Economics Update More than meets the eye to new Bank Indonesia policy rate Bank Indonesia today unveiled some adjustments to its policy regime which it hopes will prompt commercial banks to lower their lending rates. If the moves are a success, they should lead to an... 15th April 2016 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Brexit fears not weighing heavily on bank lending It is generally accepted that the main channel through which uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum will hit the economy is the negative impact on business investment. But on the whole, last week’s... 15th April 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response Q1 GDP, March Activity & Credit While GDP growth edged down in Q1, there are at least signs in the more recent data that momentum was improving going into this quarter. With monetary and fiscal conditions still being loosened and... 15th April 2016 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update What is the end-game for Japan’s debt problem? If the end-game for Japan’s public debt problem is direct financing of the budget deficit by the Bank of Japan, this could be a step towards a solution rather than the disaster that many assume... 14th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Is consumer spending about to take off? Following years of weakness, there are signs that private consumption in India is finally finding its feet. Cyclical factors such as looser monetary policy should help to support the nascent recovery... 14th April 2016 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Mar.) While corporate debt has been broadly stable relative to output in recent years, firms have never been in a better position to service their debt as interest rates have collapsed and profits have... 14th April 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina ruling clears way for return to bond market The decision just announced by a US appeals court effectively clears the way for the Argentine government to return to international capital markets imminently. This isn’t the end of the road for the... 13th April 2016 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Bank of England Credit Conditions Survey (Q1) Lenders reported a small drop in credit availability to the residential sector in the first quarter of 2016, although they expect this to be temporary. Similarly, lenders are also displaying a degree... 13th April 2016 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Data Response Bank of England Credit Conditions Survey (Q1) Lenders reported a small drop in credit availability to the residential sector in the first quarter of 2016, although they expect this to be temporary. Similarly, lenders are also displaying a degree... 13th April 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM oil producers unlikely to follow Angola to the IMF Angola last week became the first EM oil producer to turn to the IMF since oil prices started to fall in 2014. In the near-term, we don’t expect any others to follow suit. External risks in EM oil... 12th April 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Qatar: rapid credit growth starting to ring alarm bells Qatar has been one of the best performing economies in the MENA region over the past decade and one of the key drivers of this has been the rapid growth of bank lending. However, we are concerned that... 11th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Where do the risks lie? Financial markets across Emerging Asia have rebounded in recent months as investors have become more confident over the short-term economic outlook for the region. However, as we make clear in our... 8th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Will commercial banks now pass on policy rate cuts? Having now cut its repo rate by 150bp since January 2015, the RBI yesterday re-emphasised the need for commercial banks to boost lending by passing on rate reductions to borrowers. In truth, high... 6th April 2016 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update What are the prospects for household spending? Consumption growth has slowed in every major advanced economy over the past six months or so, but prospects for the rest of the year are mixed. Spending should pick up again in the US, where the... 5th April 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greece/IMF spat underlines fragility of bailout The public spat between Greece and the IMF underlines the fragility of the country’s latest bailout deal and demonstrates that its long-term future inside the currency union is still far from assured... 4th April 2016 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Is a debt crisis in Australia really just around the corner? We can’t rule it out completely, but recent suggestions that Australia is the second most likely country in the world to suffer a debt crisis and recession in the next one to three years seem... 1st April 2016 · 1 min read
